The transhumant conference

The transhumant conference is a consultation platform that brings together local and foreign transhumant pastoralists in order to discuss the resolution of conflicts between breeders - farmers, breeders - gamekeepers and wild animal breeders.

The strengthening of collaboration between institutions has made it possible to build a solid basis for dialogue and to put in place lasting resolutions.

 The participation of Nigerian transhumant herders also made it possible to establish frank collaboration between the countries in terms of transhumance management.

The possibility of implementing concrete actions to resolve the problem of overgrazing, the creation of grazing areas, water points, and the facilitation of the sedentarization of foreign breeders.

Strategic alliances with different partners

The regent in Ambiente is the Ministry of Environment and we have been working with them since 1998, but in 2017 we signed a cooperation agreement to minimize the jaguar-human conflict through a preventive management project to seek solutions. We have also achieved an alliance with USFWS to work farm management plans, anti-predation measures, monitoring with cameras and collars with the jaguar. We work with the Small Grants Program/UNDP/GEF and are working on a camera trap monitoring project in Darien and support/advice to community-based organizations, so that communities know how to solve and take to another level what is happening in their areas. Nat Geo supports us in the most extensive camera trap monitoring project in Panama in Darien, in addition to helping us in outreach and communications at the international level. With the Howard Huge Medical Institute (HHMI) we work in scientific research with camera traps, in addition to disseminating, communicating and educating through their digital platforms what we find in the Darien National Park. Other important alliances are the Ministry of Tourism, ANAGAN, ISA, University of Panama, UNEP. We work with some indigenous groups and more than 10 community-based organizations distributed throughout the country.

Each and every one of the alliances are important, since some of them work on similar but not the same topics, and all of them are intertwined so that these projects are medium and long term, and those that involve the communities can be very long term projects, and we are talking about a minimum of 6 years. And for this to happen, the alliances with people, communities, decision makers and the executing agency, donors, there must be trust and be able to work as a team and we have achieved this with everyone. Never belittle a person who wants to help.

Each and every one of the alliances are important, since some of them work on similar but not the same topics, and all of them are intertwined so that these projects are medium and long term, and those that involve the communities can be very long term projects, and we are talking about a minimum of 6 to 10 years of duration. And for this to happen, the alliances with the people, communities, decision-makers and executing agency, donors, must have trust and be able to work as a team, and we have achieved this with everyone. Never underestimate a person in the community who wants to help and always listen and then look for ways to move forward.

Communication at all levels

For the Yaguará Panama Foundation, communication is vital at all levels, even though we are a science-based organization. Science must be translated to the community and to other scientists, but also in media that have real impact with communities, decision makers, students of all levels and people from a child to a senior citizen. In order to reach everyone, we communicate in international impact magazines such as National Geographic, which is seen by millions of people around the world. This project is related to the topic of agriculture and since 2014 every month we publish in a national magazine called Ecos del Agro, which reaches more than 10,000 people. We also publish in the traditional written press several articles a year. We go on radio and TV about 10 to 20 times a year, in addition to our social networks. We give virtual talks (in pandemic: more than 11,000 people have listened to our presentations), and face-to-face, workshops. If we REALLY want to reach the majority of people we must communicate in all available media, because those who watch or see one, do not see others and so on.

  • More children know about the jaguar and biodiversity.
  • More people of all levels and social classes are aware of what is happening in the country,
  • More people are trained and empowered in biodiversity issues and jaguar and livestock farm improvements,
  • More people are trained and empowered in biodiversity issues and improvements of cattle ranches and the jaguar, there is credibility on the part of decision-makers thanks to scientific monitoring.
  • Communities living in wild and rural areas now know who to turn to if there is a conflict situation between humans and jaguars.

The most important lesson learned from our whole process is that we have to work more with the communities and the rest of the people who live in the country, since everyone is important.

There are many people who live in the city and have farms in very remote areas and for this and other reasons it is very important to spread the word in the main cities and all the towns where possible.

The strategy is unique and is to reach the majority, or everyone if possible, although this implies a greater effort and work, but we know that the fruits will be seen in the medium or long term.

Jaguar and biodiversity monitoring

One of the interesting aspects of this project is to measure the biodiversity in each of the farms and to know how many jaguars there are or cross the farms. For this we monitor them with camera traps. As each jaguar has unique spotting patterns for each individual, it is possible to know how many there are and record when they are in the different farms. In addition, we combine the camera traps with GPS collars that we place on the jaguars on the farms to know where they move, how many farms they visit and how much time they spend on the farm. This helps us understand the jaguar dynamics in an environment dominated by cattle ranchers and forest corridors between farms.

With the data from the camera traps and GPS collars we have been able to give the community a better understanding of the jaguar and why it is an important species for the ecosystems and for our own existence as human beings.

