BFD has started using SMART as an adaptive management tool in the Sundarbans which is among the key potential benefits of the approach.

Presentation of reports to SMART enforcement committee helped the decision makers of BFD to plan patrols based on data queries and interpretations from actual SMART reports. This with on-board mentoring observations helped BFD decision makers to take further management decisions.

BFD is using SMART patrol reports and assess how patrol plans have been adapted based on the results of previous patrols and how effective these adaptations have been in increasing the effectiveness of SMART patrols as evidenced by the area covered, number of arrests and successful prosecutions of criminals committing serious wildlife, fisheries and forest crimes such as poaching and poison fishing; confiscations of boats, weapons, snares and traps, and wildlife carcasses and body parts; and trends (increasing, stable or decreasing) in sighting rates of key threatened wildlife species.

8 teams formed for SMART patrolling in 4 Forest Ranges of the Sundarbans. A mother vessel, one fiber-body trawler (for patrols in the canals and creeks) and a speed-boat to go to the areas where trawler couldn’t access due to narrow width of canal/creek and less water depth as well as to chase offenders. Under the leadership of a Team Leader, each team stays in the field for 10-14 days and patrols crime hotspots, records sightings of key wildlife species, illicit activities, checks permits and necessary documents, gadgets/gears of fishers, arrest offenders, handover offenders to nearby Forest Offices, records all data in the data model configured in the handheld device (i.e. CyberTracker).

After completion of the trip, Team hands over their handheld device to ‘Data Manager’ for data quality checking and unload data in the data storage platform. Team Leader also make a briefing note for the next patrol team highlighting their coverage areas, potential crime hotspots and dierction for next patrol team. Cleaned data then comes to ‘Data Coordinator’ who then compile data from all 4 Ranges, analyze and generate reports with` findings in different graphs, shows trends, hotspots, information on offenders and arrested ones, etc. and present to SMART enforcement committee to help further decision making and adaptive management.

Comprehensive training material developed and provided to support SMART trainings. BFD frontline staff’s capacity has been built to successfully conduct SMART patrolling in the field and handlings of necessary equipment and gadgets. Three different training efforts were made available –

• SMART Training of Trainers - selected BFD mid-level staffs trained engaging expatriate facilitators on the basics as well as advanced skills on SMART patrolling using developed training materials, 41 best-performers identified and designated as ‘master trainer’.
• Basic SMART Patrolling - ‘master trainers’ trained (in presence and support of expatriate facilitators) 125 frontline BFD staffs on the basic skills of SMART patrolling, conducted demo patrols, physical handling of gadgets and equipment who later became active in patrolling team.
• SMART Database Management - 31 BFD Officers were trained on data cleaning, editing, analysis, report generation and interpretation of findings. Selected staffs received advanced data management training also.

SMART patrol teams in the Sundarbans were accompanied by on-board mentors in selected patrols and helped to overcome their problems on-site particularly on the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS), navigation, boat and foot patrols, law enforcement, and improved data collections and ensured quality.

BFD was looking for an effective conservation law enforcement option that would equally be practical and affordable in the context of Sundarbans. Attaining good results from piloting initiatives inspired BFD to full-scale implementation in Sundarbans. However, implementing SMART independently but efficiently was a big challenge since BFD was solely dependent on external supports (i.e. Projects). SMP’s approach to develop pool of master-trainers for SMART, use them to train frontline staffs, develop data managers and analyzers had highly motivated BFD towards more independent SMART rollout in the Sundarbans.

BFD realized the need and responded promptly to develop standard SMART protocols for Sundarbans jointly with developers and relevant stakeholders and brought into practice. With the approval of SOP, handbook and other related documents, BFD ensured necessary legal instruments for its smooth functioning. It also maintained sustained fund flow to cater the need of logistics and fuel to keep SMART operational.

