The Sacred Island

SAFINA: On this edition of Saving the Ocean,

I'm in Zanzibar, off the African coast.

Fishermen depend on the spectacular reefs,

while tourists love them.

It's like paradise.

SAFINA: In one of the world's most unusual

conservation success stories, everyone's learned to coexist--

with some powerful help from the mosque.

The Koran is inherently environmental.

I'm Carl Safina, join me now for "The Sacred Island."

Major funding for Hi, I'm Carl Safina.

No matter where I travel, I always return here

to walk, feel the seasons change.

I've been coming here since I was a kid.

Now I'm a marine biologist and I write books about the ocean--

that magic, majestic two-thirds of the planet

that starts right there in the surf.

In my travels I see pollution,

overfishing, coral reefs in trouble.

But I also meet inspiring people working to solve problems.

In this series, we visit people with solutions,

and places getting better.

So I hope you'll join me in these journeys.

It's all about Saving the Ocean.

We're in the Zanzibar Archipelago,

and we're going from the main island of Unguja

to a smaller island called Pemba.

In Pemba we're going to look at how very poor fishermen

are working with a very new approach,

using the Islamic ethic of conservation.

It's going to be something really different.

We're on our way to Kisangani,

one of dozens of small fishing villages on Pemba's coast.

The guys we're here to meet are waiting on the beach--

Musser Khalfan and Nassor Sleman, local fishermen.

It's an enthusiastic welcome.

Jambo.

SAFINA: They're heading out to check their net.

These are poor people who need every fish they can catch,

yet out here, they're going to show remarkable restraint

in the way they fish.

A couple of miles offshore, strung between the markers,

is a long net that's been out here overnight.

As nets go, this one's quite unusual.

It has large mesh, and because it's made of cotton,

fish can see it easily.

These qualities won't help Musser and Nassor

catch a lot of fish, but they're a key part

of an innovative solution to a conservation problem,

the kind of solution we look for in this series.

Here's our first catch, which Nassor handles with care.

This is actually a stingray,

so the first thing they did was cut the tail off;

get rid of the stinger.

As we continue to haul,

we begin to realize it's not much of a catch.

Second one, looks like a parrot fish.

They could catch more with a transparent nylon net

or by using a smaller mesh.

Or they could set their net

directly on the nearby coral reefs.

But to protect their fishing grounds,

the fishermen have agreed to restrictions.

How that came about is a remarkable story,

as we're going to see.

Fish number three so far.

A lot of work for very little return.

Is this a normal catch?

He says that some days they got more,

and the other days they get nothing.

SAFINA: The restrictions are all the more remarkable

given how crucial fishing is.

They said that this life they were already tired,

because that is hardly life.

SAFINA: He's saying this is a very hard life...

HAJI MOHAMMED: Yeah.

...but it's the only life they have.

They have nothing else they can possibly do.

Yeah, yeah.

So it's the sea or nothing.

Or nothing for life.

SAFINA: Musser and Nassor are fishing within sight

of one of the most gorgeous islands that exists anywhere,

surrounded by pristine waters thrumming with life.

It's called Misali, the kind of place for which the term

"tropical paradise" was invented.

Since 1998, Misali and its waters have been protected,

with the agreement of local fishermen.

It's an unusual and sophisticated scheme.

The best of Misali's spectacular coral reefs are fully protected,

with no fishing of any kind allowed.

It's one of East Africa's most important concentrations

of ocean life, and a proposed World Heritage site.

There are at least 40 kinds of coral

and around 300 kinds of fish.

It's reefs like these that, around the world,

will continue to lay the golden egg in the form of fish to catch

and sights to marvel at if only we can look after them.

Since protection began, visitors have been charged a small fee--

$10 each per day.

Most come for the snorkeling and diving

and are more than satisfied.

It's so wonderful.

It's like paradise.

I don't know paradise, but it should be like this.

SAFINA: A key part of the Misali scheme's success

is that some of the visitor fees find their way

to places like this.

It's the village of Shidi.

The village is one of 34 that depend heavily on fishing

in Misali waters.

It's a typical dusty Pemba village.

People are poor, but they get by thanks in large part

to the bounty provided by Misali's reefs and waters.

But, in 1993, disaster loomed for Misali fishermen.

The government leased the island to an Italian resort developer,

and the fishermen feared being kicked out of the area

where they made their living.

It took five years and a powerful consortium

of aid agencies, conservation groups, and local leaders,

but the government eventually canceled the lease.

Misali was saved for the fishermen,

but now came the hard part-- saving it from the fishermen.

That meant the newly created conservation area

had to be managed,

and the job went to a new local community group called MICA.

I talked to MICA's managers under a mango tree

in Shidi village,

and they told me fishermen were already in favor of management.

For poor people, this kind of vision is impressive.

The idea of conserving is coming

from the fishermen themselves.

They say that if this island, our island,

is given to the investor,

we are fishers, where can we go for fishing?

So we cry to government,

better to give us and we can conserve that area

to become better area for...

So instead of being sold to the investor,

it was given to the community.

JUMA: To the community, yes.