Based on the information collected we can measure indicators such as: number of jaguars per year and abundance of other mammals that are important prey for the jaguar, and we can help local and national decision makers and farm management decision makers.

Through photos, footprints and tracking of jaguars we began to create empathy between the community and the animals that move within the farm.

This empathy generates that the people of the community are concerned about the safety of the jaguars they know.

We are conducting scientific research hand in hand with the people of the community. By knowing how many jaguars there are in the area, they have valuable information that can be used for community tourism.

Long-term monitoring is the best way to understand the jaguar and the dynamics of the community.

We at Yaguará Panama always say that "the real and final destiny of conservation is in the hands of the people who live directly with nature". Projects should always be carried out with a high percentage of people from the communities where the project is carried out. If there is no continuity with funds to continue, it is likely that if there is a good foundation some of the community members will take the step to be better and have coexistence with nature.

Having photos gives a face and sometimes even a name to the animals and this generates a positive feeling to take care of the jaguar and the environment in general.

Always keep the community informed about the results of scientific studies in the area, this is fundamental.

And again, this interaction generates trust and if there is trust in these contexts, it is possible that they will continue with the agreement. Try as much as possible to keep the community always excited about what is being done, if you don't do this, they may lose follow up and disappear.

Improved information management and use capabilities

Through various trainings, exercises and case studies, local stakeholders such as technicians, firefighters, secretaries of agriculture and planning were guided in developing skills for the management and use of information built through Geographic Information Systems - GIS. For this purpose, we illustrated and practiced with free access and digital tools such as Q-Gis, to strengthen the analysis of information and cartographic graphic outputs for processes such as land use, water network, planning, zoning and municipal ordinance. In addition, brochures were prepared with the information obtained at the technical-cartographic level to facilitate the information to the stakeholders.

  • Identify the technical and management knowledge of territorial stakeholders in cartographic and numerical information, as well as planning and management concepts.
  • Facilitate capacity building in GIS management for specialists, technicians and decision makers at the municipal level for the use and analysis of information.
  • Present the information elaborated to local, regional and national organizations so that it can be used in the future construction of plans and instruments in other organizations.
  • It is important to strengthen the planning spaces and skills of decision-makers and their technicians in GIS and the reading of information on environmental and production issues.
  • The information elaborated as input for the EEP is dynamic and therefore requires monitoring, updating and systematization according to the progress made by the municipalities.
  • Appropriating the EEP at the municipal level can improve the adoption of elements in municipal systems such as protected areas, land-use planning schemes, and other environmental issues.
Promotion of farmer experimentation

INIFAP technicians and other organizations have accompanied Apaseo el Grande producers for many years, training them and encouraging them to seek their own solutions to the particular problems of their plots.

Over time, the growers learned that their plots have particular needs depending on their location, soil type, climate conditions, among other things, and that the "recipes" they sometimes find in books do not always work the same for everyone. This motivated them to continue experimenting with different practices within the five axes of sustainability they had learned, and to write down the combinations that gave them better production yields at lower cost. This has been at the heart of the AESAC experience.

They also learned to share their experiences and give recommendations to other producers who were resistant to change, and were able to organize training workshops even in other communities.

  • The good relationship of the producers with the technicians who accompany them, together with their openness to allow them to seek their own solutions instead of pigeonholing them into orthodoxy.
  • The courage of the producers to try methods not previously known to them, at the risk of reducing their profits when the results were not as expected.
  • The demonstration that the method works: in a year of severe drought, AESAC members obtained higher yields than their neighbors, which soon attracted more interested producers.
  • Being able to demonstrate that everyone has much to contribute to the process of sustainable axes gives a great value of self-esteem to AESAC producers.
  • It is important to understand that environmental conditions, soils and management are very different among all producers, which results in different production data.
Eficiencia en resultados de la vigilancia y control con un sistema de manejo de información (Implementación del aplicativo SMART)

En la Reserva Nacional Matsés, la vigilancia y control se orientan a: a) la reducción de prácticas no sostenibles de aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales, y b) la reducción de ingresos a zonas y sectores no permitidos según la zonificación del área protegida. Para generar respuestas más rápidas y eficientes ante las amenazas se vienen utilizando el aplicativo SMART que permite hacer más eficiente la colecta y sistematización de datos recogidos durante las actividades de vigilancia y control.

La RNM ha adoptado el programa SMART (traducido al español, herramienta de recojo de información y monitoreo espacial), que permite la sistematización y organización de los datos, particularmente de las amenazas al área protegida. Antes de la adopción de SMART, los datos de los patrullajes tardaban o no llegaban a sistematizarse, quedándose en cuadernos de campo y hojas de datos, por lo que no era aprovechada y utilizada para apoyar la gestión de las ANP en forma oportuna.

