Local | PANORAMA

Training program

Training topic samples

Based on the management effectiveness and capacity assessment, a training program was developed and delivered to assist in filling knowledge and capacity gaps.

The program included:

- protected area management global standards

- flora and fauna ID and monitoring

- improving protected area visitor experience

- media and communications training

- GIS and mapping

- restoration of specific natural habitats

- Management planning and standards

- Climate change threats and adaptation

- sustainable fishing

Some equipment was provided, mostly to help with visibility, monitoring and mobility in the protected landscape.

Additionally, Montenegrin authorities were invited to sessions to share knowledge and promote cross-border cooperation, and we arranged a study tour in Spain for Albanian staff to visit an experienced yet comparable protected area in Europe to learn and share practical knowledge between teams.

1. Funding

2. Capable and knwledgeable trainers

3. Resources to convert skills and knowledge into change on the ground

It is important to create a blend of sessions that the staff request and those that are assessed as technically most important for successful management.

A mix of practical and theoretical is also important.

Implementation

Local

Implementation of Effective Control Strategies for Disease Spillover From Livestock to Wildlife

Multi-sectoral coordination, and communication and coordination with local communities, are essential to clearly and simply share findings of surveillance and why specific management strategies have been developed and are recommended for implementation. This would include, for example, vaccination of domestic livestock for PPR in areas where their range overlaps with that of significant wildlife populations, protecting livestock health, and reducing the risk of spillover to wild ungulates.

Financial support for vaccination or other management strategies; good coordination and communication between sectors; good communication and relationships with local communities of herders; access to vaccines and appropriate storage capability; human capacity to implement effective vaccination campaign.

Open lines of communication between relevant government sectors and between government and communities as well as and their understanding of the disease epidemiology is essential to implement effective disease control strategies that address the concerns of all stakeholders involved.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local Capacity Building for Management of Disease at the Wildlife-Livestock Interface

Many nations have limited funding for wildlife health surveillance so developing this capacity and the knowledge of wildlife health and disease epidemiology as it pertains to the wildlife-livestock interface at the local, provincial and central levels is vital for sustained surveillance and for the true value of this surveillance to be realized including its use to implement wildlife-friendly interventions that also support improved livestock health.

External and governmental financial support for development of wildlife health sector including surveillance and diagnostics; interest of host government to develop wildlife health capacity; time and personnel availability to be trained

Developing local capacity for wildlife health surveillance is critical for sustainability of such efforts and sustained One Health benefits

Documentation and dissemination of results

Collection of baseline wildlife health data

Conducting monitoring and surveillance in wildlife (both healthy populations and those showing signs of disease) and routine serological testing for exposure to pathogens frequently shared with livestock as well as more in depth diagnostics e.g. PCR/ NGS on sick/ dead animals support comprehensive understanding of the circulation of pathogens in these populations, geographic and temporal distributions and time-lines of exposure and non-exposure of different populations. Integration of this data with livestock surveillance data contributes to understanding of the epidemiology of diseases and the dynamics of disease outbreaks, including the potential source, to implement effective science-based control strategies.

Financial support for surveillance; human capacity for surveillance, and data management and analysis; access to sites to conduct surveillance; cold chain/ sample storage capacity; capacity for accurate field and/ or laboratory based diagnostics; good coordination between environment/ wildlife and livestock health sectors; openness for result sharing by host government

Coordination and support from the government is essential from the beginning to ensure support for surveillance, understanding of what is being implemented and the goals/ outcomes, good coordination between sectors, engagement to build local capacity and export samples for testing where necessary, host government willingness to be open about diagnostic findings and motivation to amend disease control strategies based on findings. Wildlife health is under-funded in all countries compared with livestock and human health sectors and external donor support is almost certainly required for success of such programs in LMICs and MICs. It takes considerable time and patience to develop truly functional, localized wildlife health surveillance networks, integrated with other national surveillance networks

Documentation and dissemination of results

1. Multi-sectoral coordination for monitoring diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface

Building partnerships across the emergency management, animal health and environment/ wildlife sectors is an important first step for planning and implementation of wildlife surveillance to ensure results are used to guide science-based policy and disease control mechanisms. Convening multi-sectoral meetings to open discourse and share information on the challenges and opportunities to monitoring and management of disease at the wildlife-livestock interface, and to develop smooth communications and trust between and across sectors as well as multi-sectoral surveillance and response networks is critical.

