Multi-national | PANORAMA

Continuity in cooperation

Land uplift forest in Kvarken Archipelago.

Malin Henriksson

Our transnational cooperation was largely based on personal contacts and larger efforts were dependent on external funding. The work for the preparation of the joint management plan has allowed us to structure the transnational cooperation and formalize it. All these measures will contribute to a more sustainable and long-term cooperation that isn´t so dependent on personal connections.
Now we have a better explanation of the tasks and organization of the transnational cooperation group, and we also included all municipalities in the area in the group.
An expert panel will help in management questions considering protection of World Heritage values and give valuable input to both site managers and the transnational cooperation group.
Personnel from different levels in the management authorities in both countries will meet regularly, and this is written into the management plan.

The transnational cooperation group agreed to meet more frequently while working on the management plan. We had many discussions and workshops about the mission and constitution of the group, and we have also discussed the transnational management with organizations not directly involved in it. Transnational cooperation has to be important for the involved organizations and there has to be a will to invest in it.

This kind of work takes time. By building cooperation over time, it is possible to move on from learning from each other to solving challenges together.
Cooperation can be very vulnerable if it is based on specific persons and personal connections, for example when persons in our cooperation group have changed and a new representative from the same organization did not have the chance to learn about the work from their predecessors. That´s why it is important to form routines for transferring knowledge within the involved organizations.
Another challenge is to find the right level of representation, to get persons involved who have both knowledge and right to make decisions. When involving many different organizations, it isn´t always possible to reach consensus in different matters, but the strength of the cooperation is in the discussions and in asking questions.
Another part of the success is that all work with the management plan (except the CVI project) was done as a part of our regular work. All things learned stays in the organizations when no short-time project staff have been participating. It took a long time, but it was worth it.

Linking SOUV, World Heritage values and attributes

Hilly landscape in the High Coast.

Erik Engelro

To be able to write a joint management plan, we need to agree on what we have to manage. A shared understanding of the key values and attributes is crucial. An important step for us was to facilitate meetings that brought the national geological surveys in both Sweden and Finland together so they could discuss land uplift and ice age traces and consider the site in its totality. These discussions gave important insight on the geological attributes of the site.

To get a clear overview of the key values of the property, excerpts from the SOUV for High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago were analysed and grouped together as seven key values. Attributes were listed for each key heritage value. This process gave a clear connection between the SOUV in the everyday work with WH management. It makes the abstract concept of World Heritage more tangibly associated to its management.

The analysis of the SOUV required involving professionals from different disciplines and getting them to discuss about what makes the WHS special.

This step was first explored in the Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) Assessment that was carried out at the site. The work done in the CVI project was crucial to linking SOUV, values and attributes together and it has been described in a separate PANORAMA solution (link below)

As a part of the CVI process we assessed the current condition and recent trend for the excerpts from our SOUV. This was done in a workshop with participants from both countries. The assessment helps in prioritization in WH management.
In a transnational or serial WHS is it important to get specialists from different fields and different parts of the property to work together. We´ve learned that it is of great value to assess current condition and recent trend for WH values together with other stakeholders and specialists, as controversial results may raise many questions and perhaps skepticism. It is good to be able to show that the results are based on systematic work taking different views into consideration. And because of this broad base we know we can trust our results and conclusions.
It was easy to list the most important attributes in the periodic reporting 2023, but that wouldn´t have been the case if the periodic reporting would have been prior to the work we´ve done with SOUV, values and attributes. A clear and structured overview of values and attributes, and a better understanding of our SOUV is also helpful in interpretation, communication, and monitoring.
Accessible information is also beneficial for people working with planning and permits in the area.

Application of the Climate Vulnerability Index for the High Coast/Kvarken Archipelago World Heritage Property (final report)

Assessing the Climate of the World Heritage site of High Coast (Sweden)/Kvarken…

Climbing the ladder of cooperation

Cooperation ladder

The High Coast (Sweden) became a World Heritage Site in 2000, and 2006 the World Heritage became a transnational site with the addition of the Kvarken Archipelago (Finland). Since the nomination process wasn’t done together, there was no clear cooperation structure in place. In 2008, a transnational cooperation group was formed with representatives from municipalities and authorities from the involved regions. Since the expansion of the World Heritage site to include Kvarken Archipelago, the cooperation between management authorities has progressively increased. The level of cooperation has varied a bit, mostly due to personnel changes. It takes time to build a team.

