Local | PANORAMA

West and Central Africa

#FreetownTheTreeTown campaign – Sierra Leone

Eline

van Remortel

West and Central Africa

#FreetownTheTreeTown campaign – Sierra Leone

Eline

van Remortel

West and South Europe

Surfers as coastal defenders - The Dollemard Landfill

Eline

van Remortel

West and South Europe

Surfers as coastal defenders - The Dollemard Landfill

Eline

van Remortel

West and South Europe

Surfers as coastal defenders - The Dollemard Landfill

Eline

van Remortel

West and South Europe

Surfers as coastal defenders - The Dollemard Landfill

Eline

van Remortel

Community management decision making

Community members meeting

Rindra Rasoloniriana

Introduction of patrollers to community

Rindra Rasoloniriana

After coaching from Blue Ventures, association leaders from each village organized a meeting to discuss and identify the management strategy and the management measures based on the results of the assessment and the perceptions of the community.
The meeting, chaired by associations and/or village leaders, is conducted under non-exclusive conditions and is attended by all fishers, women and men. First, the participants propose measures to be taken which are then voted on by a show of hands if there are many divergent ideas. It may happen fishers will postpone the meeting to reflect and discuss the decisions to be taken within their clan or family.
In the presence of the fisheries administration, representatives of the Dina Committee, the Management Committee and the community-based patrollers, the local community validated the strategy and particularly the measures.
In the future, these measures could be adapted based on the result of the implementation and participatory monitoring of landings.

The conservation measures on seagrass were combined with catalyst activity such as temporary octopus closures which through delivery of economic benefits helped to create a strong local buy-in
Some of the association leaders had participated in an exchange visit to learn from strategies of other communities
The Fisher association had already been in place with different structures, namely the Management committee, the Dina committee and the community-based patrollers
The fisheries management plan already contained some measures related to seagrass

To set up management measures or a new activity, it is useful to do an exchange visit to other sites. It is easier for the local community to accept or trial a new idea if one or more community leaders are already convinced of it or there is evidence of success from elsewhere;
Local community ownership of the decision-making system and process is more likely when the local community members see direct tangible benefits.
Data feedback and discussion of the management measures take place in two different meetings, which gives the community members time to reflect on the points presented and the corresponding appropriate measures.

Implementation

Local

Data feedback and interpretation

Data feedback to local community

Rindra Rasoloniriana

We analysed and interpreted the data collected during the monitoring, mapping and community meetings;
During local community meetings, using visual approaches through imagery, projection of slideshows and discussions, the results and interpretations of the seagrass mapping and monitoring, as well as the perceptions of the status of the seagrass are presented to the community. With this the community receives feedback on the collected data and its interpretation.

Data feedback can help local community members to better understand their fishing activities and related habitats, to promote discussion among them and suggest appropriate measures;
Fishers participating in the training and data collection gave an overview of the data collection during the local community meeting, highlighting that they understand the goal and related approach. This was key in generating community enthusiasm and ownership.

The involvement of the communities in the different stages is essential. Therefore, in this stage related to the interpretation of results, they will be involved in a progressive manner as it requires a wider variety of skills.

Implementation

Local

Financial Inclusion

The accountant for the Bailaki savins group. Závora, Mozambique.

Jason Houston

Even with all the other co-management mechanisms in place, fishers cannot adopt sustainable fishing practices if their economic vulnerability simply won’t allow them to. For this reason, Rare supports financial inclusion activities. This includes small-grant support for community enterprises. Some of these provide alternative income sources, like bakeries and hen/egg farming. Other enterprises, like fish processing and refrigeration services, enhance the income of fishing activities while decreasing the amount of waste and loss that drain fishers of income and communities of natural resources.
Rare also works with Savings Clubs, providing financial literacy training and creating a social setting in which those without bank accounts can access community-supported savings and small loans.
Together, these financial inclusion measures increase household income and financial resilience, decreasing fish workers’ vulnerability to economic shocks. This, in turn, supports sustainable fishing by allowing fishers to make decisions based on their long-term interests rather than short-term financial pressures that can drive overfishing.

Social cohesion is a key factor in financial inclusion. Be it small enterprises collectively run by a group, or Savings Clubs that depend on active membership and collective action, financial inclusion and behavior adoption are predicated on the connections between people. Relatedly, effective financial inclusion implementation can only occur when program staff are engaged with community members to build trust, increase local capacity, and troubleshoot as issues arise.

One important lesson is that, as in many things, effort is not enough to make financial inclusion successful. Simply providing seed funding for microenterprises, or setting up a Savings Club, will not lead to meaningful and lasting financial change. However, if these beginnings are followed by trainings to build capacity and financial knowledge, and if community groups are empowered to learn from mistakes as they embark on new financial activities, financial inclusion can be truly powerful.

We also learned about the important overlap of financial inclusion and gender equity. Women in coastal Mozambican communities are often subject to economic and physical violence, at times prevented from earning money of their own or deciding how household income should be spent. Because Savings Clubs are majority women, they offer a unique opportunity for women to increase their economic power within households and across communities. This holds exciting opportunities, and we are working now to identify specific, targeted, and evidence-based strategies for bolstering women’s leadership and gender equity in Mozambican fisheries livelihoods.

Implementation

Local

Behavior Adoption Campaigns

This is an example of the Fish Forever Fishing Behaviors of Participating in Fisheries Management and Respecting Fishing Regulations.

Rare

Rare uses social marketing expertise to design behavior adoption campaigns, leveraging social science evidence to encourage sustainable fishing practices, empower local advocates, and build momentum for plans for community-managed fishing areas including no-take marine reserves. These campaigns are tailored to the local context, and can take the shape of celebratory events recognizing the importance of fishers, public messaging through billboards, radio and TV programming, SMS text campaigns, and more.

Effective behavior adoption campaigns require a strong understanding of the techniques evidenced by social science research to influence a “nudge,” shifting behaviors across a community and building lasting change. Rare has a Behavior and the Environment research center dedicated to understanding the science behind behavior change, and a Knowledge Hub dedicated to training Rare staff in concrete, proven strategies that can be applied to local contexts.

Adjusting to local contexts is crucial, and therefore important to have on-the-ground implementing staff and partners who build relationships, identify community leaders and advocates, and provide insight into the types of activities and messages likely to resonate with a given community. These strategies must be adaptable. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, many in-person events became impossible to hold. In adjusting to these conditions and shifting restrictions, we were able to identify new strategies that in some cases brought even greater awareness and potential for behavior adoption: virtual gatherings that allowed more people to attend events; socially distanced and outdoors parade events; and the use of SMS texts and radio programs to reach hundreds of thousands of coastal Mozambicans. Finally, we learned important lessons about the importance of local leaders. Rare’s Coastal 500 initiative leverages commitments from mayors and other local officials, positioning them as a driving force in lasting change.

Implementation

Local