SAFINA: These two brothers, Haji and Juma Shehe,

are heading out to check their traps.

The traps are set, legally,

inside the Misali Conservation Area managed by MICA.

The traps are positioned on the sand between the coral heads,

so they don't smash the coral when they're moved.

It's a perfect demonstration of how well

the right kind of fishing,

at the right kind of scale, can work.

The catch is not large, but it's not bad either.

Today they'll get about 15 pounds of fish--

at $2.00 a pound,

enough for both men to support their families.

And this kind of low-impact fishing can continue

essentially forever, as long as they protect the reefs

and enough breeding fish.

In much of the world, fish is the most important protein,

and Pemba is no exception.

Here, it's sold by roadside vendors,

who buy a few fish a day from the fishermen.

The island interior looks like rich, lush forest,

but appearances are deceptive.

Pemba is 45 miles from top to bottom,

and practically every square inch is cultivated--

for coconut or banana trees, or spice trees like cloves.

Cassava grows in the poor tropical soils.

Pemba is a lively and crowded place.

As well as the many villages,

there are three towns that bustle with activity.

Most people are quite poor,

and the population of 400,000 is growing fast,

so the drive to get more out of land and sea is strong.

With these pressures,

how did MICA make the Misali Conservation Area work?

Well, first of all, they had some powerful allies.

(man praying)

Almost everyone in Pemba is Muslim.

Arab traders have been coming down the East African coast

for at least a thousand years,

bringing not only their sailboats,

but their religion, too.

(man praying)

We're at Friday prayers in the Central Mosque in Chake Chake,

Pemba's principal town.

Every Friday, this scene is repeated

all over the Islamic world.

But this part is unique to Pemba.

The imam's sermon is not about saving souls...

...Kyoto Protocol...

SAFINA: ...it's about saving the environment.

Or rather, it's about saving souls by saving the environment.

And when it comes to current environmental issues

like global warming, the imam is right up to date.

The purpose of this sermon is to teach people

about environmental issues

in the context of Islamic perspective.

What are some of the most important things in the Koran

about the environment and about nature and our responsibility?

Human being is responsible to preserve the environment,

and he will be responsible in the day of the judgment

why he has hurt or make disasters.

(singing and clapping)

SAFINA: These kids are from one of the fishing villages

that uses the Misali area.

They're here to celebrate how Pemba's mosques

first got involved in environmental concerns.

It was actually a coincidence.

While the controversy over Misali development was brewing,

a British Islamic conservationist came to Pemba

to talk about the Koran and the environment.

Fazlun Khalid had just started to research the subject

and he'd surprised himself.

We Muslims-- very pious and read the Koran

and do our five prayers and go to haj,

and all that kind of thing expected of us--

these sort of deeper ecological principles,

that was a surprise to me, you know,

and in order to do this work...

So was it a surprise to you

that these deeper ecological principles

are actually in the Koran,

is that the part that was surprising?

No, I knew that they were.

The surprise was that they weren't articulated.

It hasn't seeped into the consciousness

of the Muslims generally

that the Koran is inherently environmental.

Can I formally present the...

SAFINA: Today Fazlun is back to hand over a new Swahili version

of the Koran-based environment guide that he developed

for his original workshop.

...to the Muslims of Zanzibar and in particular Pemba.

I hand this over to the Mufti,

who will in turn give it to the schools.

SAFINA: The Koran has plenty to say about the environment,

but there's one basic message.

FAZLUN KHALID: The message was that you are Allah's calipha--

you are God's steward.

So your job is to protect.

God says in Koran that he has sent everything for you

for your benefit, but he also says...

(speaking in Arabic)

"Allah does not love the wasters."

It's very, very strong.

SAFINA: He doesn't love the wasters.

Yes, Allah does not love the wasters, or the destroyers.

SAFINA: Misali is a sacred place.

The island points to Mecca,

and its name is like the Swahili word for prayer mat.

A visiting prophet said the whole place,

lying as it does like a mat upon the sea, could be used to pray.

Religion is key to the Misali success story,

but there's a second essential part right here.

It's a watchtower

from which rangers can survey Misali waters.

God doesn't love the wasters, and neither do the cops.

So MICA developed a patrol system,

paid for with visitor fees.

About 1,600 fishermen use the conservation area,

so there are people out here every day.

This man makes his living by diving for octopus

and these animals that look like vegetables

called sea cucumbers.

Accepting enforcement, and the need to leave enough

in the water to spawn the next generation, is a big deal.

In many countries, rich or poor, people don't get this.

SAFINA: First, the rangers want to know if he has a license.

He eventually admits he needs to take care of that.

And the boat license ought to be displayed, they point out.

Now they want to see exactly what he's got in the boat.

He's not allowed to take coral or have a spear gun.

The catch is pretty good-- about 15 pounds of octopus,

worth a dollar a pound...

ten pounds of sea cucumbers, worth two dollars a pound...

and some decorative shells.

Now here's the important part.

The fisherman doesn't get a ticket, just a talking to,

with the firm suggestion that he not only gets a license

from the government fisheries department,

but also goes to see his local village leader, Massoud.

