Monitoring | PANORAMA

Community-based fisheries monitoring for robust and sustainable decision making

Caribbean Lobster

SCPP Vigía Chico

Small-scale fisheries face several challenges, one of the biggest and most important of which is obtaining information on the fishery. Particularly the information gaps in fisheries are reflected in the scarcity of knowledge on the state of the resource, the effects of the fishery on the ecosystem and the lack of compliance with existing regulations. This, in turn, makes it difficult to establish a solid baseline that explains the current state of the fishery and the way to improve its management and, in some cases, avoid its collapse. For the past couple of years, quantitative and qualitative data have been generated and shared among the fishing community, government, academia, and civil society organizations through Caribbean spiny lobster fishery monitoring. This allows inferences to be made about the health and population status of the species, the effects of extraction on the ecosystem, and compliance with national and regional regulations, implementing co-management based on the best available information. This represents the basis for implementing a fishery improvement project.

Involve the community in the collection of information on the resource, as well as encourage their commitment.
Train the community in the correct collection of biological-fishing data through fishing logs.
Build alliances between communities, academia, and governmental research institutions.
Create a fishing logbook according to the needs of the fishery, integrating in the process the participation of academic, government, and the communities themselves.

Ensuring the design and implementation of fishery monitoring on an ongoing basis by fishermen and fisherwomen allows for the establishment of a robust baseline of information on the fishery.
Sharing the information generated by the fishing community with the government sector and academia has allowed it to be duly analyzed and used to generate management strategies at the local level, for example, increasing the minimum catch size by 5 cm.
Training fishermen and fisherwomen on the importance and necessity of having information on catches, species, fishing gear used, expenses generated during the fishing day, etc., has allowed us to develop governance over fishing resources and their environment.

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

protocolo_de_monitoreo_langosta_ecosur-cobi_2016_1.pdf

Monitoreo del recurso langosta en la Reserva de la Biósfera de Sian Ka'an

Monitoring and empowerment of IGAs

Monitoring and evaluation of cucumber fields

@Christian Kongte

This corresponds to the individualization phase of the IGAs. Each member, having identified the activity that corresponds to him or her, breaks away from the group and sets up on his or her own. Close monitoring and evaluation of the IGAs developed by these communities is carried out with the aim of refining members' knowledge of their respective activities and minimizing production losses.

Overall, it enabled us to identify any shortcomings that had not been observed during the implementation phase:

- Communication on the progress of activities

- Proximity to markets and major towns, to enable crops to be sold off

- Optimization of cucumber yields

Among other things, the general objectives were to

- Allowing communities to choose with whom they would like to work in pairs.

- The transfer of experience from other members of neighboring villages on how to monitor an IGA.

Monitoring

Review phase

Local

Decision-making based on Community Engagement

CHICOP Advisory Committee

Chumbe Island Coral Park

CHICOP closely collaborates with representatives from neighboring communities, facilitated through regular village meetings and the establishment of an MPA advisory committee. The park actively engages with the local communities to gather their feedback and incorporate it into the planning and decision-making processes for adaptive management planning and implementation. A recurring 10-year management plan provides the bedrock for the Chumbe project (now in its 3rd iteration). Feedback to planning is collected through in-person interviews and meetings, ensuring open and transparent communication channels with the local communities. Moreover, by providing extensive employment opportunities for the local communities (both on the island, and through supporting a range of off-island enterprises that contribute to island operations, such as sustainable agricultural products, organic soap production and the like), Chumbe fosters mutual benefits, sustainable livelihoods, and ensures strong representation of local community considerations in all aspects of management.

Collecting opinions through regular meetings with the villagers and engaging in discussion with local authorities, such as the Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries and the Department of Forestry, is a key factor for success in ensuring the protection of the island’s biodiversity.
The privately managed governance model adopted by the island brought significant advantages in management without generating conflicts of interest among different stakeholders or changes in priorities by the government.

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

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Environment Education based on an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approach

EE session at Chumbe classroom

Chumbe Island Coral Park

Education played a crucial role in the successful protection of the marine protected area (MPA). Prior to its designation as an MPA (which is 100% no-take zone), the park was a free fishing zone. To increase awareness about the closure of the site in the 1990s, and help local people understand the importance of conservation and its benefits, CHICOP implemented an extensive outreach program and established an Environmental Education (EE) program by providing hands-on environmental education experiences for local school children, teachers, community members and government officials, that has continued to date.

Income from eco-tourism has been a primary funding source for the EE program
Educational programs have allowed local communities, students and international students to gain practical experiences
The Head Ranger, a former Zanzibari fisher, has been leading the education program for fishing communities
The active participation of Conservation and Education team in EE program
Practical insights and knowledge in nature conservation are shared, providing fishing communities with firsthand learning opportunities

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.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Partnership Collaboration, Action Planning and monitoring progress:

SAPA final stakeholders meeting for action planning

Tsavo Trust

A stakeholders workshop was conducted to share assessment results, address questions from the 2nd workshop, and discuss an action plan for mitigating identified negative impacts. Actions, activities, and timelines were discussed for each impact.

