A business plan for processing fish and shrimp waste into fishmeal is developed, defining the enterprise’s design and determining its costs. The plan incorporates the concept of operations, organisational structure, system design, production processes, training modules, marketing and sales as well as a feasibility analysis.

The scoping includes considering the context and identifying a clear policy question at the outset of the ecosystem service valuation. In addition you need to determine the appropriate level of stakeholder engagement, the suitable valuation method, the level of accuracy required, data needs, costs, scale and time constraints.

Research into the effectiveness of restoration methods has proven invaluable for addressing the problem of dune degradation in New Zealand. This information has assisted community-led projects in both the design and implementation of initiatives. Working off a sound knowledge base is important for all restoration projects but especially critical for community-based projects where voluntary inputs are high. This knowledge not only improves the likelihood of success from a restoration ecology stand-point but also improves the degree of confidence among participants in what they are trying to do. Implementation of this building block relies largely on professional input into the problems being addressed. In New Zealand there has been considerable research into the success of methods for the restoration of dune ecosystems using indigenous species. This includes aspects such as methods for seed collection, propagation and re-establishment of dune plant species at various sites, and for effective management of restoration sites with regard to threats such as weeds and physical disturbance. Importantly, these studies have identified techniques that are practical and effective for achieving biodiversity goals .

Community ‘buy-in’ for restoration activities is especially important in the case of dunes since there are many human threats to dune habitats. Encouraging a sense of ownership within not only the local community, but also the wider beach-going community, is the main strategy being used . This can be achieved through awareness-raising with the objective of socialising the vision for the coastal park, which in turn has the potential to reduce management issues. It is also useful to directly canvas the level of support for proposed interventions, ideally as part of the management planning exercise .

ESN provides training and mentoring to protected area managers to build organisational management skills, thereby supporting management effectiveness.

Each year, six African protected areas each nominate three representatives who will benefit from the input of business planning guidance, personal skills development and support for the duration of one year. Protected areas are selected through a competitive application process. ESN is open to UNESCO World Heritage Sites (including sites on the tentative list), IUCN natural protected areas, protected area agencies, management authorities, local governments and NGOs with management remit. The programme is targeted at protected area managers who are in positions of responsibility that allow them to instigate management and planning changes, and who have the support of their senior management.

To ensure the programme is effective in driving organisational change, ESN works with protected areas that demonstrate a clear need for training in organisational, management and business skills. For sites that have severe challenges (i.e. lack of political support, severe lack of resources or security issues), enhancing these skills may not have a discernible impact.

To promote voluntary participation and to achieve consensus among the key sectors involved, stakeholders including local authorities, fishermen, local residents among others, are identified through a previous mapping of actors. The different sectors then propose their representatives who are formally committed to the process by signing a document. A multi-sectorial dialogue platform is established and the interests of the stakeholders are discussed using an approach of collaborative facilitation and alternative dispute resolution. This platform addresses the issues of geographical delimitation of the management area, and the governance model with roles and responsibilities by sector and areas of use.

The scientific study identifies coastal and marine areas of Costa Rica that are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The vulnerability analysis combined three factors: exposure, potential impacts and the adaptive capacity of communities to respond to these impacts. Through these three factors the climatic threats of sea level rise, atmospheric temperature rise and changes in precipitation patterns were evaluated to identify vulnerability. The analysis supports the prioritization of climate change adaptation actions for protected areas and districts of local communities. These actions include the recovery of key habitats such as riparian forests, mangrove forests, beach terraces and the relocation of touristic trails close to the beach within the protected areas.

Three scientific studies provide technical information to identify areas that should be included in the national system of protected areas. An evaluation of marine ecoregions in Mesoamerica was the first step to achieve a marine and coastal biodiversity conservation agenda at the regional level. To meet the targets established for the eco-regional level, gaps in representativeness and integrity for the marine and coastal biodiversity in Costa Rica were identified through a comparison of the national system of marine protected areas with the sites of conservation importance identified during the evaluation. National sites of conservation importance were prioritized in the gap analysis. Additional technical evaluations to elaborate on the state of conservation at a local site level were done. This scientific information helped to build up considerations for local level priorities, and the actual and potential uses along with the use conflicts.

A guided assessment of the forest areas suitable for the sale of conservation credit units (CCU) in the foreseen region is done with the Global Conservation Standard (GCS). The elaboration of a masterplan outline the project area and its potential to sell CCU (based on criteria by the IPPC). All interventions are defined through participatory planning (calculation credit generation, beneficiaries, marketing). Once the masterplan is accepted by GCS, the international registration is done at Markit.

The Global Conservation Standard (GCS) certifies ecosystem services in public and private owned forest/protected areas for carbon offsetting and marketing. Funds generated through the sale of conservation credit units (CCUs) of the forest area are invested in the conservation and promotion of sustainable production in the project area, which is divided into a conservation and a buffer zone with commercial activity.