Coalition Building
STW has demonstrated success as a leader of surf conservation and coalition building. We create strategic coalitions to carry out conservation projects at World Surfing reserves that have real impacts. In selecting partners on the ground, we find common interests, fill capacity gaps based on strengths, and set common goals to have an outsized impact in the places we work. Through this work, STW has built a reputation of trust working with local partners around the world.
For World Surfing Reserves and at Bahia de Todos Santos, we built a coalition between local surfers, environmental NGO's, local government agencies, businesses, artists and neighborhood groups to create holistic vision for the protection and enhancement of the region and coastline.
Classifications
Category
Scale of implementation
Phase of solution
Enabling factors
Conditions that are imperative to this building block include the development of a relationship between Save The Waves and leaders of the World Surfing Reserve effort, community cohesion and capacity in the World Surfing Reserve, and inclusive and diverse stakeholder engagement process that invites many voices to the table.
Lessons learned
We have learned many lessons through years of building coalitions.
1. Communities must be at the heart of any conservation project or it will not work.
2. A coalition must include a broad and diverse group of actors in the community.
3. A coalition must share power equally and must also have an agreed upon local leader or institution.
Gallery
Resources
Building Block Links
Part of the panorama blue solution
