This is the essential building block toward creating an effective MPA at the Costa Rica Dome. It is still In process. The steps already taken are stimulating, through conferences and meetings, discussion at national, regional and international levels. This process was started by presenting the idea with a case study in Marine Protected Areas for Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (Hoyt, 2011) and an associated campaign, and, crucially, working closely with the Central American (Costa Rica based) NGO MarViva.

Strong communication efforts (exchanges, meetings, popular debates, interactive radio in local languages) throughout the process of establishing and operating Kawawana. This has given fruits, as today other community conserved areas have been created close to Kawawana and more are in progress. .

The purpose of this Toolkit is to share the knowledge gained by the Reef Rescuers team. It aims to fill a void in the practical know-how of coral reef restoration By sharing what was learned and tested in the field, it is hoped that the success of others implementing similar projects elsewhere will be improved. It aims to be a companion for scientists, managers, practitioners and local communities who are facing a coral reef restoration challenge and need guidance using low-cost field tested methods, as well as how to fix problems encountered in field conditions. The team explains what they did in the coral reef restoration project and how they solved the problems encountered using low cost solutions and the limited resources found in a developing nation.

CI has been providing technical expertise to BHP Billiton to help them manage land and enhance biodiversity in a responsible manner. This has included contributing to improvements in their corporate environmental requirements in the areas of compensatory actions and the definition of ‘area of influence’, which takes into account business activities and their potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on the environment.

The capacity development program was implemented in 2 phases: The first phase started with the implementation of the project and lasted till the last corals were planted and was based on the “learning by doing” concept for knowledge transfer. The second phase was a formal training program which was designed by Nature Seychelles and launched in 2015. This was a full time course which lasted 6 weeks and included classroom as well as field work. A paying program, it filled up on the first call with 8 international “students” completing it. More courses are planned.

This building block involves everything related to producing your tourism product. It is recommended that a private sector partner possessing the appropriate market focus and experience in ecotourism be selected before embarking on tourism development in order to ensure long-term sustainability. Our model suffered as a result of not having a partner from the start, putting all responsibility for marketing and tour operation on the project. Selecting and training village tourism service group members is the next important step, and should be done with involvement of community leaders, the local government tourism agency and the private sector partner. Contracts with service group members can be used to create incentives for good service and protection of wildlife. Infrastructure should be built as a community project to instill maximum ownership. A cost effective, high impact marketing tool is a ‘familiarization trip(s)’ for tour companies and journalists, in contrast to printing brochures. Word of mouth is the most important factor and is ultimately determined by a unique and well thought out product.

Multi-stakeholder Dialogue (MSD) platforms are created, comprised of government representatives, NGOs, civil society involved in the project. The platforms consist of management committees set up in each village and at provincial level, to monitor the project’s activities and inform its management. The committees provide support for the daily implementation of the activities as well as for strategic engagement with other institutions. Advocacy material for policy makers is also produced. The engagement at national, regional and global levels is crucial, to ensure that knowledge is transferred, and that policy makers become advocates/implementers of the key lessons learned from the project. Strategic engagements at national, regional and global levels included so far: - A national inception workshop of the project - A national forum with the Directorate of Civil protection on ecosystems-based risk management - Presentation of the project at regional forums and meetings (regional conservation forum, regional consultations for the WCDRR) - Showcasing the project in publications or case studies for global events (UNFCCC COP 21)

Through the Alliance, CI and BHP Billiton have jointly developed a systematic framework and approach to designing and implementing conservation investments. The approach leverages both BHP Billiton’s risk based approach to project design and CI’s experience and expertise in establishing long-term conservation areas that address financial, legal and governance requirements. Projects are selected based on their conservation significance and evaluated to ensure that they will make a lasting contribution to our global natural heritage. Each project is required to reach a high standard for effective conservation management and will be supported by a sustainable financing mechanism, so benefits to people and nature will continue for many years into the future.

Indigenous Elders and knowledge holders depicted their knowledge on to the blank model over several days. On the first day participants spent some time orienting themselves to the model; finding points of reference and discussing how and where to start. Creeks and walking tracks were depicted first using wool and paint. Labels were also added early as reference points. Younger people were slowly bought into the process as knowledge was being depicted, and were invited to paint or place wool strands with direction. Progressively during the process discussions around place and the significance of certain heritage was shared between Elders and other participants. Participants decided that the models would be a 'work in progress' and that more knowledge could be added at later times. During this stage participants also attended the World Parks Congress and conducted a live demonstration of 'depicting knowledge'.

Construction of the 3D model took place over 3-4 days at both a community hall and 'on country' at the Djunbunji offices. Elders, youth, Rangers, men, women and children and the Authority's facilitator participated in the model building. Participants used contour maps, foamcore board, tracing paper, pencils and craft knives to trace and cut each 20m contour. Each contour layer was then pasted on to the tables and built up to create a 'blank' model. On completion of the construction, crepe paper and toilet tissue were pasted over the model to smoothe out hillslopes and soften the shape. The community hall was used for 2 full days where the bulk of the construction was completed. Following that, several community members continued to work on the model at Djunbunji office and in their homes until completion.