Lalakbayin Ecoventures

It is so cool to be part of a global program like the Young Global Changers, where I get the opportunity to cross paths with such impressive individuals from all over the world. 🤩 So glad to announce that the top 15 Young Global Changers have been selected and will soon be heading to Berlin for this year’s Summit (Global Solutions Initiative ). After a hectic selection process, earlier this year, we connected with these incredible individuals, diving into their inspiring projects and learning so much about them and their diverse backgrounds. Looking forward to fostering new ties, collaborating, and gaining fresh perspectives from such a talented group! #YGC #GSS25 #YouthLeadership

It’s official! I’m honored to be the sole Filipino 🇵🇭 representative pitching Lalakbayin Ecoventures in Berlin this May! 🇩🇪 We were selected from over 600 applications across nearly 100 countries as one of the Top 15 projects for the YGC Recoupling Awards 2025 under the Reimagine Business category. This means we’ll be attending the Global Solutions Summit and participating in the Young Global Changers #RecouplingAwards in Berlin! Here’s an excerpt from my application: "As an environmental advocate in Palawan, where protecting nature can be dangerous, I understand the need for a strong support network. Joining a global changemaker community will provide vital mentorship and resources to scale our ocean conservation efforts. As the Youth Philippine ambassador to the The Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF), I aim to share community success stories, protect marine ecosystems, and transition my venture Lalakbayin Ecoventures into a travel tech startup that leverages technology and innovation to champion sustainable ocean economies." I’ll also carry the voices of coastal communities and showcase how business and science can work together to solve global challenges. My journey—starting as a business student and now a marine conservationist—proves that anyone can drive positive environmental impact while creating green jobs. Thank you Young Global Changers for this incredible opportunity! #YGC2025

💫 INTRODUCING THE 2025 YOUNG GLOBAL CHANGERS 💫 We are very excited to announce the 2025 Young Global Changers! While whittling down these candidates from over 600 applicants to just 52 was challenging, we are proud to welcome this year’s cohort into the YGC community and connect them with a group of dynamic changemakers from all around the world. The Young Global Changers network is constantly growing and evolving, just as its members are – and we hope to achieve our goal of amplifying the important work that our YGCs are doing in different fields, from social & climate action to business and civic engagement. 📣 Make sure to stay tuned for the announcement of our Top 15 at the end of the month. These 15 YGCs will be joining us in Berlin at the Global Solutions Summit on May 5-6 to present their projects for a chance to win at the 2025 Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards. 📍Learn more about the 52 semi-finalists here: https://lnkd.in/eYQaacw6 📍If you haven’t already, make sure to follow us on Instagram for more: https://lnkd.in/dtRup7iR Damilola Babatunde Maria Fernanda De la Hoz Abiola Durodola Edward Krutsch Victoire Mandonnaud Georgia Marshall Thiago Nascimento Allan Okoth Samad Quraishi Jorge Valderrábano Thais Zschieschang Cayden Brown Pavlo Dobrovolskyi Frohar Hamidi Lia Ivolhina Gabriel Marmentini, PhD Mathias C. Laura De Dilectis Mahoro Diane Fajar Sidik Abdullah Kelana Faith Kuya Mark Joseph Laceste Elena Martínez Martínez Dimma Muhammed Mawejje Akhona Mtongana Anup Paikaray Seka Jean Blaise Patricia Zanella Oluwademilade Adelaja Muzhda Akbari Saater Aondofa Allison Choong Aymane Gbadamassi Carolyn He Abobakar Sediq Miakhel Adam Miller Obiorah Jennifer Lina Sophie Pfeiffer Stephen Bright Sakwa Shamsiyyah Umar

Meet the local changemakers joining us in the 3ZERO House Local Meetup – Marine Conservation: Stories from the Sea! 📅 January 30, 2025 Thursday, 3:30-5:00 PM via ZOOM 🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/g_UGJBDk (limited slots) Zoom details and other event reminders will be sent through email 🏝️. Learn about the stories of local organizations working on marine conservation in the country 🌊 Gain insights and best practices on how to advocate and act towards sustainable oceans and seas together with communities 🤝🏼 Meet fellow local champion-advocates through the breakout session after the panel 📢 ABOUT THE PANEL ➡️ Anna Oposa is the Executive Director and "Chief Mermaid" of Save Philippine Seas , a movement to conserve coastal and marine resources by empowering "seatizens" towards collective action and behavior change. ➡️ Brandon Hargraves is a blue entrepreneur that has been developing solutions for the Philippine blue economy for the past 5 years, based in the seaweed province of Zamboanga Del Sur. His social enterprise, named The Aquaculture Group, operates a sustainable business model at the intersection of agriculture and aquaculture, producing liquid fertilizer from seaweed for use on agricultural crops such as rice, creating a new holistic value chain that balances economic growth with ecological stewardship. ➡️ frederic TARDIEU is the Co-founder and President of Sulubaaï Environmental Foundation, a mode of sustainable management in ecosystem restoration and a knowledge resource in the Philippines through their work in Pangatalan Island encompassing restoration, scientific monitoring, raising awareness, and sustainable development. ➡️ Mark Joseph Laceste (Moderator) is the founder and impact entrepreneur of Lalakbayin Ecoventures, an ecotourism agency based in Palawan dedicated to championing the blue economy through marine conservation and biodiversity investment. 🔗 Register now: https://lnkd.in/g_UGJBDk (limited slots) See you there! For inquiries, feel free to send us a message on our socials or email us at philippines@3zero.org. #3ZEROPhilippines #3ZEROHouseLocalMeetup #SustainableOceans