La implementación del aplicativo SMART, luego del proceso de capacitación ha tenido una rápida aceptación entre el personal guardaparque y los especialistas de la RNM, debido a que es posible observar casi en tiempo real la información que es recogida en campo y esto permite una comunicación más fluida entre todo el equipo para generar respuestas a las amenazas.

Kelp Forest Foundation - filling the gap in the science around cultivated kelp forest

Giant kelp is drastically understudied given the benefits it can deliver. The promise of cultivated kelp and its ecosystem services need to be quantified and unlocked to speed up the expansion of kelp cultivation at scale. This will help mitigate climate change and create sustainable products which will displace the current more environmentally damaging products.

 

The Kelp Forest Foundation was set up to help address the gap in science and knowledge around giant kelp forests’ ecosystem services – and to ensure this new knowledge is publicly available to companies, governments, regulators, not-for-profits, academics, and other stakeholders in order to accelerate the awareness and application of cultivated kelp forests as a powerful nature-based solution.

The initial research will be undertaken in and around the Kelp Blue' s cultivated offshore kelp forests in Namibia but later on it will continue in other global locations.

The foundation will be adding to the research done by other organizations such as Oceans 2050 and Bigelow Laboratory. KFF will sponsor MSc's and PhD's from Namiban universities such as UNAM and NUST and is working with international universities such as University of Cambridge, University of Portsmouth, Utrecht university to create carbon pathway models and co-supervise students.

It is important to prioritize the most important questions first and focus resources towards answering them. 

Accessing ocean-based technology to collect the relevant data which is both user-friendly and affordable can be challenging.

Hortimare - an essential partner for Kelp Blue.

Hortimare, a Dutch-based company, is one of the few companies in the world specialising in the genetics, breeding and propagating of seaweed. Hortimare works with Kelp Blue to create starting material, increase yield and research on best growing techiniques of the Macrocystis pyrifera specie.

Holtimare has a state-of- the art lab in The Netherlands as well as a highly trained experienced team which specializes in seaweed breeding and propagating. Hortimare is an external technical consultant that is helping Kelp Blue set up and develop a hatchery in Namibia and to train a local workforce to run it. They also work together with Kelp Blue in sourcing, collecting and cultivation methods. They are also co-creating a giant kelp seedbank for future use.

The breeding of kelp seedlings is an essential first step in the cultivation of seaweed. There is no public Macrocystis seed bank so Kelp Blue has had to work with partners around the world to sustainably collect spores from wild kelp beds and transport them back to The Netherlands where Hortimare then optimizes Kelp Blue's hatchery system and seeding technique to get to predictable and consistent yield. They share all the information that is needed to make the farm successful. This as a win-win for both parties. Hortimare gets more and more reliable data and knowledge to be able to develop a certain standard and Kelp Blue can translate their findings to predictability of operation.

Sustainably sourcing material, a breeding programme and a property set up hatchery are the cornerstone of any seweed farmer's project.

B2: Communication and capacity building strategy for climate action

The first step towards the development of a target group specific communication and capacity building strategy was a KAP analysis (knowledge, attitude, practices), which established a baseline, in terms of understanding the private sector´s knowledge about climate change, as well as its attitude towards the topic and the practices already in place. The analysis also included a capacity needs assessment, which served as input for ADAPTUR´s capacity building and training program. The findings were also used to train counterparts, consultants, and project members in better understanding the private sector and to improve their communication skills by using the right words, concepts and messages.

 

The training program comprised several topics about climate change vulnerability, climate-proof investment, cost-benefit analysis, national/subnational policies related to climate change, EbA solutions, public-private cooperation, financial mechanism, etc.

 

At the same time, a press campaign was launched in cooperation with local media and journalists. The ADAPTUR website was introduced with regular newsletters, best-practices, case studies and messages from industry leaders. It also contained a resources section with studies, tools and information material.

  • A good understanding of the industry context and the private sector´s challenges, priorities, needs and restrictions.
  • Create attention by linking climate change with business interests.
  • Recognition of private sector work culture and values (fast decision making, time is money, etc.). Offer cooperation and training formats that are suitable for the private sector.
  • Cooperation with industry leaders, known journalists and lead consultants as change agents to position the relevance of adaptation for the sector.
  • Plan some time for understanding your target group and awareness raising before you initiate the first direct contact. Preparing the ground and being well prepared may save you time later.
  • Work together with a professional agency to develop and implement your communication strategy.
  • Identify possible change agents in the private sector that could motivate other businessmen/women to engage in the project.
  • Encourage peer-to-peer dialogue and exchange between private sector actors to build a relationship, increase trust and learn from each other.
  • Offer planning and training formats that are suitable for the private sector context and consider local needs and realities (e.g. business executives normally do not have time to participate in day-long participatory workshops).
  • Recognize realities, limitations, concerns and existing risks for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors especially during pandemics like COVID-19 or other crises.