La Asiru - Advisor to the Tomia Fishing Community Tomia (Komunto), Kulati Village, Tomia, Wakatobi
Nature Hero YKAN
Indonesia
Nature Hero La Asiru © YKAN
Indonesia
Nature Hero Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara
Nature Hero
Biography
La Asiru, more familiarly called Bapak Tua, talks about the state of the environment back in the early 2000s. The ongoing degradation of the environment prompted the 81-year-old grandfather to establish a fish bank.
The fish bank is a 32-hectare area in the open sea. In this area, fishermen are not allowed to catch fish indiscriminately. Every fisherman must use environmentally friendly equipment. In addition to fishing, the area is also used for fish spawning and breeding. According to La Asiru, the fish bank area is crucial for fishermen reluctant to venture into the ocean during the east wind season between May and October. Now that fishermen have a fish bank, they can still search for fish during the east wind season to meet their families' needs.
The efforts of La Asiru and the community in establishing the Fish Bank proved to be highly fruitful. In 2010, the Tomia Fisherfolk Community was honored with the Equator Prize in recognition of the success of the fish bank concept. The WWF and Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) have also acknowledged the fine work of La Asiru and the Tomia residents. Thanks to the fish bank, the livelihoods of Tomia fishermen were saved during the environmental crisis between 1999 and 2006.