Our funding for this project is in place through September, 2011. After that we are seeking donations in support of the final two years of a 3-year undertaking to promote the expansion of the Abrolhos Marine Protected Area (MPA) network to include important new marine habitats that have been discovered by our team.

This work entails field surveys to gather additional biological and socioeconomic data; preparation of a technical report presenting the rationale for the expansion; conducting a communucations campaign for local communities and at the national level; conducting technical meetings with government representatives; and, assuming the government approves the expansion, disseminating the information on the new boundaries, limits and regulations to enable compliance by local fishermen.

The Abrolhos MPA network is on the cutting edge of marine conservation. It has been demonstrating the importance of marine protected areas in:

1. conserving marine biodiversity;
2. providing critical habitat for commercially exploited species;
3. improving marine fisheries management through involvement of local fishermen in "marine extractive reserves" — a process of community-based resource management (actually, co-management, along with the responsible government agency).

With marine fisheries failing the world over, this program is showing there's a better way.