Congratulations!
Shark Conservation Fund awards 2019 cohort member, Rafid Shidqi, for his project Developing Local Conservation Policy for Pelagic Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus) in Alor Island, Indonesia
Pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus) is one of the most landed species in Indonesian shark fisheries. The species recently reclassified from Vulnerable to Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), noting the significant and continuous population decline. Despite the change in status, Pelagic thresher sharks are still being overlooked, with minimum conservation efforts currently taken to conserve the species. In Alor Island, Indonesia, pelagic thresher sharks were hunted for their fins and meat, generating local economies and provide foods for people. Alor communities have hunted pelagic threshers for more than 50 years. Rafid’s project, funded by Shark Conservation Fund (US$ 25,000), will focus on developing the local conservation policy, together with Alor communities, village, and local governments, private sectors, and Universities. The goal is to create a District-level and village regulation that will prevent mortality through fishing and find alternative livelihood solutions. The project will create an intervention for the government’s middle-term development planning, particularly to integrate livelihood development and conservation activities dedicated for thresher shark fishers.
Rafid’s project, focusing on Pelagic thresher sharks, is the first in Indonesia. Furthermore, working with village and shark fishers will be the first policy development model in Indonesia, particularly that will address unsustainable shark fishing through finding participatory solutions that still protect the rights of people to livelihoods, as well as promote conservation. To get to know his project, he has developed a project-based website with his team (http://threshershark.id) and social media accounts (Instagram: @threshershark.id, Facebook, and LinkedIn: Thresher Shark Project Indonesia).
Shark Conservation Fund is a funding opportunity, specifically to protect threatened and endangered shark species worldwide. The funding was a form of a consortium of World’s Philanthropies, including Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisory for Oceans, Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, etc. (https://www.sharkconservationfund.org/).