Based on the collected data, TT successfully engaged donors in funding projects aligned with reducing the negative impacts.

To mitigate the Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) negative impact, TT has constructed a 33km Elephant exclusion Fence and 8 additional 10% fences, reducing HWC by over 80%.

To address the lack of water, TT provided 110 dam liners, each with a capacity of 56,000 L, resulting in the harvesting of over 6 million litres of surface run-off water.

In support of schools, TT is offering scholarships to 9 students and has constructed and equipped a Science and computer laboratory in a local secondary school.

To overcome information barriers, TT established a BULK SMS platform and grievances log to facilitate communication on key issues, ongoing projects, and address grievances between TT and communities.

TT is currently developing a SAPA review scheduled for July 2023 to assess the impact and change in perceptions resulting from the implemented interventions in communities.

The Tsavo Trust management was very supportive throughout the entire process.

Tsavo Trust contracted experienced consultants who conducted the SAPA process professionally within the set timelines

The good relationship between Tsavo Trust, Communities and Key Stakeholders made the process a success

Timely availing of project funds from BIOPAMA

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.

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Data for Decision Making

Sharing of SAPA results to communities

Tsavo Trust

The process involved in Data for decision-making included gathering information by conducting participatory community Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and from key stakeholders, development of digital questionnaires, enumerators training on data collection, community data collection exercise and analysing the collected data to draw meaningful insights.

The data-gathering process involved participatory FGDs and engaging stakeholders, collecting information on the positive and negative impacts of Tsavo Trust (TT). This supported the development of a structured survey. The first Stakeholder meeting presented FGD findings, with participants providing additional insights. A digital questionnaire was created based on this input. Ten trained enumerators collected data from 156 households (approx. 950 individuals), achieving gender balance.

Community meetings shared survey results and ideas for addressing negative impacts. A second Stakeholder workshop gathered additional ideas. These components generated meaningful insights for decision-making.

These key components, including participatory discussions, stakeholder engagement, the development of a digital questionnaire, and data collection from households, were instrumental in generating meaningful insights for decision-making.

Using community youths to collect the data ensured that we got a good reception from respondents who answered the questions truthfully without fear of victimisation.

The sharing of results with communities and allowing them to give ideas on mitigation of the prioritised negative impacts made the phase start getting direction on negative impacts mitigation.

Stakeholders identified in the 2nd Stakeholders meeting contributed towards by giving more ideas for action on the negative impacts.

The community members shared local and traditional methods of mitigating the prioritised negative impacts which we found easy to implement with a small budget, this made us understand that sometimes the solution to otherwise big problems is with the people themselves and the need to be involving them in decision making.

TT learnt that bringing a wider network of stakeholders had varying benefits. Ensuring there was representation from County Government, like-minded NGO’s, Kenya Wildlife Services and Community helped TT and the stakeholders identify solutions/ideas for action for every negative impact identified. This helped reduce the pressures on TT to deliver and address all the negative impacts identified during the evaluation.

Sharing the information with the stakeholders also acted as a platform for Tsavo Trust to share what it does with The County Government, KWS and relevant stakeholders

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

Use of Data for Decision-making

Patrol team in the field and using Survey 123 Mobile Data Collector

Southern Tanzania Elephant Elephant (STEP)

The building block emphasized the importance of using data for informed decision-making in conservation efforts. To facilitate this, the solution promoted the adoption of conservation technologies such as Survey 123, camera traps, and GIS software. The use of these technologies enabled more efficient and effective data collection and improved the planning of strategic patrols, while also incorporating intelligence data from community members. The adoption of GIS software and the Protected Areas Management System (PAMS) using the Survey 123 Mobile Data Collector provided tools to create hotspot maps, tables, and charts, making it easier to identify priority areas and plan targeted interventions. The use of data resulted in targeted conservation efforts, which improved the overall conservation strategy and highlighted the critical role of data in conservation efforts, and increased joint protection activities.

