Implementation | PANORAMA

DEVELOPING THE ECOTOURISM PRODUCT

With a common vision established through the Local Ecotourism Cluster the next step is to develop a MEET ecotourism product. MEET ecotourism products aim to highlight, promote and preserve the features unique to the protected area destination, whilst also highlighting local natural, historical, culinary and other strengths. Each product is developed around a four-component structure of attractions, facilities and equipment, services and activities and each component within the product is then assessed to ensure a high standard of quality and sustainability.

The MEET Manual and Online Training Module on conservationtraining.org both explain and can be used to train interested stakeholders on how to adopt the MEET ecotourism product development approach in their destination.

Have tangible goals with clear economic opportunity
Storytelling and a theme are key to a successful ecotourism product
Never forget the core objective of the park: conservation!

Implementation

Local

meet_manual.pdf

Online Training - Conservation Training E-learning platform

Adequate technical, infrastructure and financial support

Free support and scientific advice from KMFRI, seed money from donor agencies and from various organizations based in Kwale County and the coastal region of Kenya.
Regular research visits by KMFRI scientists, university students on excursions and various NGOs conducting research encourage local communities to take an interest in the ocean.
Infrastructure development is within reach such as drying racks, storage facilities, well equipped factory create incentive for community members to embark on seaweed farming.
Citizen science is applied. Seaweed farmers are trained on identifying the most suitable location for setting up a farm, regular measurement of water temperature, salinity and weather conditions.

The visiting researchers from NGOs and companies encourage communities to gain from the natural resources. Seaweed is valued by these institutions, as a viable alternative.
Establishment of devolved government system in Kenya following enactment of the new Constitution enables the seaweed farmers to receive direct financial support for development from the Kwale County Government.
Seaweed farming is part of the national government policy as key element of the blue economy strategy

The application of citizen science by the local community through involving them fully in field work and teaching them simple research procedure is useful to make decisions at short notice instead of waiting for KMFRI researchers and other experts to come and assist. For example, when COVID-19 was first announced and travel restrictions imposed, the community members were able to anticipate the extreme oceanic tidal currents and flash floods from terrestrial surface runoff that threatened to destroy vast areas of seaweeds. A lot of seaweed was therefore rescued.

Implementation

Local

High potential for seaweed value addition on the market

The community lives adjacent to the ocean, with seaweed as a common resource accessible to everyone without restriction.
Seaweed farming provides diversified economic activities especially among the women. In the process it has reduced pressure, especially during times of scarcity, for relying on selling fish caught by fishermen.
Seaweed farming and the lucrative income from sale continues to increase every year.

Seaweed is free, doesn’t need fertilisers or large farming implements. It can be processed into useful various products, using local material. The income from seaweed farming is really substantial, direct and quick (no middlemen).

Dependence on a single market is neither reliable nor sustainable for seaweed farming.
Diversification of products locally fabricated from seaweed by community members is important. It prevents piling up of seaweed when the markets are not ready to buy.

Implementation

Local

Mama Fatuma seaweed farmer champion

When the project started as an experiment, many people were skeptical. When Mama Fatuma started harvesting and selling the seaweeds to the individual buyer, she triggered interest among some villagers. And when they started manufacturing products and selling them the interest increased drastically.

Willing to learn a new business trend, because they saw the example from a fellow woman, a peer, so they had confidence to also engage in the business, and succeed.
Opportunity to earn their own money from selling seaweed, instead of relying on money from fishermen.

Nature resources can be used for benefits, but it is not always visible or evident. For example, seaweed is not a traditional raw material for getting a livelihood. A new business model is best adopted by communities through the example of one of their own community member.

Implementation

Local

MAREA: a tool for the evaluation of marine reserves

MAREA initial screen

COBI

Results MAREA

COBI

Training Workshop - La Paz, BCS

COBI

MAREA (MArine Reserve Evaluation App) is an innovative open source web-based technology tool that automates analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of marine reserves, which must be evaluated over time. This tool uses as reference a framework with biophysical, socioeconomic and governance indicators. It also selects some indicators by default according to the objectives set during the establishment of the marine reserve or protected area, but the user can also customize the list of indicators that are of interest. For the analysis, the user must provide 1) biological, 2) socioeconomic and 3) governance data, as well as select the community, reserve and target species within the MAREA database. This will yield an overall evaluation of the reserve and an overall assessment for each of the indicators. The results will provide useful information to know the status of the marine reserves and contribute to decision making.

The evaluation criteria should be aligned with the main objectives of marine reserves or protected areas.
The evaluation framework should be based not only on ecological dimensions, but also on socioeconomic and governance dimensions.
To promote the involvement of users in the management of marine reserves, accessible technological tools are required for their evaluation, using standardized processes.

Having an automated and standardized guide and application facilitates the evaluation process of marine reserves (or protected areas) by the fishing sector and managers.
In Mexico, the number of marine reserves has grown recently due to regulations that allow fishermen and fisherwomen to obtain legal recognition of certain areas (e.g., fishing refuge zones), as well as the interest of the fishing sector in conserving biodiversity and achieving sustainable fisheries. These regulations and the implementation of marine reserves are generally not accompanied by standardized guidelines for evaluating the performance of these tools.
Consider the limited access to technological tools (computers) and the internet in remote communities and adapt implementation strategies, including offline versions.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

National

A user-friendly tool to evaluate the effectiveness of no-take marine reserves

MAREA app

Guía para evaluar efectividad en las zonas de no pesca en México

An interdisciplinary evaluation of community-based TURF-reserves

Every fish counts - PescaData and mobile technology

Fishermen using PescaData in the field

COBI

Evaluating PescaData

COBI

Meeting of fishermen for the improvement of PescaData- El Rosario, B. C.

