Community Fisheries management is complex and each CFi committee needs to convene and record meetings, hold elections, and be financially transparent and accountable. The committee also needs the skills to work with local authorities and understand the legal framework within which they operate. We provide these skills by delivering training modules in meeting procedure, committee management, Fisheries Law, gender in NRM, environmental protection, proposal and report writing, and budget management.
The CFi Committee needs to be properly structured and active before they can be trained in meeting procedure, committee management, Fisheries Law, gender in NRM, environmental protection, proposal and report writing, and financial management. The trainers must have experience in training local villagers and the training materials. The project team needs to ensure that women are involved in the discussions, and that meetings are held at suitable times to allow them to attend.
Increasing Community Fishery Committee management capacity not only helps them manage their fishery resources but also builds trust with their members, donors, local authorities, and the Fisheries Administration. Our training has given CFi Committees the ability to present their work to supporters, and Commune and Fisheries Administration officials. CFi Committees are now able align their work plans with their Commune's investment strategy. The gender in NRM training has improved equality between men and women in accessing and managing their natural resources.
Co-creating a community assets and natural resources map sets the scene for community capacity building. A community resource map depicts both natural features (e.g. streams, ponds, paddy fields etc.) and physical infrastructure. Through resource mapping we learn how villagers manage, conserve, and use their natural resources. At least 10 knowledgeable community members should develop the community resource map, including CFi management committee and CFi members, women, elders, and local authorities. With the facilitation of the project team, a knowledgeable community member drafts the map. Before being depicted the location of important features should be discussed and confirmed by other participants. The map should also depict any formal zones (e.g. community fishing areas or community fish conservation areas) or discuss potential areas for zonation.
A group discussion follows the completion of the map to determine people’s reliance on and interaction with their natural resources, as well as major management and conservation challenges. This allows us find areas for improvement in community development, natural resources management and conservation.
A suitably motivated community is required to develop an accurate and informative community resource map. The project team needs experience in facilitating community group discussions and developing community resource maps. The team also needs to ensure that women are involved in the discussions and that meetings are held at suitable times to allow them to attend.
The most common challenge faced by fishing communities is the management of their dry season fish refuges. Many of these ponds are disconnected from the lake in the dry season and at risk from drying out as climate change brings longer hotter conditions in the dry season. Our community partners have suggested increasing the depth of these wetlands and creating permanent connections to the lake to ensure they remain full throughout the dry season and thus protect the fish that shelter there until the lake floods again. Another challenge faced by many communities is the difficulty in managing remote conservation areas. This often results in the establishment of new conservation areas closer to local villages which allows for closer and more effective management.
SWOT, Situation and Climate Vulnerability Analysis
A situation analysis provides background information upon which community capacity building efforts are based. First, we conduct a rapid SWOT analysis of a Community Fishery (CFi) and its associated community. The SWOT analysis compiles basic information about each community and examines CFi structure and function. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats faced by each community are addressed in a group discussion among the implementation team and a small number of community representatives. The Climate Vulnerability Analysis builds a picture of each community’s unique climate change challenges, particularly those associated with their Community Fish Conservation Areas. We use the SWOT analysis to determine if a community is suitable for further engagement and if so, we conduct a detailed situation analysis which delves deeper into a CFi’s characteristics and challenges. This allows us to decide whether we partner with a community, and if so, the results help us develop a suitable approach to working with them. The situation analysis is also used to determine women’s involvement in community fisheries – we then build on this information to increase their participation as we implement further building blocks. The Climate Vulnerability Analysis is the fire step in our extensive partnership with a community.
The implementation team needs to be familiar with the community fishery context and trained in conducting the SWOT and Situation analysis. It is also necessary to build trust with the community.
Important decisions are made at three steps 1) deciding which communities to initially assess and conduct a SWOT analysis 2) using the results of the SWOT analysis to prioritize communities for further assessment via the full situation analysis and 3) using the situation analysis results to decide which communities to partner with in capacity building and implementing the climate vulnerability analysis.
As Community Fisheries operate under a government mandate engaging the local authorities - especially the Fisheries Administration Cantonment and local Commune officials - is critical to the success of any engagement with a CFi. Local authorities need to understand, and support, Conservation International’s engagement with a CFi. First, we meet with the Fisheries Administration at national and local levels, presenting our programme, and identifying potentially suitable CFi’s. These meetings build relationships with senior government officials and obtain information such as local contacts within potential CFi’s. Having established high level support we contact local authorities such as the commune and in briefing them of our approach gain an appreciation of each CFi’s current status, challenges and opportunities.
Establishing the support from senior government officials is an essential first step. Then the local authority’s participation is required as they participate in the planning process and provide official recognition of legal documents associated with CFi development. Ideally the implementation team can build on established links with relevant local authorities. However, they must understand the context within which these local authorities operate and how our CFi development activities enhance the local authorities’ roles and responsibilities. This process needs to be conducted by senior project staff with experience in government relations.
Early engagement with local authorities is important as their involvement is crucial to the success of any engagement with a CFi. They will also provide the project team with additional information on CFi capacity and increase the likelihood of successful engagement with a CFi.
