In »jungle tours«, tourists are guided through the channels of the mangrove forest by boat. The trip includes environmental education and allows visitors to experience the interconnectedness of adjacent ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs.

There are two main projects that have been developed by volunteers. The first is the “Citizen Education” Project, which has been developed in four classrooms of three elementary schools. The 96 students are generally from families of fishermen and crab catchers. The project goal is to awaken young people to issues like citizenship, ethics, social responsibility, working in groups and to present activities that are not peculiar for them like classical music and permaculture. This project is mainly conducted by two volunteers with aid from other volunteers. The other project is named “Guapi-Mirim Environmental PA Goes to School”. It has been developed in 46 schools that are within or very close to Guapi-Mirim EPA. Around 6,000 students, from kindergarten to high school, have been participating in 30 to 45-minutes activities with environmental approach. These activities are specific for each age. The aim is to aware the students about the importance of the conservation of these protected areas and the local ecosystems. There are eight volunteers who take turns to promote the activities twice a week, in morning and afternoon periods. More than twenty volunteers have participated in this project so far.

A Theory of Change (ToC) is a road map that plots the journey from where we are now to where we want to be. The ToC serves to create a common vision of long-term goals, how they will be reached, and how progress will be measured along the way. A ToC forms the basis for strategic planning, and it clearly articulates how shifting behaviors and social norms will reduce threats to biodiversity. There are seven elements of a Pride campaign ToC: Conservation Result points to the conservation target (ecosystem or species) the campaign is trying to conserve, and what the expected long-term result is. Threat Reduction points to the main threats to the conservation target that can be reduced. Behavior Change focus on the human behavior that must change in order to reduce the identified threat. Barrier Removal identifies the barriers to adoption of the new behavior and how can they be removed. Interpersonal Communication describes what conversations are needed to encourage people to adopt the new behavior. Attitude identifies what attitudes must shift for these conversations to happen. Knowledge is the cognition needed to increase awareness and help shift these attitudes.

We presented our work in the local schools and community centres through talks and slides, and we were interviewed by local newspapers to explain our work and gain support within the community. We also offered to talk about our work on tourist ships. Outreach is an important part of gaining community support among local people, including researchers, fishers, and of course media. The rationale is that without their support, marine habitat protection will be less likely to be respected.

Marine turtles, coral reefs and the pelagic ecosystem have been the conservation targets prioritized in Gorgona NP. The corresponding adaptation measures are being implemented, always taking into account local stakeholders’ participation, encouraging a capacity building process for the PA staff and providing the best information about a changing environment including possible scenarios for the area. Because adaptation strategies are integrated as part of the pre-existing management strategies of the PA, they are also in the “loop” of monitoring and effectiveness assessment.

Sanctuary Advisory Councils have the ability to create working groups that focus on specific yet diverse topical areas such as ocean acidification, aquaculture policy or ship strikes on marine mammals. Working groups are created with the full approval of the Advisory Council. A Sanctuary Advisory Council member must chair the working group, yet other technical experts may join in as well. Working groups are task oriented and time limited, with the end result being a recommendation to the full Advisory Council on the issue being addressed.

Ecotourism is strictly limited in the reserve due to its seasonality. In winter, ecotourism is not possible due to snow storms and snow falls. In spring, it is avalanches warning season. In the end of spring and all summer there is tick warning and increased risk of mudflows. Therefore, the most suitable season for ecotourists to visit is August to October. More than 1000 people visited the reserve from 2006. In 2003 first ecological camp hosted 100 students during one month in August. Since then, the Reserve welcomes ecotourists every year. The number of participants varies between 100 to 125 in one season and to 35 in 2008. Children who come to an ecocamp not only enjoy outdoor living in tents, but also learn a lot about the flora and fauna of the reserve from the daily classes given by staff of the reserve. At the end of their stay, children share their impressions of participating in the ecocamp in their drawings, questionnaires and stories to family members and peers. The ecological club “Talhis” is functioning in the reserve since 2002. Its main activities are directed towards raising ecological awareness among youth, working with local communities and attracting attention of the relevant bodies to the environmental issues.

Building trust between MarViva and the Community Councils of each community has taken more than four years before the development of the Communication Collective. Creating an association between the Collective and the Foundation has been based on the respect for the interests, decisions and role of the Community Councils. This partnership has allowed the insertion of the Foundation in the communities where it is positively seen as a strategic partner. This integration has been strengthened by successful previous processes where communities have perceived the benefits of partnership and the "fair play" by the Foundation.

It is important to ensure that the expectations of all stakeholders are managed before, during and after partnerships and that all stakeholders are aware of the benefits and that a clear, equitable, transparent benefit-sharing system is in place before benefits start being received. The solution recognises the realities of the importance of community support for conservation and tourism and aims to ensure that neighbouring communities value conservation areas and thus will ensure their long-term sustainability. It also endeavours to achieve finding ways to translate conservation and ecotourism successes into meaningful, real and visible socio-economic benefits for local communities. Various NGOs (IRDNC, WWF, etc.) and government (MET) were involved during the initial stages of negotiations to assist the Torra Conservancy with dealing with the private sector. Regular joint management committee meetings ensure that all stakeholders meet regularly to manage expectations, discuss the partnership and deal with any issues which may arise. There were/are still however instances when communication could be improved to manage expectations even more efficiently.

Coral nursery and coral propagation projects are implemented to reduce the time of recruitment and growth and to mitigate anthropogenic and naturally induced impacts. This helps to increase the diversity of coral species and overall coral cover, as well as the variety and abundance of fish and other reef-associated organisms.