HABITATS OF THE COAST
Alexandra Paredes
Philippines
Manila-based artist and graphic designer Alexandra Paredes used a small grant from the PARDICOLOR Creative Arts Fund in 2023 to complete her project ‘Habitats of the Coast’.
In the past two years Alex has written and illustrated storybooks about coastal habitats for Community Centred Conservation (C3), a nonprofit that uses science-based research and livelihood programs to empower grassroots conservation in the Philippines.
Alex’s latest project ‘Habitats of the Coast’ is an A2 poster illustrating three coastal habitats: mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass; and the ways in which coastal communities live in harmony with these habitats. The educational poster will be distributed by C3 around their conservation sites.
The work was “inspired by C3's partner communities in Busuanga, Palawan, where community members maintain mangrove nurseries, organize dugong watching tours, manage sustainable fisheries, and enforce Locally-Managed Marine Protected Areas, among many other actions. The three coastal habitats are vibrant worlds for many terrestrial and marine species. They also nurture the growth of fish from juveniles to adults, creating a healthy fish population—and, consequently, food security for humans.” - Alex.
“Habitats of the Coast is inspired by how humans can live in harmony with the environment. In particular, the poster is a love letter to coastal communities in Busuanga, Palawan, where daily life entails stewardship of coastal habitats: mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs.”
C3 Philippines Field Office, Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines.
With the help of Rey Ramilo, Programme Coordinator for the Philippines and Micronesia at C3, Alex compiled a list of human activities and ecosystem services associated with the various coastal environments. She then set about illustrating these and including them in a single poster that would demonstrate the holistic approach being taken by local communities, in partnership with C3, towards the conservation of fragile coastal habitats. Scroll through Alex’s photos of real-world human activities alongside her corresponding illustrations below.
SEAGRASS monitoring
SEAGRASS mascot
SEAGRASS dugong watching
SEAGRASS dugong plushies
MANGROVES replanting
MANGROVES rangers
MANGROVES raft
MANGROVES nursery
MANGROVES crab fattening
MANGROVES broadwalk
CORAL REEF children's art
CORAL REEF bantay dagat
For more insight into Alex’s process click through the images below.