Enabling factors of the Use of Data for Decision-making include:

Readiness of the actors in the adoption of conservation technologies such as Survey 123, camera traps, and GIS software
The willingness of the adjacent local communities to share the intelligence data that really improve the protection activities
Improved planning of strategic patrols (use of intelligence information, hotspot maps, tables, and charts to identify priority areas and plan targeted interventions)
Commitment to using data for informed decision-making

This building block emphasized the importance of using data for informed decision-making in conservation efforts. Some key lessons learned include establishing feedback mechanisms and community involvement were key to success. While technology significantly improved data collection and analysis, it also posed some challenges regarding equipment maintenance and data management. Adequate resources and technical support were essential to overcome these challenges. Overall, this approach resulted in a more effective conservation strategy, highlighting the critical role of data and community involvement in conservation efforts.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Staff training and coaching

Training of Trainers - System admins

RioThePhotographer

SMART training in the field - demo

RioThePhotographer

In order to meaningfully deploy the solution, it is essential to undertake training for all project and non-project staff that will be engaged. In the project, two groups were targeted for training; system administrators and field-based users. System administrators consist of management staff who would maintain the software and configure devices and additional applications while offering continuous training for field-based users. A training of trainers (ToT) was conducted for this group on the structure of the software, customization and implementation. The field-based users were the rangers who conduct daily monitoring routines and the would-be bearers of the mobile applications. Training for this group entails efficient use of mobile devices, mobile applications and submitting data.

Collaboration - The collaboration with SFG was of great benefit with respect to building the capacity of system admins at OPC to develop data collection models and train rangers on the use of SMART mobile.
Team spirit - The solution target teams were very receptive of the proposed technology and this made it easy to train while enhancing uptake

Flexibility - While planning for training, consider multiple sessions to allow flexibility in the event of a disruption. In this project, training activities were affected by COVID19 containment measures. The intended one session for over 50 participants had to be split into four in order to achieve required spacing requirements
Piloting before actualization - At the design stage, it is necessary to trial available solutions where possible in order to identify training needs, intensity required and frequency of refresher training.
Training of trainers - It is innovative for project managers to make use of beneficiaries at different levels to implement parts of the project. In this project, five members of staff were initially trained with advanced aspects of the technology and what aspects to be passed on to the users of mobile applications.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Partnership and collaboration

Since the software being deployed (SMART) was not being developed but rather an implementation, there existed other organizations that have used it. It was necessary to adapt and capitalize on the experience of other partners for a smooth process. This project engaged Space for Giants (SFG) who monitor large mammals in the landscape to provide guidance, templates and training. The training of trainers was conducted by SFG who also offered support in the development and configuration of necessary databases, online platforms and data collection models.

Two years before the project was conceived, a collaboration between Ol Pejeta and Vulcan Inc. through the Tech Lab saw the creation of an online visualization platform, EarthRanger that has since been used to integrate reports from various sources within the organization and from partners.

Landscape level information sharing - Organizations in Laikipia have partnerships which facilitate collaborative monitoring of particular aspects of biodiversity and preparation of landscape reports. This enables easy collaborations in capacity building and innovation.
Common goal - OPC has established a Conservation Technology Lab for developing, testing and monitoring technologies for the benefit of all players in the landscape. SFG also provides a centralized database for wildlife monitoring to some conservancies in Laikipia.

Collaborations help reduce costs - The partnership with SFG in this project significantly reduced the cost of developing SMART data collection models and training of staff which would otherwise require the hiring of a consultant(s).
Past and current partnerships have future benefits - The collaboration with Vulcan Inc which was developed 2 years earlier became beneficial to this project where SMART was integrated with EarthRanger to enhance visual analysis and sharing.

Laikipia Conservancies Association

Space for Giants

Infrastructural development

Solarized ranger post

RioThePhotographer

IT infrustructure - Server

RioThePhotographer

Installations such as electricity provision, servers and computers are necessary to rollout such technological solutions. In the current project, 35 ranger outposts were equipped with solar chargers and inverters to keep the mobile phones charged; a server and air conditioner were purchased and installed at a central server room; and two computers were purchased to support data processing and configuration of mobile devices. Further, the servers and computers were configured to facilitate creation of SMART databases (desktop and connect) and enable the rollout of data collection using SMART Mobile, submission through the server, processing at the desktop and sharing over SMART Connect.

Existing infrastructure - Establishment of infrastructure related to the project was complementary to existing installments such as, server room where the server was installed and usable buildings in ranger outposts for solar powering
Internal capacity - The organization had capacity in information technology (IT) and electricity to undertake installation without contracting external party

Take inventory and analyze gaps at the planning stage - To avoid gaps in equipment and facilities, it is necessary to have a complete list while designing the project. In the current study, additional costs were incurred to acquire electricity inverters which were not included in the original plan for solar power provision in ranger posts.
Internal capacity - Where possible, organizations can continuously enhance their capacity to absorb technological innovations. This reduces costs of installation and maintenance while ensuring sustainable management of adopted technologies.
Piloting before actual implementation - Most technological solutions will evolve based on gaps identified in the course of implementation. It is therefore important to conduct a trial to identify such gaps in time for appropriate action. In this project, internet coverage was found to be inadequate and a decision was made to use the GSM network by providing data bundles through SIM cards in the mobile phones.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local