Coral gardening, also known as mariculture, is undertaken by collecting small pieces of broken coral in shallow waters and re-attaching them to so-called spiderweb cages (portable metal frames).

The coral fragments are eventually transplanted to large coral frames in places where the reef has been destroyed by cyclones, crown of thorns starfish or other climate change-linked hazards. The coral beds are placed in around 6 meters of water, enough to keep them safe from cyclone swells, where they can grow into full size coral colonies.

The project uses coral varieties that are particularly resilient to the climate change impacts of bleaching and ocean acidification. The artificial reefs create new habitat for fish, and provide coastline protection from waves. 

1.By consensus of the interested parties, INCOPESCA, ADIO, UCR, and SINAC created a commission of co-management and created a legal framework established with executive decree DAJ-020-2005, in order to work together and this group of Co-management launches a management plan for the conservation and sustainable use of turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting on Ostional beach.

The actual expert elicitation assessment is carried out during a workshop or series of workshops, attended by appointed marine experts in the field of marine environmental or socio-economic sciences. The experts collaborate and discuss the status and trends on the different parameters for the marine assessment and come to a consensus score. The scores are recorded during the workshop and entered into the SOME website. Notes are taken by a rapporteur on the discussion and the details of relevant reports, papers or other documents are recorded . The interaction and discussions during the workshop should allow the editorial board to identify potential authors to participate in the subsequent report-writing phase of the process.

GRID-Arendal has created a pilot, web-based system to capture, analyse and display state of the marine environment assessment results: http://some.grida.no. The website allows for the real-time capture and display of data (scores for parameters, confidence, risks) during the workshop and provides an online template for the production of a State of Marine Environment Report. The content and graphics can be exported and used as the basis for a national or regional SOME report or the contents can be adapted for use within other formats as required. The database allows direct correlation to the outline of the World Ocean Assessment, thereby permitting cross-referencing and combining outcomes of the assessment to optimize it as a contribution to the international effort. Another key aspect is that the diagrams and outputs that are produced by the web site are designed for easy communication of the workshop results to policy- and decision-makers. The diagrams are simple, jargon-free and clearly communicate the main findings of the judgments made by the experts.

The Corridor ecosystem has been well-studied and over 200,000 geo-referenced data points are available to help establish spatial management plans. Fisher communities have participated in monitoring resources in the past and currently are generating data on their catch. This in combination with other data from the literature, and from interviews and mapping processes that fishermen participate in, help integrate a wealth of traditional knowledge and scientific information to produce realistic management proposals. Even when presented with complex analyses of this data resulting from computer models such as INVEST and ZONATION, fishers have shown confidence in the information presented to them and they validate it. By creating a decision-making process that uses evidence from these various sources that all stakeholders believe in, we are building a science-based decision making process. We plan to work with stakeholders to define the best indicators for tracking the impacts of management, and then design a participatory process for monitoring these, developing a common, science-based language for measuring the effectiveness of the program. The program is building a digital platform that will serve to communicate the advances.

The fishing communities of the Corridor are isolated from one another and are marginalized from the regional economy. They have few opportunities to interact at that scale. Even within a community there is little social structure.  The project created a forum for interaction and collaboration for solving problems. To strengthen capacity to participate in this forum and planning process, we have focused on building fisher capacity to represent their communities in an Intercommunity Management Group. Workshops have been offered on communication, negotiation, and other leadership skills. We developed materials, held workshops and organized exchanges with other fishermen to give them a better understanding of the variety of management tools that can be applied to improve fisheries and reduce conflicts. This is key to setting the stage for informed decision-making and adopting new management instruments. For more comprehensive acceptance of the process, all community members should be informed. Through communication programs, messages on billboards, radio addresses, social media and workshops, the program involves the entire community to understand and support the process.

A rooftop farmers network established with all participating community members/ households focused on creating a community of practice. As people are more likely to lose interest and get demotivated, creating a support system where beneficaries can exchange, share experiences, challenges, thoughts, and even dreams has proved to keep people motivated and also strengthen social ties between community members. 

Seasonal (based on seasons defined by the communities according to predominant livelihood strategies with the help of an ecological calendar) and annual temperature and precipitation projections for the near future were developed for specific sites, namely Bash Kaiyndy/ Naryn District in Kyrgyzstan and two villages in the Bartang Valley of the Tajikistan Pamir region. Two time slices were developed to represent 30-year averages - 2020s (2011-2040) and 2050s (2041-2070) - and change factors were calculated relative to 1980-2005 modeled base periods. Presenting the projections as a range most accurately represents possible future climate conditions for decision-makers and planners applying a risk-based approach to climate change adaptation and resiliency. To consider inherent uncertainties in climate models, scenarios for future vulnerabilities are discussed and selected together with the community. Derived from the scenarios, climate change related threats complete the picture of the situation analysis, and future vulnerabilities can be prioritized through rating of conventional and climate change related threats.

Local communities have not always welcomed, in every case, the creation of new protected areas. It is important to raise awareness among local communities about the connection between ecosystems conservation and local livelihoods. To do so, the authorities need to be able to create a sense of identity and belonging towards the protected ecosystems, rather than a sense of exclusion. The solution in Marismas Nacionales, Nayarit Biosphere Reserve is a long-term effort with intensive community support and mentoring by CONANP fieldworkers. The strategy has been focused on changing perceptions of the community. This approach has had the additional effect of influencing the institutions that govern the protected area, generating a better shared understanding of effective and sustainable support for both mangrove rehabilitation and local livelihoods. In this way, the community and CONANP´s staff have joined forces to ensure that local needs are met by rehabilitating the mangroves from a more territorially, and livelihood, coherent perspective, rather than an administrative one. Changed perceptions have become a more important driver of positive community action than just payments for ecosystem services or subsidies.