Vidathal tivu Eco tourism society ( VETS) was formed with the help of UNDP, government departments and trained by WUSC. Our village consists of a rich mangrove forest and a coral island 5 km away from the mangroves. Intensive fishing activities and illegal fishing activities such as dynamiting has reduced fish catch, damaged corals. Mangrove forest aslo destroyed as they were used for baits to catch cuttle fish. Community has to be educated and strengthened to practice community based management practices to sustain the fish catch and alternate income sources to be developed for the income generation for the village people.
VETs was formed with 25 youth from the village and our group operates eco tourism activities such as bird watching, snorkeling for tourists creating awareness among the local fishermen to preserve the corals and mangrove areas for better fish population for sustainable fishing and creating alternative income for the fishing community . We work together with the community based fishermen societies to implement locally established no fishing area declaration , replanting and protecting mangrove forest, and management and cleaning the sea area from debris and controlling illegal fishing methods. We are campaigning to establish a MPA area in the coral island in the future.
Progress reports
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
Type of commitment
- Community or Locally Managed Marine Areas
- Integrated Coastal Management
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
Type of commitment
- Reduction and elimination fishing practices and gear that destroy/degrade marine habitat
- Reduction of fisheries by-catch and product waste/losses
June 2018