There has been several larger joint projects, financed by Interreg, an EU fund that promotes cross-border cooperation. The last one was LYSTRA from 2018-2020. In this project, Metsähallitus and the County Administrative Board started to work very close together. Now the cooperation between the site managers and other staff is an essential part of the work and a large contributing factor to the joint management plan. The project produced the first joint plan, which was an interpretation plan for the whole site.

Sweden and Finland are very similar countries, which makes building cooperation easier. We found these following factors important:

A mindset that cooperation is important, and something that is worth to use resources for in the organizations at large.
A stable and predictable funding.
Resources for projects, both in the own organization to be able to run large projects, but also an availability of appropriate project funds to apply for.
Developing a consensus of what is important.

There were many lessons learned and knowledge that can be shared between organisations and there is a lot to learn from each other.
It was important to build on the different strengths of each organization to increase efficiency.
It is also important to involve the managers and directors in the cooperation, so that they also see the synergistic effects of collaborative planning. In our organizations the site managers are quite isolated and managing World Heritage is a small part of what our organizations do. So, with the strengthened cooperation, we have in fact created our own little team, albeit with the other team member in a different country.
A final lesson that we have learnt is that it is important to be a bit flexible to make things work in both countries with different management systems.

Entirety

Local

Multi-national

Development of Documents

The institutionalization process of the WIOMN required the registration and the strengthening of the network. In addition, the process required the development of a number of documents such as the administration manuals and operation procedures. To this end, WWF recruited experts to support the WIOMN throughout the completion of the process.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Multi-national

Establishing a set of race regulations that places science at the centre of racing activities

11th Hour Racing Team on arrival in Newport Rhode Island having won the leg

Team spirit

ailing Energy / The Ocean Race

The Ocean Race Teams Sustainability Charter and Code of Conduct was co-created with the teams to express a fleet-wide commitment to sustainable operations and supporting a healthy ocean. The charter includes themes of Advocacy, Science, Learning and Operations. It seeks to get all teams, staff, and sailors to stand up for the ocean through sustainable sailing, team, and personal actions.

On the science front, teams must pledge to agree to:

Supporting science-based decision making.
Participating in increasing knowledge and understanding of our ocean.
Hosting scientific equipment onboard.
Participating in sailor and citizen science programmes.
Contributing to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science in collaboration with The Ocean Race.

Including science within a charter and requiring stakeholders to undertake various science-related activities whilst competing in a sailing race embeds science, as a core value, into race practices. This is unique in the sporting world as it requires teams and athletes to take on environmental responsibilities as well as their existing sporting responsibilities.

Awareness of climate change and the importance, and fragility, of oceans.
Desire to protect oceans and sailing’s ‘racetrack’.
Understanding the importance of data collection for climate and ocean science.
Desire to use sailing and racing beyond sporting objectives, as a platform for scientific research.

Collaboration is key, everyone needs to take part and be responsible for a better future for all.

Engagement with the teams, partners and host cities needs to be early on and there is a need to support them in their journey - not as an afterthought or last minute addition. There needs to be someone within each team that is dedicated to Sustainability and maintaining the Sustainability Charter within their team and department. It is important not to underestimate the amount of work needed to maintain the Sustainability Charter and our sustainability goals - assign enough resources!

In an event like The Ocean Race, there are also challenges due to unpredictable circumstances like boat repairs from dismasting or collisions which can increase the footprint and environmental impact of the team and the Race. It is important to have some extra capacity and contingencies to offset unforeseen circumstances like these.

The Ocean Race Teams Charter & Code of Conduct

Marine Management

Carriacou and Petit Martinique Fisher Folk who completed FAD Data Management Training

John James

Carriacou and Petit Martinique Fisher Folk during FAD Data Management Training

John James

Underwater drone training

GIZ

Underwater drone training

GIZ

Much support was given to improve fisher capacity to manage their access to and use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). The programme recognised that the establishment of marine managed and protected areas as a method of marine management has resulted in increased reliance on Fish Aggregating Devices installed outside the marine managed and protected areas, for sustenance of the fishery sector. Fishers within the Carriacou Fisher Folks Inc also recognised this and the need for attention to be paid to the monitoring and management of this resource. This beckoned the implementation of FAD Data Management training for fishers of Carriacou and Petit Martinique. The training was facilitated through the Fisheries Department of the Government of Grenada, and included information sharing on, but not limited to data on marine conservation, history of FADs in the region, the importance of data collection, legislation, its challenges, development of informal protocols and rules, identifying fish species as well as data collection methodology and post data collection analysis. The workshop also realised the commitment of fishers to establish GrenFAD, which will take the leading role in the management of the FADs. The fishers agreed and signed off on the soft rules for FAD Fishing, membership and FAD fees, data collection, data collection templates and protocols for data collection and management. Actors in the fishery sector and marine management/protection were also trained in the use of underwater drones for remote sensing. The Programme provided support for construction of at least 6 FADS for the St. Marks fishers in Dominica. In the case of Saint Lucia, the provision of navigational tools to assist in accessing the FAD locations, which are often many miles offshore, and generally speaking to assist with safety at sea.

