The NEPL NP is located in one of the most remote parts of the country, far away from the key tourism hubs and airports. To attract visitors to this remote part of the country, clear marketing, excellent reputation and collaboration with the TOs and Travel Agents are essential.

Adopting a “complex-systems” approach meant mobilising all stakeholders in the elephant range around a common vision – the preservation of the Gourma elephants, a national and international heritage. This meant holding engagement workshops with each (government administration and technical services, tourism industry, schools, projects, programs and NGOs operating in the area) to understand their perspectives, and design impactful outreach materials and activities (including a schools program). It also meant engaging and coordinating the support of other institutions in-country (e.g. foreign embassies, MINUSMA, UNDP) to deliver.

At national level this has included working with government to draft an elephant management plan; create a mixed (forester-military) anti-poaching unit and engage expert anti-poaching trainers from Chengeta W.; and create a new protected area that covers the whole elephant migration route, using a biosphere reserve model. Multi-use zones are governed by local CBNRM conventions with foresters providing supplementary enforcement if required, thereby strengthening the community systems. This aligns government and community interests to mutually reinforce each other and provide a cost-effective approach to reserve management. This top-down approach complements the bottom-up approach of community engagement.

No species exists in a vacuum. A myriad interacting forces come into play to shape their fate, at levels that go far beyond their direct ecological environment. Recognising this means shifting the focus from the species alone to englobe the entire system (ecological, social, political, economic) in which they live. It also implies accepting the uncertainty that arises from these interactions “that simultaneously affect, and are shaped by, the wider system” (Canney, 2021). This means preconceived solutions have very little, if no, chance of truly succeeding.

Not knowing what to do forced the project to ask, observe and listen, letting the answer be shaped by the context. Over the years, it has meant understanding the social-ecological context to identify key intervention points where small inputs can have relatively large impacts, “planning for a greater degree of flexibility in responding to the unexpected, seizing opportunities, and adapting to changing circumstances” (idem), and working at different levels and with a variety of stakeholders to achieve objectives. While the initial focus was on elephants, this approach has in effect delivered multiple benefits and contributed to improving many problems at once, from ecosystem degradation to compromised livelihoods, youth unemployment, local governance and social conflict.

Conduction of scientific research on the effects of human activities on wildlife allowed us to better understand the effects of humans on wild animal populations. Today, we are the only who carry out scientific studies on biodiversity in the central High Atlas. The solutions proposed consist in encouraging research institutions to participate in these scientific studies and to study other zoological groups.

Scientific research is essential for conservation as it helps establish solutions based on scientific results. For example, we have shown that hunting currently used in Morocco to limit the growth of wild boar populations has, on the contrary, a postive impact on wild boars and that the conservation of wild boar predators is the best method to regulate wild boar populations. We have also shown that poaching affects populations of the Barbary macaque, Cuvier's gazelle, and of other species. The prohibition of poaching and the sensitization of habitats were the main causes for the increase in  the Barbary macaque population in the site of Ouzoud, Morocco.

The cross-cultural and multi-disciplinary study of stone tidal weirs and efforts to raise awareness require the establishment of an international network.

The academic core consists of the three member universities, part of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network for Underwater Archaeology: the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, the University of Guam, and the University of Warsaw. The network enhances the protection and research efforts on underwater cultural heritage by connecting universities and professional training institutions, and acting as a bridge between academia, civil society, local communities, and policy makers. 

On the other hand, local NGO or NPO organizations play a central role in safeguarding or reviving stone tidal weirs. As an intermediary the academic core builds relationship between coastal community stakeholders, including NGOs or NPOs, and international organizations, including the UN, UNESCO, ICOMOS, plus local and national governments.

A capitals approach can help compare options between two alternative livelihoods for coastal communities including the impact on people and nature

By applying valuation to marine spatial planning, a capitals approach can help to value trade-offs when developing offshore energy

A capitals approach can supplement ESG metrics to yield robust information crucial for investor decision making, based on all the capitals, such as the traceability of seafood

A capitals approach can inform fisheries management supplementing traditional measures such as maximum sustainable yields with more complete metrics