Information Campaigns

To promote awareness and a general understanding of the global significance of this biodi¬versity hotspot, the developed Act and policies are commu¬nicated to the public through various outreach activities, e.g. through radio plugs and local newspapers.

  • Public outreach activities in local schools and fishing villages enabled by local government and school administration support
  • Contributions of radio stations and local papers through reduced rates

To promote awareness and a general understanding of the global significance of this biodiversity hotspot, the developed Act and policies are communicated to the public through various outreach activities, e.g. through radio plugs and local newspapers.

Inception phase
Implementation
Local
Development of ecologically connected co-managed MPA network
Traditional Cermony to declare MPA. Copyright Conservation International.
Joint Patrol Team. Copyright Conservation International, Keith Ellenbogen.
With the MPA network newly declared, the coalition focused on the development of a management system that empowered local communities to actively lead the planning, management, and program implementation of the BHS MPA network. The MPA boundaries as well as the zones within them were based largely on tenure boundaries, rather than administrative ones. To reinforce cultural identity within the MPAs, the Papuan tradition of sasi (seasonal harvest closures) was melded with the modern concept of no-take zones (NTZs) as a way of reinvigorating this important cultural practice. Within each of the MPAs a minimum of 20-30% of all critical habitats are completely closed to exploitation in NTZs to serve as “fish banks”. Areas outside of the NTZs are largely restricted to traditional fishing by local communities and employ sustainable fisheries management practices. The communities and local government were then equipped with the skills and infrastructure necessary to actively manage and enforce their own protected areas. In this way, the MPAs are designed not only to protect critical natural capital, but also explicitly to enhance small-scale local fisheries and to strengthen the tenure rights of Papuan communities.
• Strong community commitment and support • Government commitment, support and willingness • Existing legal framework • Marine tenure in place • Technical and financial support
Use the conservation process as a means to strengthen the rights and culture of local communities. The MPAs were delineated using customary tenure boundaries rather than solely administrative ones. Each of the locally declared MPAs was first pronounced through a local ceremony by local council of traditional leaders. The joint patrols include both community members and police officers, with the community members bringing traditional authority and manpower and the police officers adding an additional level of legal authority and training. The patrols use a system of “rolling” participation in which individuals are appointed by village chiefs to a two-week "tour of duty", after which they are replaced by a fresh team of villagers. In this way, over the course of a year, the majority of adult males in a given village will have dedicated at least two weeks to patrolling their MPA, during which time they invariably develop a stronger sense of understanding and ownership of the MPA.
Implementation
Local
Subnational
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Reversion of abandoned Ponds to Mangroves
Sonneratia alba - Pedada Bay (© Iloilo)

To attain the 4:1 mangrove-pond ratio required for ecological sustainability, there is need to focus on reverting abandoned ponds to mangroves. A pond inventory, based on satellite imagery and technical surveys of all fishponds, is conducted and fed into a central database. After determining tenurial status, policy recommendations are made regarding the ponds’ reversion into mangroves. Combined with the outcome of planting trials, a Mangrove Rehabilitation Plan is drawn up. This plan provides methodologies for physical (restoring of natural hydrology) and biological reversion (active planting of suitable species) of fishponds to mangrove areas.

  • Supportive local government
  • Sufficient scientific knowledge about mangrove processes or a mangrove area
  • Translation of such knowledge into science-based protocols to guide pond-mangrove reversion

Planting is only the first step towards restoring mangroves. During the initial 1-2 year period, the plants are vulnerable to various manmade and natural stressors. Therefore maintenance and monitoring are two other major activities in mangrove rehabilitation, aside from bagging seeds or seedlings and planting proper.

Implementation
Local
Identifying Brackishwater Fishponds and Establishing Biophysical Protocols for …
Mangrove Eco-park
Schoolchildren visiting Ecopark (© ZSL - Lopez)

The establishment of the 44-hectare Kantunggan It Ibajay (KII) Eco-Park is part of CMRP's mangrove conservation projects. The eco-park is managed by local community groups (Bugtongbato Fisherfolk Association (BFA) and Naisud Mangrove and Aquatic Organization (NMAO)) and helps raise awareness of the importance of mangroves, while providing valuable additional income for the local communities who manage the park. The eco-park has over 1 km of boardwalks for visitors to explore the mangrove forest and associated wildlife. Entrance fees are used for park maintenance.

  • Empowered and dedicated local communities
  • Support of local government
  • Importance of political will (over a 13-year period, the ecopark was established only under the 3rd mayor who was pro-environment, unlike the other two)
  • Available scientific data (guided the location of footwalks, etc.)
Implementation
Local
Seafront Mangrove Planting
Sonneratia alba - Pedada Bay (© Iloilo)

Local communities are empowered to protect remaining mangrove forests using science-based methods for communities to rehabilitate lost forest sites. To successfully rehabilitate the mangrove belt, it is crucial to use the right species for the respective sites in the upper and middle intertidal. Sites are selected during neap tides and young mangroves are protected by breakwaters to ensure their steady growth. For the plantings, wildlings are used that are either directly transplanted (to nearby sites if plants are big enough) or being reared in nurseries (for distant sites and/or if plants are small).

