Development of an action plan after the SAGE process was very crucial as it ensured that recommendations provided in the SAGE process were addressed in a systematic and targeted manner whereby key stakeholders who participated in the SAGE process were also engaged in the action planning process hence, they drew the roadmap for implementation of those recommendations.

In addition, recommendations which came out of the SAGE process informed Honeyguide on areas of priority in designing WMA governance capacity building programs.

Effective communication is an important aspect of the IMET assessment. Of course, effective communication between the project implementers and other stakeholders, including the funding institution(s), is needed during project development and implementation. However, in the IMET assessment, it is critical that the results of the assessment are effectively communicated to stakeholders. The stakeholders include those involved in the assessment and others who may not have participated. In our case, we organised an information sharing event at the national level to which different national stakeholders were invited. In addition to the presentations made at this event, information packs providing an analysis of the IMET results were shared with all participants. We also developed a summary results banner that was later deposited (and still is) at our project office. It is the first thing anyone sees when they walk into our office. We also developed simplified brochures in three local languages for community stakeholders.

The S.C.P.P. Vigía Chico, which is immersed in the fishery improvement project, has been developing good practices to achieve sustainable fishing, but fishing had been perceived and managed only as an extractive activity, and not as a complex system that encompasses other stages along the value network. It was on this basis that the cooperatives began to analyze and diagnose the participation by gender in each link of the value network. Thus, it was possible to visualize that the composition of the links encompasses activities in which women play a crucial role not only because they perform the activity itself (e.g., administration, transportation, processing, marketing, storage, landing, preparation of supplies) but also because the complementary activities (e.g., generation of citizen science, provision of services, family support) play an important role in achieving the objectives of resource conservation and sustainable fishing.

Small-scale fisheries face several challenges, one of the biggest and most important of which is obtaining information on the fishery. Particularly the information gaps in fisheries are reflected in the scarcity of knowledge on the state of the resource, the effects of the fishery on the ecosystem and the lack of compliance with existing regulations. This, in turn, makes it difficult to establish a solid baseline that explains the current state of the fishery and the way to improve its management and, in some cases, avoid its collapse. For the past couple of years, quantitative and qualitative data have been generated and shared among the fishing community, government, academia, and civil society organizations through Caribbean spiny lobster fishery monitoring. This allows inferences to be made about the health and population status of the species, the effects of extraction on the ecosystem, and compliance with national and regional regulations, implementing co-management based on the best available information. This represents the basis for implementing a fishery improvement project.

By their nature, small-scale fisheries tend to have limited, poorly systematized data and short time scales. This scarcity of information represents a challenge for understanding, for example, the interaction of fishing gear with the ecosystem and its impact on the habitat; such information is fundamental in the implementation of a fishery improvement project. Around the world, different methodologies have been developed to generate information on the impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem; one of them is modeling based on the Ecopath program with Ecosim.
The civil organization COBI used this tool including information generated by fishermen and fisherwomen of our community (Punta Allen) through fishing logs, as well as biological and ecological information for the species that inhabit the fishing zones. In addition, to strengthen the model, the traditional ecological knowledge of our community was integrated through the application of interviews, from which relevant information was obtained about the diet of the species, their geographic distribution, reproductive season, etc.

It has been recognized that collective efforts and/or well-organized groups with a common vision and aligned objectives achieve greater benefits. This same principle has been used to promote sustainability in fisheries, adding multisectoral participation as a central axis; thus having a group integrated by various sectors of the region working together to have a sustainable fishery throughout the value network. In the lobster fishery, a broad group of fishermen and fisherwomen have formed strong alliances with research institutions (ECOSUR, Cinvestav, UNAM, SISIERRA, Universidad Marista), civil organizations (COBI), government (INAPESCA, CONAPESCA and Reserva de la Biósfera de Sian Ka'an) and the FAO to implement various improvements in the lobster fishery.FAO to implement various improvements in fisheries (fisheries monitoring, define reference points for fishery limits, participatory establishment of minimum size, exchanges between cooperatives and marketers, generation of savings funds) and thus make better decisions. These collaborative relationships have been formalized through various agreements and/or conventions that have allowed the relationship between institutions and fishing organizations in accordance with the changing needs of the fishery.

The Toledo Institute for Development and Environment was established in 1997 by local communities in southern Belize to combat illegal fishing and harvesting of the West Indian Manatee. The organization aims to strengthen natural resource management and community stewardship within the Toledo landscape and seascape by supporting biodiversity and communities, whilst contributing to national sustainable development goals. 

Over the years, TIDE has successfully managed three protected areas, including the Port Honduras Marine Reserve. TIDE has continually demonstrated its capacity to effectively manage protected areas and in October 2022 its institutional knowledge enabled the NGO to add Cayman Crown to its portfolio as its fourth co-managed area in southern Belize.

A change in government administration in November 2020, brought the establishment of the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation and a change in the National Co-Management Framework for Marine Protected Areas. The creation of the framework has been ongoing since 2020 and has delayed TIDE's application as co-manager of Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. With funding commitments to conduct enforcement at the reserve, the delayed designation of TIDE as co-manager of the MPA meant a delay in effective management of the Cayman Crown reef.

With a limited timeframe for implementation, TIDE, MBECA and BFD signed an memorandum of understanding (MOU) for TIDE to co-manage Cayman Crown and two established FSA sites within SCMR. This required continuous communication among the entities that resulted in a mutual agreement valid for one year. A rollout of the National Co-Management Framework is expected for 2023. In the interim, Cayman Crown, a highly biodiverse reef found lying between the maritime borders of Belize and Guatemala, is being effectively managed through the strengthening of partnerships.

In order to manage parks sustainably, access to traditional resources is frequently restricted or changed. Such impacts must be reduced since local residents and resource users must directly or indirectly benefit from the MPA and be fully included in the solution. To steer local stakeholders away from the ongoing overexploitation of their mangrove and fishery resources, the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative revenue creation was created. Apiculture was chosen to demonstrate that income can be generated from mangroves and other plants without destroying them and losing their ecological benefits. This activity has strengthened the two fishing associations and illustrated that they can cooperate to execute activities outside of their "normal" operations, the members stand to gain from it.

An important component of conserving the marine protected area is public education, communication, and increasing awareness about the value and vulnerability of the marine ecosystem. Capacity building activities were desperately needed and the project provided this opportunity to stakeholders including university students, local government officials, and FoProBiM employees. Everyone was glad to go outside and have real field experiences, which made the classes, both in the classroom and, in particular, the field, extremely well accepted. This was the first "large scale" activity that FoProBiM offered to many sectors, allowing them to meet each other, learn together and create new beneficial contacts. FoProBiM has conducted smaller, more directed activities similar to this in the past. As management operations for the 3-Bays continue to grow, this additional capacity will be crucial for all stakeholder groups.