We financed a country wide survey and co-authored an economic report based on the survey with Economists At Large, Melbourne, Australia. The survey assessed "willingness to pay" for conservation of the dolphins which indicated that New Zealanders were willing to pay higher prices for their fish to ensure that the Dolphins weren't subject to bycatch. We presented this work in a report which went to New Zealand politicians and we also prepared a poster which was presented at the Biennial Marine Mammal Conference in Dunedin, New Zealand in Dec. 2013.

This collaboration between the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP) of Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), the Russian Academy of Science and researchers from Moscow State and St. Petersburg State universities has focussed on the following research areas: Abundance and distribution, behavioural ecology of whales, dolphins and porpoises in Russian Far East waters, and how they inform conservation of these species.The funding for a multi-year study was obtained to train and enlist young Russian researchers in the study and conservation of these species.

Shifting the thinking of individual fishers from solo owner-operators to being part of commercial sector with shared obligations, responsibilities and social license and a common desire to promote better fishing practices to ensure the sustainability and growth of the snapper biomass. All independent commercial fishers, fishing vessel owners, SNA1 quota owners, Licensed Fish Receivers of snapper and snapper processing plants were identified and invited to attend the same meeting. Over a period of five months three meetings were held, repeated in four locations based on the commercial fishers ‘local port’. The first meeting identified the issues fishers felt they were being criticised about; the second meeting set out possible solutions and called for discussion before being voted on. At the third meeting the agreed solutions were framed as a Voluntary Agreement with six rules, debated and voted on before being given to government officials, who then worked with commercial fishers on the logistics of recording and reporting on success.

Rare’s Pride Program training is a two-year process through which local conservation leaders receive formal university training, followed by periods of field-based formative research and results analyses. Participants learn how to change attitudes and behaviors, mobilize support for environmental protection, and reduce threats to natural resources. Rare’s local partners not only receive classroom training, but also implement an entire social marketing campaign in their communities, designed around a specific conservation goal. Participants in the program receive a toolkit for community outreach: Training 1 provides trainees with basic community engagement tools, so that they can start embedding themselves in the target audience and earn their trust. Training 2 takes place after a period of 1-2 months of field embedding, and teaches research techniques for qualitative and quantitative formative research. Training 3 takes place after 2-3 months of data collection and information gathering, to analyze data collected and design the Pride Campaign. Training 4 takes place upon campaign conclusion, to evaluate results and produce final report.

Access rights, such as individual quotas or territorial use rights (TURFS), delimited based on scientific findings and participatory processes, help to avoid overfishing and recover fish populations. They assure fishermen stable fishing over time and exclusive benefits from sustainable management, increasing their stewardship and compliance.

The Vulnerability Assessment and Stakeholder Involvement plan is a prerequisite for action. It uses data and policies from the Seychelles National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) and other country reports, as well as recently published scientific papers. Stakeholder survey and analysis was undertaken to identify, choose and engage the right stakeholders in the project.

The triggering factor that started the updating process of the Reserve’s master plan, were the inhabitants’ concerns about floods affecting them. In response to this, CECON is leading a process of gathering, updating and analysing information to propose management actions and strategies to be included in the updated master plan. Additionally, final discussions with stakeholders and elaboration of the final version of the updated master plan to be presented and approved by CONAP are ongoing.

Scientific data collection with input from relevant stakeholders, through public consultations and government, includes biophysical status and condition of the area, socio-economic status, resource use and preferences, governance, organisational and policy structures. Document data in a public document (Nusa Penida Profile). The profile helps to determine criteria for establishment of protection zones and as input for discussions with local stakeholders.

The building block aims to help communities identify their risks. Risk scenarios and the action plan are developed. Complimentary surveys from biodiversity, environmental quality, fishery, and social economic studies are included into the risk assessment.

The zoning of the MPA followed an ecological systems approach and now prioritizes strictly protected areas, ecological restoration, tourism development, and reasonable exploitation and development areas. The management of the zones is undertaken according to different requirements to meet the needs of the ecosystem and the local community. The zoning allows for specific adaptation measures including coastal and river bank erosion prevention measures. Mangrove reforestation projects are conducted at the mouth of the river and along the banks of the river. Several small dikes and sea walls to protect against flooding and rising tides are built.