The Save Philippine Seas, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Manila, is calling on Negrense youth leaders, aged 18 to 23, who are passionate about marine conservation to participate in a regional Sea and Earth Advocates camp April 27 to May 3, 2015, a government press release said.

The “SEA Camp: Empowering youth as leaders in conservation” aims to give young people a platform to play bigger roles in the conservation of marine life, Anna Helen Yap of SPS said.

The three regional camps are in Siaton town in Negros Oriental for the Visayas region, and Batangas for Luzon, on April 15-21, and Tawi-Tawi in Mindanao, May 9-15. The national culminating camp will be in Calamianes, Palawan, June 11-15, the press release also said.

The camp sites are Marine Key Biodiversity Areas and Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries project areas. Yap said the Philippines is recognized as the “center of marine biodiversity” in the world, being home to about 300 species of coral and nearly 60 percent of the world's known shore fish. Many of these are threatened or endangered due to overfishing, destructive fishing methods, pollution, and unsustainable tourism practices.

The USAID-funded project aims to reform the fisheries sector through an application of ecosystem-based fisheries management.

Thirty youth representatives from each region will be chosen, and they will spend five days immersed in fun and educational activities, like workshops, fieldwork, panel discussions, snorkeling, and mural painting. All travel, accommodation and activity costs for the camp will be covered.

At the end of each regional camp, the participants are expected to present a project proposal geared towards coastal and marine conservation, and the top 10 proposals will receive funding to help implement their projects, with assistance and guidance from local partners and SPS.

Applications must be emailed by December 23, 2014. For more details, those interested youth may log on to www.savephilippineseas.org/seacamp, the press release added.*

back to top