In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Conservation Strategy Fund held its first-ever virtual and online training for our flagship international course: Economics and Finance for Environmental Leadership. With 57 participants from 29 different countries, the CSF training team worked tirelessly to transition our in-person course into a virtual learning format and provide an exceptional educational experience for participants from all over the world.

In early June, Conservation Strategy Fund released a statement standing in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests. To support those fighting for environmental and social justice, CSF recognized that the organization needed to take steps to help support and uplift diverse voices. In response, CSF organized an all-staff call to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and to hear the stories and concerns raised by staff in all of the international offices.

For years, the fishing industry in the Sorong region of West Papua, Indonesia, has relied on a broker system between local fisherman and commercial companies; a system that disproportionately prioritizes export-grade fish for trade, often to the detriment of local fishers. As a result, when the government placed restrictions on fishing activities and markets due to COVID-19, local fisherman suffered a devastating setback. Unable to fish or sell their fish at market, many local families were left without a primary source of income.