Financial support for coordination meetings; openness of host government to coordination between environment/ wildlife and livestock health sectors; time and patience

Documentation and dissemination of results

North and Central Asia

Integrated livestock and wildlife disease surveillance and response supports Saiga conservation and livelihoods in Mongolia

Lucy

Keatts

1. Multi-sectoral coordination for monitoring diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface

Collection of baseline wildlife health data

Local Capacity Building for Management of Disease at the Wildlife-Livestock Interface

Implementation of Effective Control Strategies for Disease Spillover From Livestock to Wildlife

North and Central Asia

Integrated livestock and wildlife disease surveillance and response supports Saiga conservation and livelihoods in Mongolia

Lucy

Keatts

1. Multi-sectoral coordination for monitoring diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface

Collection of baseline wildlife health data

Local Capacity Building for Management of Disease at the Wildlife-Livestock Interface

Implementation of Effective Control Strategies for Disease Spillover From Livestock to Wildlife

North and Central Asia

Integrated livestock and wildlife disease surveillance and response supports Saiga conservation and livelihoods in Mongolia

Lucy

Keatts

1. Multi-sectoral coordination for monitoring diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface

Collection of baseline wildlife health data

Local Capacity Building for Management of Disease at the Wildlife-Livestock Interface

Implementation of Effective Control Strategies for Disease Spillover From Livestock to Wildlife

Defining priority and corrective actions to strengthen the intervention

During the implementation of the intervention, the project team conducted the self-assessment that helps determine whether an intervention is in adherence with the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutionsᵀᴹ. The assessment provided information about the intervention’s strengths and weaknesses and helped derive concrete recommendations and corrective actions for future interventions. Two criteria were deemed insufficient. Criterion 3 (biodiversity net-gain) fell short, because the analysis of the biodiversity benefits achieved through this intervention were largely based on a desk review of existing literature and information rather than a specific assessment, monitoring framework or thorough and collective effort with key informants and stakeholders. Criterion 6 (balancing of trade-offs) was also deemed insufficiently addressed. While there was a reported willingness from the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar to consider relevant trade-offs, the limits of these trade-offs and associated safeguards were not clarified. In addition, while provisions on the rights, usage of and access to marine and coastal resources for mariculture are in place, further information on how this is applied in practice is required.

The assessment was supported by IUCN expert reviewers, who supported the team with the completion of the self-assessment and provided clarification on specific criteria and indicators. Several rounds of discussions revealed that the criteria were sometimes understood and interpreted differently by different people, impacting the assigned rating. This demonstrated the complexities associated with assessing whether an intervention can be considered a Nature-based Solution and the need for thorough and guided consideration of each indicator.

The IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutionsᵀᴹ served as an important tool to reflect on design, implementation and monitoring challenges related to aquaculture and seaweed farming approaches applied in the IUCN AquaCoCo Project. It provided insights into areas that require corrective action, the collection of additional evidence and means of verification and involvement of local stakeholders, in particular women. In this manner, the self-assessment results will inform future work on aquaculture and seaweed farming in Zanzibar (and elsewhere) and help improve intervention design, implementation and monitoring frameworks.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Review phase

Local

Subnational

Co-management approaches and women empowerment

R. le Gouvello

Women explaining the tubular net method for seaweed farming in Zanzibar

Co-management approaches were applied in marine conservation areas. These involved the government, local communities, seaweed farmers, NGOs and associations, often with international support. A particular feature was the inclusion, empowerment and support of women, considering their role as primary seaweed farmers and beneficiaries. The cooperation generated between different actors has not only demonstrated the willingness of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar to implement blue growth strategies that are inclusive of local communities and aim to build a sustainable future, but also enabled the ongoing revision of management plans for marine protected areas in Zanzibar. The need to improve the participation of women and aquaculture farmers in decision-making, to increase transparency and to provide access to information, was highlighted. There are also opportunities to enhance cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries.

Several studies provided insights into the positive outcomes of mariculture and seaweed farming, which included gender equality, economic revenues provided to women and the consequences on their life, including increased autonomy, empowerment and role in the communities. Moreover, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar put in place a blue growth strategy (see the Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy), which considers the challenges of seaweed farming, including related sustainability concerns.

A new agenda of research and development work has emerged, including dialogues around Nature-based Solution criteria and indicators with stakeholders in Zanzibar and local communities. This could contribute to a future roadmap for Zanzibar and a framework for regular self-evaluation. New management plans for marine protected areas are already under way and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar plans to support seaweed farming activities in deeper waters by equipping women groups with fiberglass boats. It would be important to assess such new developments against the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutionsᵀᴹ criteria to determine how changes to the management of marine protected areas may affect adherence with the Standard.

Entirety

Local

Subnational

Zanzibar Blue Economy Policy