By Stephanie De Jesus and Elisha Razon As fourth-year Environmental Science students, we began our internship at Oceanus Conservation with prior experience in fieldwork and sampling. We expected challenging conditions and hands-on learning opportunities, but our time in Cagwait, Surigao del Sur exceeded those expectations in ways we could never have imagined. This experience offered...
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Empowering Coastal Communities: Project MaSANAYAN strengthens marine conservation in the Philippines
Oceanus Conservation is dedicated to empowering coastal communities as they take on a crucial role in safeguarding marine ecosystems. Through Project MaSANAYAN—short for Mangrove and Seagrass Advocacy for Nurturing Awareness and Youth Action in Nature—Oceanus, in partnership with the Rumah Foundation, is supporting local conservation efforts in key coastal areas across the Philippines. Building Local Conservation Capacity The...
Growing Futures: Exploring Livelihood through Mangrove-Based Non-Timber Products
For the past five years, Oceanus Conservation has been at the forefront of mangrove restoration and conservation in the Philippines. As one of the pioneering NGOs in this field, many see restoration efforts as a simple act of planting trees, efforts have often prompted the question: “After all the planting, what will we gain?” Why...
Security Bank Grows Resilient Communities with Mangrove Restoration Effort
Press Release: A Sustainable Commitment to Coastal Protection and Livelihood La Union, Philippines—In celebration of “Month of the Ocean”, Security Bank has taken a bold step toward environmental sustainability by planting 940 native mangrove seedlings alongside the Dulao Fishpond and Fishpen Producers Cooperative, in collaboration with Oceanus Conservation and Communities for Nature. This initiative marks...
Staying Open: Lessons from the Asia Landscape Leadership Camp in Bogor
By: Emmanuel Cababarros Jr. On April 21–23, I had the privilege of attending the Asia Landscape Leadership Camp in Bogor, Indonesia—an experience that deeply shaped my perspective on conservation and leadership. As the Project Leader at Oceanus Conservation and a member of GLFx Mindanao, this was not just my first time traveling abroad but also one of the most impactful...
AI can help us save mangroves. We want to do better, starting with Bislig City.
We have seen the potential of AI in supporting our conservation work. Figures 1-2. Workshop participants during the Community-Based Rehabilitation and Conservation Training last December 3-4. Sources: Andreu Bayongasan, Oceanus Conservation; Dafrose Bajaro, Thinking Machines In 2022, Oceanus partnered with Thinking Machines Data Science and Gainforest to improve monitoring of mangrove forests through mobile data...
Two local community associations trained for sustainable livelihood by 2025
The Bitaugan West Fisherfolks Association (BWFA) and Aras-asan Coastal Fisherfolks Association (ACFA), play an important role in mangrove rehabilitation and conservation in Cagwait, Surigao del Sur. Oceanus Conservation, with the support of Blue Marine Foundation, a UK-charity foundation, conducted series of trainings to enhance the leadership and organizational capacities of two local community associations. The...
Oceanus Conservation at the 13th Asian Bird Fair: A Heartfelt Thank You!
Last November 2024, Oceanus Conservation had the incredible opportunity to attend our first international event at the 13th Asian Bird Fair. We are deeply grateful for the amazing turnout and the overwhelming support we received from everyone who visited our booth! We sincerely thank the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (WBCP) for inviting us...
Sibugay Wetland Nature Reserve: A New Ramsar Site in the Philippines
The Sibugay Wetland Nature Reserve (Site no. 2552) has been officially recognized as the ninth (9th) Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) in the Philippines! Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, part of the Sibugay Wetland Nature Reserve, is one of Oceanus’ key project sites. Oceanus Conservation has partnered with the Kapunungan sa Gagmay’ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC),...
Advancing Mangrove Conservation: A Successful Workshop and Policy Roll-Out in Iloilo City
From August 19-23, 2024, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Biodiversity Management Bureau (DENR-BMB) hosted a week of productive training workshop on Science-Based Mangrove Rehabilitation Methods in Iloilo City. This event was held alongside the Policy Roll-Out of Department Memorandum Order No. 2024-01, which focuses on the Immediate Assessment of Abandoned, Undeveloped (Unused), and Underutilized...