In response to the pressing concern of ocean health and resilience in Nigeria, this project aims to tackle the critical issue of marine litter, particularly plastics, along the country's coastline. A multi-stakeholder approach will be adopted, engaging three pivotal groups: local coastal residents, youths, and government entities. SOA Nigeria, will execute an in-person sensitization program which includes a coastal tree planting exercise at Idado community. Additionally, a digital campaign will be launched targeting 10,000 youths, highlighting the far-reaching impacts of marine litter on climate change. The project aims to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of marine litter while encouraging ecosystem restoration and sustainable practices. Project Leader Adenike Adeiga is a seasoned conservationist who has devoted most of her working years to protecting environmental resources through research, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement.

Beatriz is an oceanographer and the founder of Marulho, a business that works with traditional coastal communities to reuse fishing nets that would otherwise be discarded. By collaborating with locals, they are able to transform these nets into new, useful products like bags and purses. This initiative not only prevents fishing nets from becoming 'ghost nets' in the ocean, but also supports the local economy by generating income for the communities involved. All the products are handmade by the fishers and inhabitants of these coastal areas, using their traditional knowledge. These unique products are then sold throughout Brazil, spreading awareness about sustainable practices and supporting the livelihoods of these coastal communities.

In an effort to combat the adverse effects of climate change on fish species in two coastal states in Nigeria, the Fishers' Prep project sets out to mitigate underlying factors and activities that intensify these impacts. Using the collected data, a climate resilience toolkit will be created to inform fishermen about the status of selected fish stocks and promote responsible fishing practices. By implementing this toolkit over time, the project aims to guide fishing practices, mitigate overexploitation of fish stocks, increase fish populations, enhance biodiversity, and strengthen the resilience of threatened fish species in the face of climate change.

Coastal inhabitants who rely on coastal and ocean resources represent a particularly marginalized and vulnerable group that faces significant health impacts resulting from climate change. This project is a preliminary study looking to understand how resilient small-scale fishing communities are to the increasing risks and threats of climate change from the viewpoint of public health. Data will be collected on the health conditions and infrastructure and workshops will be held among various stakeholders associated with the well-being of fishing communities.

Local marine biologist, Nestin, leads this effort to enhance small-scale fisheries in Toliara, Madagascar by empowering the local community, particularly women, to collect real-time data on fish populations through the digitalization of data collection methods. The monitoring data of captured fish is crucial for assessing the overall health and maturity of the population and identifying species that may be experiencing population growth or decline. The project emphasizes the importance of real-time data collection and digitalization to make informed decisions on sustainable fishing practices, contributing to the conservation of marine resources and the livelihoods of the local community. By embracing digital tools and technologies, such as mobile apps, the project aims to streamline data collection, analysis, and sharing processes, enabling more efficient and effective data-driven management measures.

Peru is among the eight countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on fisheries, due in part to the effects of El Niño climate events on Peru's waters. Small-scale and artisanal fishers are the most impacted, so this project aims to raise awareness, train, and empower generations of fishers and local leaders from the northern coastal communities of Peru to understand climate change, its relation to the El Niño effect, and how promoting the creation of Marine Protected Areas can reduce the vulnerability of artisanal fishing. SOA Peru Hub leader Stefanie Torres builds off of past work with three schools in Peru to bring climate education into their classroom curricula and engage youth in Peruvian ocean conservation.

Myanmar is ranked second among the top ten countries most prone to climate-risk in the world. Climate change is expected to have a considerable impact on the capture fisheries (both marine and inland) and aquaculture sectors in coastline areas of Myanmar. This project intends to strengthen the adaptive ability of key stakeholders (CBOs, CSOs, and NGOs) through the implementation of a number of training modules, including Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Ecosystem Approach to Fishery and Aquaculture Management (EAFM, EAAm) which were recently endorsed and updated by the FAO. Beyond the training programs, this project will establish a unique forum for policy discourse with participants/ stakeholders to continue to engage them and inform their work.

Led by Dr. Veronica Relano (PhD in Oceans and Fisheries from the University of British Columbia), the Somos OceanoS (SOS) initiative highlights the ecological, social and economic values of marine protected areas (MPA), and identifies the challenges faced by communities, fisheries and ecosystems by creating documentaries featuring interviews with local stakeholders, then showing the films locally and abroad, as well as and hosting capacity-building workshops for the affected communities. This grant supports the completion of a documentary on Isla Espíritu Santo, an MPA initially created with limited local community engagement, but which will undergo a management revision this year. This documentary—which SOS aims to show the council and other decision-makers in the revision process—as well as accompanying newsletters, contests, and environmental education activities will bring the voices of local people into the conversation, empowering them to engage with the public participation phase of the management plan revision.

Small-scale fisheries are vital for livelihoods and food security in Tanzania, but they face challenges from climate change, overfishing, and unsustainable practices. This project promotes climate-resilient fisheries in Kunduchi by enhancing the capacity of the fishing community in sustainable fisheries practices and climate change adaptation measures. Through a community-based approach, training and support will be provided to adopt sustainable fishing practices, raise awareness, and adapt to climate change impacts.