🎉 NEW RESOURCE FOR CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS 🎉 The 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 provides an overview of core concepts, explores sustainable livelihood initiatives, and reviews case studies of successful community enterprises. The toolkit also highlights examples that demonstrate guidance for implementing a sustainable livelihood initiative.   Regardless of your involvement in sustainable livelihoods, the toolkit provides considerations for advancing conservation towards co-management and lasting, substantial partnership with local communities and Indigenous Peoples. 💻 Explore the Sustainable Livelihoods Toolkit: https://lnkd.in/gekpDvmY 🤝 We also invite you to enroll in the free 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 for more information and case studies on sustainable livelihood initiatives. The course and toolkit were developed by the Reef Resilience Network in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy’s Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities Team and the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Coral Reef Conservation Program, drawing on TNC's Indigenous & Community-Led Conservation Approach, Guide to Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Enterprises, and Voice, Choice, & Action Framework.

Why join or start a Sustainable Ocean Alliance Hub in your community? 🌎 Select SOA Hub Leaders from the 19 new Hubs we welcomed in 2024 across 18 countries (for a total of 88 active SOA Hubs in 50 nations worldwide at year’s end) graciously shared their inspiration for starting their Hub: 1) Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, PhD created an SOA community in American Samoa after her “truly transformative experience,” earlier this year as an SOA Delegate at the Our Ocean Conference Youth Leadership Summit in Athens, Greece.  2) Mark Joseph Laceste was inspired to protect “the Philippines' last ecological frontier,” by launching SOA Palawan. The archipelagic province is “home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.” 3) Luca Vincent and his founding friends at SOA Austria are determined to “rewrite the narrative” that marine conservation “doesn’t make sense” in a land-locked “country without a coastline.” 4) I left space for one more origin story… Yours! If you’re circling back to my question, pondering, “Why should I join or start an SOA Hub in my community?” Look for the common thread across these stories spanning the globe… From the tropical seas of the South Pacific to the icy shores of the Arctic (and even the heart of Europe), the ocean unites us. Each region faces unique challenges and depends on young people like YOU. Leaders of tomorrow, who care enough to take action today. So, why start an SOA Hub? Your reason might be a positive experience in a community of ocean advocates like Sabrina. Or a desire to protect local marine treasures like Mark. Or perhaps you see a need to raise awareness where there isn’t any, like Luca. No matter your ‘why,’ we would love it if you reach out, ask questions, and join or start a Hub in 2025! Find your SOA Regional Rep below and let me know if you’re curious to learn more 🩵

Three eco-champions from Southeast Asia were named winners of Blue Water Heroes 2024 earlier this month. The Blue Water Heroes is an annual awards that recognises individuals protecting the region’s oceans. On November 8, three among the 10 shortlisted finalists were announced as winners at a gala dinner at ONE15 Marina Sentosa Cove. Congratulations to first-place winner Rose Huizenga, founder of Coral Catch; second-place winner Leon Boey, founder of Livingseas Asia - Livingseas Foundation; and third-place winner LeeKiang Ng of Young Nautilus. The rest of the finalists this year were: Afiq Durrani Mohd Fahmi, director of Sustainable Ocean Alliance Malaysia Andre Saputra, founder and director of Indonesia Biru Foundation Chien Le, founder of SASA Marine Animals Rescue Daniel Quilter, co-founder of Fuze Ecoteer Mark Joseph Laceste, founder of Lalakbayin Ecoventures Sue Ye, founder of Marine Stewards Singapore Ziggie Gonzales, founder of The Plastic Solution As oceanographer and marine bioologist Dr Sylvia Earle said in her welcome speech, the evening was a celebration of champions “who have come along at just the right moment to make a difference of the sort the world urgently needs”. Head to the link for more information on the awards, which was organised by ONE°15 Events Management and powered by @tatlergen.t. https://lnkd.in/gBwGQ48V #TatlerGenT #BlueWaterHeroes #BlueWaterEdufest #oceanconservation

