Empowering Women Fishmongers By Restoring Marine Biodiversity in Indonesia

Organization	↗
Bioregion	Southeast Indonesian Dry Forest Islands (AU15)
Category	Nature Conservation Our project categories represent one of three core solutions pathways to solving climate change. Energy Transition focuses on renewable energy access and energy efficiency. Nature Conservation includes wildlife habitat protection and ecosystem restoration, as well as Indigenous land rights. Regenerative Agriculture supports farmers, ranchers, and community agriculture.
Realm	Australasia The Project Marketplace is organized by the major terrestrial realms divided into 14 biogeographical regions – N. America, Subarctic America, C. America, S. America, Afrotropics, Indomalaya, Australasia, Oceania, Antarctica, and the Palearctic realm, which coincides with Eurasia and is divided into Subarctic, Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern regions.
Status	seed Seed indicates an early stage project that needs some level of support to develop into a larger funding proposal. Active indicates any project that needs core programmatic funding. Urgent indicates a short-term project initiated in response to a natural disaster or other impending risk.
Funding Level	$ A single $ indicates a small project requiring $50,000 or less.
Timeframe	12 Months
Partner	Yayasan Teman Laut Indonesia

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One Earth’s Project Marketplace funds on-the-ground climate solutions that are key to solving the climate crisis through three pillars of collective action — renewable energy, nature conservation, and regenerative agriculture. This project protects and restores coastal ecosystems by sustainably managing marine resources.

The coastal communities living on Alor Island in Indonesia rely heavily on fishing for food and livelihood. Local women play a significant role in this economy, managing fish sourcing, processing, and marketing.

Yet, these women face gender inequity despite their vital roles, and the ecosystem as a whole is facing destruction due to overfishing.

Yayasan Teman Laut Indonesia (Thresher Shark Indonesia) aims to tackle these issues. Support for this project will empower women fishmongers to improve their social and economic well-being by sustainably managing marine resources.

Fish landed in Kokar are counted, sorted, and ready to be distributed. Photo Credit: Badra Jultouriq

Creating a group of local business leaders

The first step in this project is to identify potential women fishmongers in Alor. After establishing an entrepreneurial group of ten, they will receive new fisheries equipment and training on fish storing, eco-friendly management, financial literacy, and product diversification.

Transparent supply chains are needed to ensure women can get a fair benefit in the fishing industry. To achieve this, the final step will be connecting the group to markets outside the region, allowing them to build business networks.

Fisherman coming back by boat early morning with a fish. Photo Credit: Badra Jultouriq

Improving fishery livelihoods

A young, local Indigenous woman will lead this project. She has been working with Thresher Shark Indonesia and has grown her passion for marine conservation to impact her community positively.

The project will benefit women fishmongers by improving their ability to manage fisheries supply chains. The success of this project is achieved when fishmongers can store and manage fish effectively, sell at a transparent price, and produce new derivative fish products as additional income.

Fishermen unloading a fishing vessel. Fish are sorted with buckets from different buyers. Photo Credit: Badra Jultouriq

Community-led ocean conservation

Thresher Shark Indonesia’s mission is to conserve the marine ecosystem in Alor. The organization helps local communities to develop alternative livelihoods that work with marine resources so that conservation is a part of everyday life.

This work also includes developing the younger generation to be conservation leaders and increasing coastal communities' awareness and sense of belonging with their ocean.

Protecting the thresher shark

Since 2018, Thresher Shark Indonesia has been preserving the endangered thresher shark population while empowering coastal communities. Thresher shark movements and habitat are studied using satellite and acoustic tags.

By empowering local fishers, their dependence on shark fishing is reduced.

Allowing the ecosystem to heal and restore

In the long term, the project aims to reduce the threat to marine biodiversity and improve the economy of Alor’s community by enhancing their small-scale fisheries. They will feel fulfilled and again in sync with nature, stopping the exploitation of natural resources and allowing the ecosystem to heal and restore itself.