Rationale and Impact Pathways

 

SCB Marine Small Grants support science-to-action pathways across policy, education, research, and Indigenous-led conservation, with a strong emphasis on locally led marine conservation and capacity building. This year’s projects span three continents and five countries: the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Cameroon, and Ecuador.

 

Indigenous-led conservation: Marlène Djoumessi’s project in Cameroon will strengthen marine conservation by revitalizing local ecological knowledge through intergenerational cultural exchange in the Manyangue Na Elombo Campo Marine National Park. The project creates space for Indigenous and local communities to maintain and share knowledge while elevate their role in conservation practice.

 

Policy and governance: Zexin Long’s project in China will develop a science-to-policy toolkit to support adaptive management of the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve. By translating ecological data into practical management tools, the project aims to strengthen evidence-based decision-making and resilience-focused conservation.

 

Education and community engagement: Estefania Sanchez-Flores’ project in Ecuador uses active learning with fishing communities to address sea turtle bycatch and build local conservation leadership. By connecting practical conservation knowledge with the experiences of fishing communities, the project supports community participation, realistic solutions, and longer-term stewardship.

 

Science and capacity building: Danie Al Malik’s eDNA project in Indonesia and Neil Edgar Dex P. Marza’s research on brittle star diversity in the Philippines create accessible tools and generate new data to expand access to marine science and biodiversity knowledge. Both projects strengthen local research capacity, improve understanding of understudied ecosystems, and develop tools and evidence to inform future conservation and management.