  • Sufficient scientific knowledge about mangrove processes or a mangrove area
  • Translation of such knowledge into science-based protocols
  • Organized, empowered local communities

Mangrove species distribution and growth in a given setting are influenced by tidal elevation and flooding regime, salinity pattern, substrate and other factors. With each species requiring a particular set of environmental conditions, species selection in any restoration effort depends primarily on the species match for the physical characteristics of a given site, and secondarily on the objectives for mangrove restoration. One of the main challenges was therefore to overcome the persistent popularity of convenient, but wrong, mangrove planting practices among local government officials and nongovernmental organizations, and replace them with scientific-based planting practices. Furthermore, empowering local communities in protection and rehabilitation is the key to effective mangrove management.

Implementation
Local
Seeking international Management Status
The project seeks international management status for the area in question by having submitted the management plan under the Ramsar application process, currently awaiting outcomes. The management plan will enhance the chances of Nasoata being chosen as the second Ramsar site in Fiji as it outlines the planned management framework for the Island.
- Nasoata Island meeting the criteria that is set by Ramsar. - Successful drafting of co-management plan as it is part of the Ramsar process. - DoE implementing the Ramsar process on the ground.
A special recruitment of a consultant to complete the Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS) was necessary. The RIS is very comprehensive and needs the attention of a full time person to collate all the available information.
Implementation
Multi-national
Nasoata for international wetlands list
Designation of Nasoata Island as Fiji’s second Ramsar Site
Ensuring Endorsement of End-product
After repeated community consultations (2) and the development of a co-management plan benefiting from multi-input sources (4), the management plan was taken to the community for endorsement. The community showed it to the Paramount Chief of the Province for her approval. This was very important to ensure adequate buy-in and engagement for the implementation process.
- Involvement of local leaders (e.g. Paramount Chief, village elders) who are the traditional fishing area or qoliqoli custodian, to give consent to the management rules agreed upon by the Nasoata community and government. -Involvement of all relevant stakeholders who have a vested interest in the area proposed for management (government, NGO and community)
It is key to have all parties involved from the early stages and not added in during parts of the process of developing the co-management plan. In this building block we failed to include a small group that ultimately slowed down the process of approval as they had a dormant conflict with the majority of the village. Had they been involved in the earlier stages, the development of the co-management plan would have been much faster.
Implementation
Local
Facilitating multi-input Management Plan
Preparation of co-management plan was developed by IUCN taking into account resources, different user groups, traditional and formal governance arrangements and issues. A draft co-management plan was sent to stakeholders (Government and NGOs) for comments. These were further consolidated and brought to the village for consultation. IUCN handed over the final co-management plan to the Department of Environment which was taking over the lead and presented the plan one final time to the community (5).
- Mandate for relevant authorities to develop a legal arrangement to provide a legal protection for the island and the surrounding intertidal areas. - Clear intend of handing over the process to the national regulatory body (to handle the processes after the drafting of the co-management plan. This gives the Government ownership of the process while ensuring a strong relationship between landowners and Government to ease the implementation steps.
Divisions within the village had caused strained relations amongst certain villagers. However, by following traditional protocols and the proper channels with which to enter and conduct consultations in the village, the team managed to work in the village without hindrance. Different stakeholders will have different interests in the process. It is important to find a common objective that all stakeholders are interested in, this could ultimately speed up the achievement of the desired objective. In our case it was the Ramsar process (Department of Environment (DoE) who are the secretariat of the Ramsar process in Fiji.) Having Nasoata nominated as a Ramsar site also involved other important stakeholders/implementing NGO partners such as Department of Forestry, University of the South Pacific, WWF, etc. The Ramsar designation would also assist in achieving the objectives of the co-management plan.
Implementation
Local
Visualizing first-hand Challenges and Solutions
Village visitation and site visitation by relevant stakeholders served the purpose of allowing the representatives from IUCN, government and provincial office to discuss and more importantly witness firsthand the challenges faced by the villagers in the management of Nasoata Island.
- The villagers agreed to accept outsiders into the village. - Stakeholders’ willingness to attend dialogues.
It is very useful to take stakeholders out to witness the destruction on the island. This helped convincing them of the purpose of the co-management plan. The community/village members have to be the tour guides. The field trip needs to be well organized (i.e.) planning in advance, plan according to tide tables, invest in the local transport businesses.
Implementation
Local
Repeated Community Consultations
Community consultations were undertaken by IUCN with relevant government departments, the provincial office and researchers. They served the purpose of discussing next steps and identifying appropriate channels to follow in order to achieve an outcome that is desirable to all relevant stakeholders. Repeated consultations also included communities. This prevented the communities doubting or questioning the management plan. Consultations where held in different locations, e.g. the village of Nakorovou as well as IUCN office.
- High-quality preliminary work (1) to ensure a shared understanding of issues between stakeholders - Use of adequate communication tools and appropriate consultation settings (e.g. Government/NGO, Provincial and, village meeting) - An experienced consultant to undertake the process of planning the meetings and drafting the co-management plan - Interest in achieving a collective agreement by relevant players - Buy-in from the customary fishing right owners
Community commitment & buy-in: Nasoata is an initiative which was initiated by the communities after observing that outsiders continue to illegally enter the island to collect resources unsustainably. Repeated consultations are important to ensure community-buy in. Equal representation from community members is important to ensure all voices are heard and all impacted by the management plan and possible changes (i.e. representatives from women, men, youth, fishermen/women, church) are involved. A future nature investment: The communities bought back this island after it was sold during the colonial times to coconut plantation owners as a future investment as a heritage for the future generation.
Implementation
Local
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