‘SMART Handbook’ were jointly developed with the BFD and includes valuable contributions by a multi-stakeholder’s SMART working group members. The SOP constitutes a crucial milestone and presents a uniform and practical framework for implementing SMART in the Sundarbans. The provisions that were incorporated in the SOP and Handbook are consistent with the laws and regulations of the ‘Government of Bangladesh’. All the staffs involved in SMART patrolling were oriented on the ‘SMART Handbook’ and ‘SOP’ and everyone have a hard copy of the same. This helps them to guide during patrols.

As part of the regular government budget cycle, DECR submits a selection of output and outcome indicators to demonstrate progress and justify funding requests. Capacities to track the state of ecosystems are therefore relevant not only to support conservation, but also as means for the department to report on its performance.

This building block therefore focused on the development of capacities to monitor ecosystem health and use monitoring results to communicate the benefits of ecosystem management. These capacities were built with support from the BEST 2.0 Programme funded by the European Union, focusing on coral reefs in the Key Biodiversity Area of Princess Alexandra Land and Sea National Park, as a pilot project.

This included the implementation of a training program for DECR staff and partners in the use of the Atlantic and Gulf Rapid Reef Assessment (AGRRA) methods and the development of a tailored Reef Health Index (RHI) for TCI. The RHI itself and the underlying indicators were recommended as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for DECR to report on their activities. In addition, further KPIs were compiled for DECR to monitor social and economic outcomes that could be associated to coral reef health, and hence, to their conservation activities. 

Key players in the plastic value chain are waste pickers, wholesalers, assorters, recyclers and traders. Arena purchases plastic wastes from waste collectors and those collected during beach cleanups. Thereafter, waste is sorted according to polymers because there are different types of plastic that are different in nature. Some are high density and some are low density. After sorting, plastics are crushed into small pieces, mixed with sand, then heated in an extruder to produce a concrete-like mixture which is then compressed into bricks or pavements.

Arena Recycling Industry collects plastic waste from beaches in Dar es Salaam and produces building materials such as Eco-Bricks, paving blocks, and tiles for the construction of affordable houses, toilets, and other buildings. These eco-bricks are waterproof and two times harder and more durable compared to normal bricks. They are anti-fungal and anti-corrosive. The market demand for these products is very high due to their high quality.

In the past, sea-turtle used to use many different beaches in Con Dao islands for breeding. However, due to the pressure from economic development, they had to retreat to few beaches inside the national park. When Con Dao Resort Co., Ltd. (Six Senses) started it business, Dat Doc was one of the left-over beaches. With new business model, the beach is well protected and regularly cleaned by the company's employees. After few years, in early 2018, sea-turtle started comeback Dat Doc for laying eggs. Fully aware the importance of sea-turtle conservation, the directors approached park managers, and with an agreement from Ba Ria-Vung Tau PPC, a collaborative project was initiated which aims to restore and conserve sea-turtle breeding grounds in Dat Doc beach.

After 3 years of implementation, the company has have invested c. USD 38,000 in following activities: an awareness programme, improve breeding sea turtle breeding habitats, setup a hatching pond 50m² with fence and CCTV system, and regular joined patrols by park rangers and company staff (1,044 working days, relocating 10 nests, 678 eggs, and releasing 464 baby turtles). The company continues to commit c. USD 70,000 for this programme in next 5 years.

Since 2014, IUCN has initiated the sea turtle conservation volunteer programme in partnership with Con Dao National Park, Hon Cau Marine Protected Area and Nui Chua National Park. 

The programme has been gathering lots of interest from people who come from all fields of work. For 7 years, IUCN has received almost 10,000 applicants and only be able to select less than 5% of these due to the special requirements of the selected sites and specific field activities. The programme received positive results and feedback from volunteers.

To date, 24 courses were organized in Con Dao that participated by 314 volunteers. The volunteers had contributed more than 3,000 person-days to support translocating almost 2,300 nests of 300,000 turtle eggs, released more than 110,000 baby turtles to the sea. They also work with park rangers to prepare breeding grounds, repaired hatcheries, patrolling and clean the beaches.

Not only supplementing the human resource for conservation action, the volunteers programme has help raising public awareness on sea turtle as well as marine life conservation as a whole. There were hundred media stories prepared by the volunteers in last 6 years that help changing public attitude on sea-turtle conservation.