With increased application of marine management strategies, there has been increased use of FADS to supplement the loss of access to fishing grounds which have been redesignated as protected areas, managed areas or reserves. Thus, the CATS interventions to improve capacity to manage these FADS were quite opportune in timing, and the fishers were keen on participating in the interventions related to them. In the case of the ROV’s this improved capacity enabled the beneficiaries to be ready to improve their monitoring efficiency and quality.

The Programme recognised the need for practical, user-guided solutions and implementations as critical elements for success and long term and far reaching benefits from the same. With regard to the FAD management and trainings, this process was smoothly executed with fishers taking ownership of this and taking the lead to put arrangements in place to better manage their FADs.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Coral restoration in the SMMA in St. Lucia

Fisheries Management in Guyana

Water Quality Monitoring

Turtle Conservation in Grande Anse Beach

Land Management - Good agricultural practices

CATS CARPHA UAS flying and mapping methods training course St. Lucia, November 2018

GIZ

CATS CARPHA UAS flying and mapping methods training course St. Lucia, November 2018

GIZ

CATS CARPHA UAS flying and mapping methods training course St. Lucia, November 2018

GIZ

CATS CARPHA UAS flying and mapping methods training course Grenada, December 2018

GIZ

Demonstrating UAS Site Results: Beausejour Wetlands

GIZ

Mushroom Cultivation Training: Inoculating substrate, St. Lucia, 2017

GIZ

Mushroom Cultivation Training: Trainee collects sample for pure culture, St. Lucia, 2017

GIZ

Soufriere Primary School Tree Planting and Farming initiative, St. Lucia.

Caribbean SEA/Waterways

Soufriere Primary School Tree planting by students with the assistance of Grounds Crewl

Caribbean SEA/Waterways

World Food Day Exhibition of Soufriere Primary School

Caribbean SEA/Waterways

The CATS Programme was based on the acknowledgement that good practices within the terrestrial zone augur well for the health of the coasts and marine spaces. Thus, it worked with practitioners (farmers, foresters, agroprocessors) within this space by teaching and reinforcing good practices that could be incorporated within their operations. A small group was also taught the specialised skills for mushroom cultivation as an alternative to traditional crop production. This niche area was anticipated to increase food production diversity as it aligned with the practices of good resource management, recycling of byproducts and resilience. For practitioners at the management level, the Programme supported the training of various persons in the practical application of Unmanned Aerial Systems for natural resource management and monitoring. Since CATS Programme’s introduction of this, several other organisations both private and public sector have embarked on similar trainings for their officers.

Resource management was an area of much focus by various actors within the stakeholder community. Thus, the challenge of obtaining buy-in and interest was minimal. Partners already had at least a basic understanding of the importance and relevance of effective resource management and the interconnection between the terrestrial and marine spaces. Further, given there were several other actors in the technical support and grant sectors with whom it was possible to collaborate to maximise results. Support from the ministries of agriculture in the various islands was also an enabling factor. Their technical expertise helped facilitate the implementation of the various initiatives. The ministries were the principal source of technical support for all terrestrial interventions under the programme. With regard to the management level, the actors, particularly in the forestry sector, saw the technology as a very relevant intervention as they were keenly aware of their monitoring limitations and saw the tool as an opportunity to improve the scope and efficiency of their monitoring.

The incorporation, within farming practice, of non-synthetic inputs for fertility and control of pests and weeds, though widely practiced many decades ago, is now alien to the majority of farmers. Modern farmers rely on their crop for their livelihoods and have clearly expressed that they are not willing to experiment on their sale crops by incorporating improved practices. They expressed concern about the risk of diminished crop quality, a situation which would reduce their revenue. They were unconvinced that they would be able to sustain their livelihoods if they were to change their farming practice to be more environmentally friendly. Thus, and future iterations of projects seeking to improve farm practices would have to incorporate significant investment and focus on demonstration plot establishment, research and development and start-ups. Despite having gone through a very rigorous process of participant selection for the mushroom cultivation training, it was recognised that the personal economic challenges and ambitions of the participants was an inhibiting factor; although all the trainees were keenly interested in pursuing the business start-up, they were challenged by the need to have secure revenue, and found it easier to continue their modus operandi prior to the training, as opposed to making the sacrifice needed to start the new businesses. All this was despite the project incorporating in its design access to raw materials needed for production during the initial months of production. The high-risk aversion of persons being encouraged to start up new businesses needs to be overcome by incorporating even more support mechanisms. The Programme failed to complete the second phase of the remote sensing training, thus pilots trained and their organisations failed to attain the full support needed to confidently incorporate remote sensing in their operations. Future such interventions should ensure completion of all necessary phases of support to ensure sustainability.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Blue Mountain Park Exchange Handbook

