Scrum For Coral

Would you mess with these coral conservationists? Hells no!

Thought I'd post a few snaps of Rich, Anja, and Bryan from our San Francisco Program team sporting the colors of Fiji's Kubulau District rugby team. We just received a box with both shirts and duffle bags that were part of a Coral Reef Alliance microgrant to the district. We're hoping that the new shirts, emblazoned with both the marine protected area and CORAL logos, will help raise the profile of the MPA, create a sense of pride and identity for some of the young men of the 11 Kubulau villages, and perhaps provide some leverage to help stem reports of fish poaching by villagers who feel the MPA--and partnering in conservation efforts--has not yet demonstrated enough tangible benefits.

We already have reports of renewed buy-in from village leaders, and the team played a prestigious Fiji-wide match in their new uniforms. I think they look great and it demonstrates some of the many different avenues we could explore in community-based conservation.