We work at local, regional, and global levels to keep marine healthy, so they can adapt to climate change and survive for generations to come.
Our mission
To conserve the natural resource heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitats and promoting sustainable utilization of marine resources.”
Our vision
“To facilitate and empower local people to manage and conserve natural resources within the social, cultural and economic context of their communities.”
Partnership for conservation of mangrove ecosystems
We partner with both national and International organizations and private companies to conserve marine ecosystems and restore mangrove degraded areas.
In order to achieve more and promote sustainability, COBEC builds strong relationships with partners who support conservation activities through grants/funding and corporate social responsibility from the private sector. Climate change mitigation needs participation of communities and organizations to work together so as to implement robust mitigation strategies in area that are affected more by climate change.
COBEC invites companies that produce more carbon to the atmosphere to partner with as to plant more trees for carbon sequestration. We endeavor to enhance protection and management of protected areas through partnership and stakeholder engagements.
Collaboration with the business community can bring about changes in environmental attitudes which can in turn influence the attitudes and understanding of the wider community. The community and private sector have vital roles to play in achieving biodiversity goals. Effective partnerships within central and local government, communities and private resource managers need to be forged and strengthened to enable the guidance, sharing of expertise, access to information and support necessary to achieve effective local action.
Our approach
Applying the bottom-up (or grass-root) activities that bring individuals and organizations together to work towards achieving desired environmental goals. These approaches are fueled by a community force that exerts pressure on government agencies. Commonly referred to as localization or subsidiarity this force reflects peoples’ desire for a greater say in issues that affect them. While government agencies may set strategies and prepare plans and policies, their ultimate success depends on the support of a wide spectrum of society, so this desire for involvement needs to be acknowledged and acted upon.
COBEC operates at a local or community level. COBEC tends to be voluntary, people-centred and participatory, with community members making management decisions. Expertise may be provided by outside agencies but management responsibility remains with the community group.
Community-based environmental conservation reverses top-down, centre-driven conservation by focusing on the people who bear the costs of conservation. In the broadest sense, then, community-based environmental conservation includes natural resource or biodiversity protection by, for, and with local communities.