DECEMBER 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the first community-led marine resource management meeting in the Philippines, held on Sumilon Island. That meeting was convened in December 1973 by DR. ANGEL C. ALCALA. Unfortunately, Angel did not make it to the 50th anniversary celebration. He passed away on February 1, 2023. But he will forever be remembered around the world as a pioneer of community-led marine resource management. He will also be remembered as the premier Filipino herpetologist (Fig. 1).
Angel Alcala was born on March 1, 1929 in the tiny coastal village of Caliling, within sight of pristine tropical seas in the southwestern region of Negros Island in the central Philippines. As a boy, with his father and brothers, he caught fishes, octopuses, lobsters, crabs, and shrimps with a dip net to help feed the family. He swam regularly at the beach. Once he almost drowned and...