COBI

Fishermen using PescaData on Natividad Island

Elba López

Use of PescaData by S.C.P.P. Langosteros de Caribe S.C. de R.L.

Erik Xicum

PescaData is a mobile application that promotes and improves the collection of fisheries data, and encourages fisheries with a systematic record of their catches to move towards sustainable fisheries certification. PescaData provides the fishing sector with a tool to strengthen its administrative capacities, provide digital spaces for the exchange of products and services (marketplace) and connect with others in different regions. The objective is to share knowledge and create solutions aimed at adapting to changes in the short term and address global issues.

PescaData was created in collaboration with the fishing sector and by mid-2021, it has 681 users from 63 fishing organizations in Mexico and Latin America. It is available on the App Store and Google Play, and is free to download. PescaData has a section for registering fishing logs, the list of species and El Mercado, as well as a web page where information about the application, download links and informative blogs on relevant topics of PescaData and its implementation in the fishing sector are displayed.

Participation of the fishing sector in the development and improvement of the application.
To count on collaborations to achieve the economic sustainability of the platform.
Advise the fishing sector on the importance of systematizing their information and the use of technological tools to create solutions.
Create communication and adoption campaigns to scale the use of technological tools in general.
Selection of digital innovators (influencers) in the communities to scale the application to other regions and fishing communities.

Successful solutions to achieve good fisheries management and responsible appropriation of resources come from the fishing communities themselves.
It is important to have financial planning to ensure the economic sustainability of the platform in the short and long term.
Digital inclusion must be considered; there are fisherwomen, fishermen and communities that do not have access to internet or mobile data. The ideal is to create a platform that is freely accessible and can be used without internet.
Digital tools offer a range of possibilities for small-scale fisheries. They contribute to improved fisheries management, encourage transparency, help increase the efficiency of collecting and analyzing fisheries data, build and strengthen administrative capacities, establish communication networks and foster the exchange of local knowledge. The priority for these tools is to ensure that they are available to all stakeholders.

Descarga PescaData para Android

Descarga PescaData para iOS

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Cada pez, cuenta

Holistic management of grasslands and forests to improve the quality of life of communities

Juan Carlos Escobedo

knowing new varieties of forage for high mountains

Luis Miguel Argueta

Holistic management can repair the cycles of water, minerals, organic matter and microbiology in mountainous territories. In addition, we can generate higher profitability, improve animal and plant health, and strengthen forest and grassland restoration in a more sustainable way. Well-managed livestock is the solution to many interconnected problems, starting with climate change, reducing the production of greenhouse gases and as carbon sinks. All of the above must be planned and developed with families in mind, since they are a fundamental axis for a successful implementation.

- Commitment of local actors who participated in the implementation and decision-making of the project

- Livestock work measures should take into account the impact that they can have on key ecosystem services

- CONANP and communities coordinated work

- Strenghtening processes that extended the capacities of local actors and the protected areas personnel, so they could implement actions in livestock farming with an AbE approach.

- Dialogue and awareness processes at the local level to improve natural resources conservation

- Commitment and willingness of all actors involved in order to establish agreements to create a sustainability process

- The relationship of the communities with the ecosystem services, as well as the social fabric in a community must be taken into account for a adecquate implementation

- It is necessary to create emotional awareness for the population and all the actors involved, seek coordinated work with the authorities, and dedicate sufficient time to strengthen activities through appropriate organization

- Communities have now various projects including those of dairy products, sheep production, reforestation, tourist proposals, among others.

- The support and accompaniment of institutions such as the CONANP resulted necessary to support the community in the management of the protected area and in the generation of alternative proposals that could generate income opportunities for families

Capacity building through the creation of Farmer Field Schools

High Mountain Field Farmers School in Mexico

Luis Miguel Argueta

developing capacities

Alejandra Molina

Farmer Field Schools (FFS) help ranchers learn through observation and experimentation within their own pens and grazing areas. The FFS strengthen the technical and functional capacity of the participants. In addition, they promote the creation of inclusive community development, through the empowerment of women and gender equality and by creating mutual trust within the community.

- Technical support from a professional with knowledge regarding productivity, social aspects and natural resource management

- Have tools such as the GRAMSE plus (Acronym in Spanish for Genetics, Reproduction, Food, Management, Health and Economy plus governance, gender equity, administration, bi-trade and regeneration), for the development of the processes

- Leadership and organization of the community for the fulfillment of agreements

- Sustainable livestock practices can improve the income of various families

- Sustainable livestock is a mean to improve high mountain ecosystem services

- Good livestock practices can serve as guides towards sustainable and friendly livestock farming

Implementation

Local

National

Training

JAQUI / Radio

FONCET AC

In order to manage the camps, the Heroes of El Triunfo must receive ongoing training, both on pedagogical and technical issues.

Jaqui is a skilled communicator and radio broadcaster, so she has many skills that she shares with her team.

Partnerships with training organizations.

Evaluations should be requested after each camp to identify areas for improvement.

Implementation

Local

Leadership

Héroes y aliados

Héroes del Triunfo

Jaqui's leadership is crucial to motivating children and parents to go to these camps.

1. Good relationship with institutions working in the natural protected areas. Some of them provide training on environmental issues so that the information provided in the camps is accurate.

2. Jaqui is a person who inspires trust, and that trust is key to carrying out her work.

Good relations with local governments are crucial to obtaining support and permits to visit these natural areas, as these governments manage these areas.

Implementation

Local