That means changing a community’s rules and regulations, often in a way that is more friendly to people and their environment. One example of environmental policy change is adjusting the legal net size for fishing nets. In this example, the original net size (that is, the width of the holes in a fishing net) might be too small, meaning young fish are more likely to be caught as by-catch (meaning fish that the fishers do not intend to catch). If you catch too many young fish, that means you will not have larger fish over time, since you already caught the young fish that did not yet have time to mature and grow! Here, if the local government changes the law so that fishermen are required to have larger net sizes, young fish will not be accidentally caught. Over time, this policy change will result in a healthier marine ecosystem, and, in turn, better outcomes for the people that rely on this environment!
In my community, my coworkers and I are working to create a long-term plan for my community to better protect local resources. This plan, called an “Integrated Coastal Resource Management Plan,” focuses on improving the environment from “ridge to reef.” With “ridge” meaning mountains and “reef” referring to coral reefs, this plan is designed to protect ocean life by first ensuring land-based environments are healthy, too! The health of plant and animal life in the land and the sea are more closely related than you might realize. For example, if farmers on the land don’t throw away their pigs’ waste properly, it might contaminate rivers nearby. These rivers flow down into the ocean, and dirty water might harm reefs and fish populations.
