In this webinar, moderated by Nalini Nayak (activist from India), Vivienne Solis Rivera (founder of CoopeSoliDar R.L., Costa Rica) and Lillia Briones (a small-scale artisanal fisherwoman from Costa Rica) speak about the socio-political situation of small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica, how COVID-19 affected their work, and how they have built community resilience during the pandemic as a result of collective action, community-based governance models, equity, and the innovation of a fair market.
This webinar will share the experience of the association between CoopeSoliDar R.L and small-scale fisher communities in Costa Rica in the defence of their rights to responsible, small-scale fisheries, focusing, in particular, on the experience in the context of COVID-19 and how community resilience has been a result of collective action, community-based governance models, equity, and the innovation of a fair market. These aspects have guaranteed community livelihood security at a time of great struggle, when traditional markets and tourism have collapsed.
Their experience demonstrates the building of a just and equitable urban market, where, little by little, more people are recognizing the efforts of these communities, as well as the importance of diversified production, freshness, and nutritional quality of fish at a price well below that offered by supermarkets.
The future of the ocean is in the hands of the people of the sea, and in a change of attitude and policies from governments and society. IPLC caretakers have been developing important efforts for the sustainable use of their marine territories for livelihoods, and the recognition of these efforts is crucial in the context of the ongoing negotiations regarding a new Global Biodiversity framework that will guide the countries’ conservation future until 2030.
About the presenters:
Vivienne Solis Rivera is a Costa Rican biologist with an MSc. degree in Ecology from the University of Lawrence in Kansas. She has devoted her professional life to the support and recognition of the efforts of IPLC to conservation and sustainable use in the Central American region. She is the founder of CoopeSoliDar R.L.
Lillia Briones is a small-scale artisanal fisherwoman and President of the Barra del Colorado Shrimp Peelers and Processors Association, Barra del Colorado Responsible Fishing Marine Area in the Caribbean of Costa Rica.
About the moderator:
Nalini Nayak is an activist, feminist and trade unionist based in Kerala, India. She has been involved with coastal communities and their issues for over three decades, and has been associated with Protsahan Trivandrum, Mitraniketan Vagamon, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF).
Please see https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/webinars:2021:03