It's part of a village-level enforcement system

that MICA developed.

It tries to be fair to people who don't have a lot.

Every area we were

what we call Fisheries Conservation Committee.

That committee have a-- what you call-- cell phone?

Cell phone, yes.

So just if you can see anything they can inform to the...

And have they caught people?

Have they gone and arrested people?

They didn't go to prison,

because we deal with the community.

So just the leaders in the community, they say that,

okay, take them out, we can talk with them,

and we can punish or we can, whatever,

but they can't go again there.

SAFINA: The system can be tough when necessary,

and not everyone is happy about it,

as we discovered when we tried to film at a fish market

used by many Misali fishermen.

We just got kicked out of the market there.

These guys that were bringing in fish got very angry

when they saw the cameras,

and it looked like there was going to be as fight.

And they made it very clear, no uncertain terms,

"Get back, get the cameras out."

Department of Fisheries, they take this, the unlegally...

They took their net.

Yeah, not fish with them.

So that they angry because they said that this is,

they were going to stop their life.

SAFINA: We're in the town of Wete,

visiting the government fisheries department.

I'm here to see Ali Said,

the manager who's worked with MICA since it started.

Ali.

Hi.

Jambo.

Jambo.

SAFINA: So this is all spear guns that you have confiscated?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They are allowed to use spears, but not a spear gun,

is that right?

Intensive spear gun fishing created the decline

of certain species of fish, because...

It's too easy to shoot too many fish?

Yeah, too many fish, yeah, yeah, yeah and bigger ones,

and fish not like human beings.

The older the fish, the more the strong,

even the birth rate is higher.

And the big fish are exactly the ones that they shoot

with these guns.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SAFINA: Fishermen can turn in illegal gear

and get legal replacements free, but if they catch you first,

you'll lose your gear.

These are some of the gears.

SAFINA: Here's a net with an illegally small mesh.

Here's a heavily weighted net used to drag across coral reefs,

smashing vital fish habitat to bits--

probably the kind the angry guys at the fish market used.

And here's a nylon monofilament.

The problem of this net is that it does not rot.

So when it's lost by mistake,

then it stays forever, catching everything.

These nets are a lot more like what they use

where I come from, and I would like it if they stopped

using them there too.

But I have also seen this kind of net lost in the ocean

and floating with live sea turtles stuck in it,

and dead sea turtles stuck in it also.

SAFINA: Even government regulators like Ali Said

welcome different approaches to conservation--

including religion.

If you use a single approach,

maybe people would not understand it,

and then they will continue to destroy.

But this second approach is associated with their belief.

SAFINA: We're back in the village of Shidi

to attend a sort of conservation edutainment session.

MICA has been doing these in Misali fishing villages

from the start.

First, there's a skit by school kids about fishermen

who want to take all the fish from a new area.

Two kids playing imams read verses from the Koran,

saying they can't take all the fish, they have to leave some.

(applause)

Then the actual imam of the village describes

how God created both natural resources and people,

and people must make sure the two stay in balance.

Finally, there are films about reef conservation

from the Islamic perspective,

and also about general ecological ideas.

Very unusual scene really, you know, this village,

everybody turning out to watch this scratchy television

and see this skit and listen to the imam

and all with the same message.

The resources are here to use.

If you use them, you have to take care of them.

If you cut a tree you have to plant a tree,

and if you're out in the ocean

you have to take care of the reef

if you're taking from the reef.

And that's the order that God has given to people,

and that's what God wants.

This is the beach just below Shidi village.

MICA understood that if you ask poor fishermen to catch less,

you have to help in other ways.

So they started development projects

like mangrove restoration.

Mangroves fringe the beach, providing fish nursery areas

and protecting the shore from erosion.

They're also heavily used for construction

or boat-building or to make charcoal.

If you cut a tree, you have to plant a tree.

Mangrove restoration, improved banana cultivation,

beekeeping, seaweed culture--

MICA has introduced them all,

subsidized with Misali island visitor fees.

Local involvement, education, enforcement where needed,

and an extraordinary rediscovery of Islamic conservation ethics--

all these elements working together have made

Misali island conservation a success.

Here's why I find the Misali story so exciting

and so full of promise.

We're at a meeting called by Sheik Mohammed,

the imam of the Central Mosque in Chake Chake.

Attending are about 30 imams from villages

throughout the island of Pemba.

SAFINA: Sheik Mohammed is now busy spreading the word about God,

Islam, and our obligation to conserve the Earth.

Just think where this could go.

From Africa across the Middle East and most of South Asia,

throughout the 17,000 islands of Indonesia

and into the western Pacific,

most of the sea fishers are Muslim.

Could the seeds that bore such fruit in Misali grow and spread?

I can see it, I can feel it,

but the world is full of terrible distractions.

Something has started here that is very special.

It's a new view of the world;

a view so full of ancient reverence and modern realization

that, if it spreads, just might save the ocean

and the people whose survival depends upon it.

May it spread in peace.

For Saving the Ocean, I'm Carl Safina.

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