N
ine villages line a bay on Waigeo Island in
Raja Ampat, Indonesia. During a visit by
representatives of Seacology, a California-
based nonprofit working to protect
threatened island ecosystems around the world, one
village chief requested paved walking paths.
“We thought, what an odd thing to request,” said
Seacology executive director Duane Silverstein. “But
our philosophy is that we’ll do what the village wants
as long as it isn’t a bad thing.” Then he learned that
village paths become water-filled ruts in the rainy
season, which meant paved walkways would help
prevent malaria. The chief later told the organization
that the Indonesian government occasionally provided
the village with projects that the government thought
the people wanted. “Seacology was the first to provide
us with what we asked for,” the chief said.
That sums up the philosophy of the organization,
which was founded in 1991 and now has more than
244 projects in 51 countries on 149 islands to its
credit. Seacology provides something tangible, such
as those paved walkways, in exchange for residents
promising to protect a specified area. Each of the nine
villages on Waigeo received a project from Seacology
SEACOLOGY
20
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WINTER 2014
Saving the world one island at a time
DIVE SLATE
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