All barriers held up well despite two collared elephants coming close within the first month. On the 15th and 16th of June a bachelor herd broke in at the unoccupied beehives. They broke out at the chilli rags, as they had not been refreshed as taught. We have been communicating with the chief, who now sees the importance of the chilli rag refreshing routine. He has since collected more chilli and engine oil for reapplication. We have instructed that the smelly elephant repellent is hung at regular intervals of the beehive fences. The community has reported that the elephants avoid the flashing lights so on our next trip we will put flashing lights at regular intervals until the summer brings a greater occupancy of hives. Transport between the plots and supplies storage room is challenging. The straight-line distance is 5km but no vehicles are available. On our next trip, a watch tower will be erected closer to the plots, the base of which will be made into a storeroom. The responsible staff member from Mozambique Wildlife Alliance has now also acquired a driver’s licence so he can ferry supplies as the need arises.

Initially there was a sharp increase in the number of cases being reported at the end of the first year of operation of the RRU. After 18 months the impact of the RRU can be seen in 95% successful intervention proportion in the last six months compared to a 76% in the previous 12 months. With a 79% deterrence success rate in 140 interventions and a continued decrease in the percentage of HEC needing RRU intervention over the past 18 months, the RRU has proven its value to local farmers. They have also empowered local communities with safe and effective deterrence mechanisms to safely chase elephants away from their fields, which has meant that the percentage of conflict cases needing intervention by the RRU has dropped from 90% in the first 6 months of operation, to 24% by the 18th month of operation.

The RRU deterrence days have dramatically decreased as have the unsuccessful chases. An increase in used equipment and units of equipment can be ascribed to numerous training workshops where community members are empowered to adopt various non-lethal deterrence methods via the toolkits.

We have learnt that corridor moving elephants are wily and are thus not often seen during the day when they can be collared. They have hideouts during the day to avoid conflict with people. We have managed to find suitable study animals by collaring one or more bulls within a group of bachelor bulls close to the border of protected areas or even within protected areas. This has helped us find additional animals when the groups split up over time. Also having a mobile Rapid Response Unit informing us of elephant movements, has helped us supply collars when needed to the Mozambique Wildlife Alliance who can deploy them quickly and efficiently on the ground. Writing ahead of time for funds via grants, has also enabled us to have funds. Expensive helicopter flying time and availability of pilots has remained a challenge.

• Se creó la empresa social KO´WEN POETSATH, conformada por las comunidades y el ECA AMARCY para mejorar los precios en mercados especiales y disminuir la intermediación en beneficio de las comunidades.
• Se tienen tres tipos de cacao: CCN51, el cacao aromático (criollo) identificado en 2019 y se descubrió el cacao nativo “eshpe” (que ganó el 2019, el XIII concurso nacional de cacao de calidad reconocido en el evento del Salón del Chocolate).
• Se busca una producción de alta calidad, actualmente el cacao nativo y convencional (grano y derivados) tienen la marca “Aliados por la conservación” otorgada por SERNANP para productos asociados a ANP y se promueve un reconocimiento de producción cero deforestación (monitoreado por el PNCBMCC). Esto permitirá el acceso a mercados que reconocen mejoras técnicas en la cosecha y postcosecha y por lo tanto los precios de venta.
• A futuro se continuará las mejoras en la producción y otros requisitos para acceder a certificaciones de comercio justo y orgánico, con el fin de reconocer la conservación de los boques y la biodiversidad.

• Se elaboró un protocolo de vigilancia unificado utilizando los elementos solicitados por SERNANP, el PNCBMCC y SERFOR.
• Como parte de la unificación de procedimientos, los vigilantes comunales capacitados por SERNANP- ECA AMARCY para la vigilancia dentro de la RCY deberían ser reconocidos también por el PNCBMCC y SERFOR para vigilar sus territorios comunales.
• Las capacitaciones en vigilancia comunal de la cogestión SERNANP-AMARCY, PNCBMCC y SERFOR son canalizadas a través de la cogestión, para los vigilantes de las 10 comunidades del ECA AMARCY y vigilantes de anexos colonos.
• Para implementar la estrategia integral de vigilancia, se elabora un Plan operativo anual que la cogestión ajusta al inicio de cada año y reporta su cumplimiento a las comunidades al finalizar el año.
• Se aporta a tres NDC del Perú: a) Las TDC del PNCBMCC abarcan 17,866.00 ha conservadas; b) Patrimonio del Perú a través del Contrato de administración entre SERNANP y ECA AMARCY aporta con 34,000 ha conservadas c) Revalorización de saberes ancestrales medida de ANECAP-SERNANP para Reservas Comunales.

• Se fortaleció el modelo de cogestión entre el SERNANP-ECA AMARCY. Para el establecimiento de los compromisos del acuerdo tripartito se revisaron las funciones del ECA AMARCY para la gestión de la RCY y con el mecanismo de TDC se planteó implementar acciones de conservación y aprovechamiento sostenible en los territorios titulados de las comunidades, que se encuentran fuera de la RCY, en su Zona de Amortiguamiento y paisaje asociado.
• Se incrementó el número de comunidades nativas miembros del ECA AMARCY, que se convirtieron en beneficiarias del Mecanismo TDC. Antes de la implementación del acuerdo tripartito, sólo dos comunidades habían aceptado el ingreso del mecanismo, y con la preparación y mediación de la cogestión, en total 9 comunidades nativas Yánesha llegaron a firmar el convenio con el PNCBMCC para acceder al mecanismo TDC.

Overall success of the action planning phase based on the outcome of SAGE process provided an opportunity to learn important lessons related to;

• Keen selection and active engagement of key stakeholders in the planning process
• Thorough understanding of the local context
• Effective prioritization and goal setting by all key stakeholders
• Inclusiveness of all key stakeholders in adequate resource mobilization

These lessons learned can be used as a good source of information to future development planning and programming organs of the WMA and can help to ensure that development interventions are effective, inclusive, and sustainable over the long term.

The successful conservation of Chumbe Island would not be possible without the active involvement, engagement, and support of local communities. The direct contribution and willingness to participate are critical factors for success. It is important to foster an open and inclusive environment where different voices can be heard, and mutual understanding can be built. By actively engaging with and listening to the local communities, a strong sense of ownership and collaboration can be fostered, leading to more effective and equitable conservation efforts

Education is vital for long-lasting conservation efforts. Changing people's mindset is crucial, and continuous environmental education is necessary. A one-day workshop, however, is not sufficient, and environmental education should be consistently provided. Even with ongoing education, it does not guarantee a 100% change in behaviour, as there may be still fishers engaging in illegal fishing activities. In the case of Chumbe, there is a mechanism in place to address such illegal activities through collaboration with government authorities and law enforcement agencies.

It is recommended to not only maintain regular education programs but also establish proper mechanisms to manage potential poaching activities. Additionally, to sustain these activities, it is advisable to explore alternative financing options rather than relying solely on external financial resources, considering the possibility of unforeseen situations such as the recurrence of a pandemic like Covid-19. While BIOPAMA Rapid Response Grant supported CHICOP, long-term sustainability requires careful consideration of uncertainties.

During the SAPA process final phase, TT learnt that bringing a wider network of stakeholders had varying benefits. Ensuring there was representation from County Government, like-minded NGOs, Kenya Wildlife Services and Community helped reduce the pressures on TT to deliver and address all the negative impacts identified during the evaluation. All partners who were part of the SAPA process now have a clear picture of the work that TT does and the needs of the Kamungi members.