Meet our 2024 Blue Water Heroes finalists! Introducing Mark Joseph Laceste, Founder of Lalakbayin Ecoventures 🌏 Lalakbayin Ecoventures is an ecotourism and environmental consultancy founded in Palawan, Philippines, that empowers coastal communities and organisations through marine conservation and biodiversity investment. It collaborates with local governments, marine protected areas (MPAs) and international organisations to promote environmental programmes, citizen science expeditions, sustainability events, and livelihood opportunities for coastal communities. The organisation’s initiatives have impacted over 1,163 individuals across the Philippines. Lalakbayin Ecoventures aims to scale up by transitioning into a travel tech startup, digitising its services and mapping MPAs across 23 municipalities. It plans to integrate data science and AI to track carbon emissions. Learn more about their projects and get your tickets to come support these incredible eco-champions at the Blue Water Heroes Awards Dinner! More info: bluewateredufest.com 🎫 https://lnkd.in/gyb6DWHv #BlueWaterEduFest #BWE2024 #BlueWaterHeroes #OceanConservation #MarineConservation #awardsdinner #bluewater #sentosaisland #sentosacove #sentosa #LalakbayinEcoventures

Translating Biodiversity Goals into Action: A Global Budget Approach: very excited and proud to release today BioInt’s second thought leadership piece. In short: 1️⃣ It is possible to set apex goals for biodiversity similar to the 1.5°C-2°C of the climate world   2️⃣ Goal A of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Biodiversity Plan can be translated into a global biodiversity budget, equivalent to the 57 Gt CO2-eq of the climate world, reducing periodic losses from +440 000 MSA.km2 in 2023 to +0 MSA.km2 in 2030 and achieving gains between 2030 and 2050 (the Mean Species Abundance (MSA) is here used as an example)   3️⃣ This global budget can be translated at the country level, included in the equivalent of the climate’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), allowing to track countries’ and global progress   4️⃣ 10 countries may represent up to 21% of the global ecosystem condition annual decline, with the Russian Federation, Argentina, Brazil and the United States being the most (negatively) impactful countries   5️⃣ Corporate budgets can also be established, with implications for the level of ambition of corporate target-setting   Ahead of #COP16 of the CBD which opens in 9 days, we hope our Biodiversity Brief will be thought-provoking, inspire negotiators and all the stakeholders involved and move the discussion on this important topic! ❔ What are your views on this? In our illustrative example with an agrifood company, what should be the answers to these questions according to you? 👉 What ethical considerations should determine the share of global efforts borne by the company (capacity to pay, historical impacts, headcount, etc.)? 👉 What should be the mix between avoided & reduced negative impacts and positive impacts adopted by the company to achieve its targets? 👉 Should it be allowed to sum positive and negative impacts to calculate net impacts? At which scale? Thanks to Simas Gradeckas, Rachel Ashton Lim, Jen Stebbing, Oliver Dauert and Ollie Potter for their feedback on an early version and on some design choices! We hope you will enjoy reading as much as we loved preparing it! Stay tuned for more Biodiversity Briefs, the next one may be about options for policy instruments regulating biodiversity credits.

📺 BCA's and Global Fund for Coral Reefs' joint webinar on Wednesday explored the particulars of marine biodiversity credits, discussing the development of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation's biodiversity credit programs, as well as how biodiversity credits can support the conservation efforts of organizations like the Misool Foundation. Here are some key takeaways from the webinar: 1. Unique challenges for marine ecosystems: Kristina Koenig from the Great Barrier Foundation discussed the need for dynamic baselines in aquatic ecosystems, because of how rapidly marine ecosystems can change. This is especially relevant as climate change intensifies. 2. Being flexible and context-specific: When working with conservation organizations, virly yuriken from Misool Foundation suggested that it is also important for marine biodiversity credit methodologies to be flexible, so that they can be tailored to ongoing projects. 3. Units for marine ecosystems: Tim Coles of rePLANET also stressed the need for clearly defined units to be associated with biodiversity credits, and shared about the Wallacea Trust's methodology for quantifying biodiversity gain, which is based off a 1% gain per hectare in the median value of a basket of metrics that reflect the conservation objectives for the habitats with additionality and permanence. 4. The need to engage local stakeholders: All three panelists highlighted the critical importance of engaging local stakeholders, ensuring respect for rights, and considering relevant approaches for participation and benefit sharing. 📹 You can watch the recording of the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/eWT9cNtV 📰 The webinar summary and Q&A can be found here: https://lnkd.in/evTz_hcU 📰 Check out Carbon Pulse's coverage of the webinar: https://lnkd.in/eUrQ8nYq 📢BCA is also excited to announce the launch of a new working group focused on marine biodiversity credits. This working group will explore and develop guidelines for marine biodiversity credits that are specific to the opportunities and challenges of this class of credits. If you would like to stay in the loop about this workstream, register your interest here: https://lnkd.in/ewT3Bcfp