The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences wants your vote for its project aimed at protecting coastal fisheries
One of the world’s oldest Green Islamic organisation is asking supporters to vote for its community-based project which helps protect coastal fisheries. The Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) has managed to make it to the top 10 finalists in RarePlanet and the National Geographic‘s Solution Search. They now need your vote to be in with a chance of winning $20,000. The competition which is titled ‘Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries’ is a global search for community-based innovations which help conserve near-shore fisheries.
The IFEES initiative is called the Misali Island Islamic Environmental Ethics Project and is an existing collaborative venture to protect fisheries in Zanzibar. IFEES has worked with major international organisation CARE and local fisherman to stop them dynamiting the coral reefs in the past. As 99 percent of those living in Zanzibar are Muslims, IFEES invoked green Islamic principles such as that of stewardship and helped stop the harmful practice of dynamite fishing.
Previous efforts to encourage the fishermen to stop destructive fishing practices by highlighting their unsustainable nature alone had failed.The project which began back in 1999 also involved religious leaders, teachers and government officials and highlighting the notion of Islamic conservation.
IFEES said: “We are very excited to be one of the top 10 finalists in RarePlanet and National Geographic‘s Solution Search: Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries. We are going for the top and we need your support!”
The winners of the competition will be decided by an online vote, so log onto www.solutionssearch.org and follow the instructions to place your vote. Voting is open until the 24 of December 2011 and the winner and runners up will be announced in January 2012. The top prize is $20,000 and two runners-up will get $5,000 each. IFEES will be ploughing back any money they win into the project and raising awareness of Islamic conservation ethics and practices.
:Image via Blue moon in her eyes/flickr.
For more on Green Islam see:
Islamic New Year- Staying Green Since 622CE
7 Tips for a Sustainable Eid-Ul-Adha Festival
Interview With Leading Islamic Green Organisation
Author: Arwa Aburawa
Arwa is a Muslim freelance writer who is interested in everything climate change related and how Islam can inspire more people to care for their planet and take active steps to save it while we can. She is endlessly suspicious of all politicians and their ceaseless meetings, especially as they make normal people believe that they are not part of the solution when they are the ONLY solution. Her Indian auntie is her model eco-warrier, and when Arwa is not busy helping out in the neighborhood alleyway garden, swap shopping or attempting fusion vegetarian dishes- with mixed success, she’d like to add- she can be found sipping on foraged nettle tea.
