Bio-diversity

Activities of this project will be implemented through two social marketing campaigns aimed at bringing awareness and changing behaviors. These campaigns will utilize an aggressive marketing approach that will produce a variety of products such as a song, jingle, televised and radio psa s, posters, bumper stickers, t-shirts, etc. Below is a brief description of the two campaigns: 1.1. My Island, My Mangroves- will focus on the importance of mangroves for healthy fisheries and aiding in protecting against climate change impacts. This campaign will also educate teachers through workshops of the importance of these areas. Key messages will be delivered through an aggressive marketing campaign inclusive of a song, jingles, tv psa s, posters, bumper stickers and a mascot. 1.2. Size Matters Pride Campaign- Will focus on the single issue of size limits & the threat undersize fishing can pose on future lobster populations. The campaign will also address other issues of fishing out of season, habitat protection. Messages and activities will be designed to eliminate this threat and to reach out to a larger audience. Although focus group activities will target fishermen specifically in Abaco and Grand Bahama, other activities will be developed to reach out to a larger audience in The Bahamas via tv, radio and national events. This project will focus on the island of Grand Bahama as a new site, but will also continue to focus on communities in Abaco as there is still much work to be done there to get fishermen to maintain the new behavior of fishing legal size lobsters. Abaco also has some unique mangrove areas that will be the sight of school based activities such as field trips. Local partners will be engaged and new partners will be invited to join and partner on activities as they are implemented. Other activities will target the general community and children in these communities. It has been determined that children are not only future environmental stewards and early education leads to desired actions that can have a lasting impact for generations to come. Therefore school children will participate in a number of activities that will promote sustainable lobster fishing but also expose them to other sustainable careers in the environment. They will participate in school based field trips to mangroves and near shore patch reefs through snorkeling and kayaking in mangroves. Fishermen will be trained in sustainable fishing practices, dive safety and financial management in focus group workshops in the closed lobster season.

Bahamas