Forest Management Booklet

Capacity building of the WIOMN

The project team facilitated the development process of the supporting documents (05) required to enhance the capacity of the network and finalize the formal registration as an NGO in Zanzibar.

The documents developed included a Communications Strategy, Financial and Accounting Manual, Partnership and Fundraising Policy, Human Resources Policies and Procedure Manual, and Procurement Annual. In addition, the website of WIOMN was redesigned and updated: https://wiomn.org.

Moreover, the WIOMN Five-Year Strategic Plan 2023-2027 was developed during the SOMN project implementation process as an effective tool. This ensures opportunities and challenges that affect the Network’s operations and bring changes in governance and management of mangroves in the WIO region.

The availability of the funds, the willingness of the WIOMN Executive Secretary and its board to take their organization to another level, the fruitful collaboration within the consortium and the local expertise of the consortium was a great help in that phase.

The honest dialogue and flow communication between partners turned out to be one of the most important cornerstones for the successful institutionalization of the WIOMN.

Implementation

National

Multi-national

Shared vision of the consortium members

After conducting an initial stakeholder mapping in the WIO region, the WWF Tanzania Office-led consortium initiated discussions with the WIO Mangrove Network (WIOMN) regarding potential collaboration on mangrove conservation. Through these consultations, two key barriers to the network’s past effectiveness were identified: (1) a pressing need for capacity-building initiatives, and (2) the absence of formal NGO registration. To address these gaps, the consortium strategically integrated these priorities into the project proposal, ensuring appropriate activity planning and budget allocation.

The strong, long-standing partnerships between WWF offices, IUCN, and Wetlands International - combined with their deep regional expertise in the WIO - were critical enabling factors throughout this process.

Early Stakeholder Alignment is Critical: Proactively engaging core partners (WWF, IUCN, Wetlands International) during the planning phase built consensus and accelerated decision-making.
Legal Status as an Enabler, Not an End Goal: Formal NGO registration was essential for governance and funding access.
Adapt to Regional Complexities: Navigating varying national legal frameworks across WIO countries demanded flexible, context-specific approaches.
Invest in Parallel Capacity Building: Addressing gaps in administrative/legal expertise (e.g., through partner support) proved as vital as the registration itself.
Leverage Existing Networks: The Nairobi Convention and WIOMSA provided institutional credibility, reducing bureaucratic hurdles.
Patience Pays Off: Legal processes took longer than anticipated; early scoping of timelines prevented unrealistic expectations.

Planning phase

National

Multi-national

Building block 2 – Establishing principles for admitting National Olympic Committees’ projects to the Olympic Forest network

The IOC’s Executive Board approved several principles that NOCs would have to meet to join the Olympic Forest Network.

To have their project included in the Network, an NOC is required to submit details for the IOC’s review and approval, based on these specific criteria/principles. The review process is coordinated together with environmental experts who provide their feedback to the NOC and have the possibility to carry out field visit whenever relevant.

Projects are required to:

Contribute to enhancing climate and nature protection and resilience;
Support and be delivered in partnership with local communities;
Be developed and implemented in collaboration with the relevant experts and authorities; and
Have a long-term maintenance plan in place.

These principles help guide NOCs in the creation of their projects and ensure that all projects that are part of the Network are contribution to climate action and nature protection. The principles also ensure that projects possess certain characteristics and collaborative structures that are to ensure local impact and projects’ long-term viability.

Knowledge and understanding of factors that are important for designing and implementing successful nature restoration projects.
IOC’s practical experience with the implementation of the Olympic Forest project.
Collaboration between sport and nature conservation experts.

Having principles “on paper” does not automatically mean that they will be perfectly implemented and adhered to by the NOCs from the very beginning.

The application process to this initiative is a learning and improvement path where NOCs, under the guidance of the IOC and of environmental experts, can be guided to ultimately comply with all the requirements of the initiative and to create and implement high quality projects with tangible added value and shared benefits for the ecosystems and the local communities.