JANJAN BALDEO, THE FISHERMAN FROM MASBATE

Janjan is a fisherman from Sitio Lapus-lapus in Masbate, one of the poorest provinces in the country.

He goes out to the sea at four in the morning, long before the sun rises. To light long nights and attract fish, he mounts a kerosene lamp to his boat — the fuel for which costs him about P150 monthly.

Today, his fishing banca sports a solar-powered LED lamp, which runs only on sunlight and provides all the illumination he needs to fish and provide for his family. Through WWF’s ongoing deployment of practical and climate-smart technologies, this hardworking fisherman from Masbate can breathe a little easier in his quest for a better life.

JOEL BRIONES, THE BUTANDING INTERACTION OFFICER FROM DONSOL

A fisherman from Donsol, Mr. Briones once believed that dynamite fishing was the norm, since the practice has been passed on from generation to generation. “We thought

or whale sharks were just pests. We fishers shooed them from our nets since they could drive fish away and damage our nets,” he said.

When WWF-Philippines arrived in Donsol in 1998, his life dramatically changed. WWF taught Joel and the people of Donsol to champion whale sharks, establishing a well-known eco-tourism program where visitors can swim with wild whale sharks. Today, Joel is a BIO man, a Butanding Interaction Officer who guides tourists to swim with world’s largest fish.

From being a fisherman with one small banca, he now owns eight motor-powered boats — and two of his children have gone on to college. Through WWF, he and his community realized that embracing conservation benefits all parties — human and shark alike.