When undertaking a planning or zoning task, rarely does a planner have access to all the information or knowledge that they would like for the entire planning area. Whether it might be more consistent ecological data across the entire planning area or a more complete understanding of the full range of social and economic information, a planner is often faced with the following choices:

1. Waiting until they have more data (with the ultimate aim of accumulating ‘perfect’ information across all the required datasets); or
2. Working with the best available scientific knowledge and accepting that while it is not perfect, it is adequate provided the deficiencies of the data are understood (by the planners and the decision-makers) and clearly explained to the public and to the decision-makers. Insufficient knowledge about marine ecosystems can impede the setting of meaningful objectives or desirable outcomes when planning. David Suzuki in 2002 questioned how can we effectively plan and manage when “… to date all we have actually identified are ... about 10–20% of all living things”, and “… we have such a poor inventory of the constituents and a virtually useless blueprint of how all the components interact?’’

Fishers from target communities visit other communities already implementing temporary fishery closures or other marine management strategies. By learning directly from the real experiences of fishers from similar backgrounds to themselves, target communities realise that this is something that they can adapt to their own contexts. Experienced communities often recount not only the benefits but also the challenges that they have faced in implementing community management and thus allow new communities to prepare for, or even avoid these challenges themselves.

This building block is concerned with establishing a process for the use of the instruments and tools in assessing the competence of professionals and their suitability for certification. Such a process is known in WIO-COMPAS as an ‘event’, and starts with a call for applications from suitable professionals working at the appropriate level for the certification level focus of the event. The application process provides an initial screening to ensure as far as possible that the applicants have a very reasonable chance of certification. Applicants who are successful become ‘candidates’ and are invited to a 4 day event where the interactive assessment instruments are employed by experienced assessors. Prior to the event portfolios and the case studies are developed by the candidates. Assessors are appointed, following a rigorous selection and training process, and at Levels 1 and 2 each is assigned 3 or 4 candidates, whom they mentor through the process. At Level 3 the assessors work in concert as a panel. The final decision on whether to certify a candidate is not that of the assessors, but of the Certification Board acting on their recommendation.