National | PANORAMA

- Alliance and partnerships development

This is a very crucial parameter because it involves bringing together at least 2 institutions to work towards achieving one goal of the project. Each organization has different roles and activities but these different roles are aimed at achieving the same goals.

Frequent stakeholder meetings
Openness and willingness to share ideas
Putting in place plans of operations

In implementing this block it was discovered that impact was huge because there was much focus on every activity being done. This was due to the fact that each institution has its roles clearly defined. The sharing of roles removed pressure from the other implementing partner. But we also learnt that lack of frequent meetings to share ideas resulted in poor service delivery.

Interactive technology for conservation

Technology knows no barriers and we are yet to innovate and discover more with a changing world.

By using the underwater cameras it has allowed us to bring ahead the live viewing and monitoring where previosuly we were limited. Thus allowing us to better engage with local fisher community, for them to get a sense of ownership and unite to better understand and protect this ecosystem.

This has also facilitated the data sharing of the status of the reef locally and across different channels but also to open the door for more scientific collaboration locally and internationally.

Local community buy-in
Interactive technology
Data sharing

Technology here not only brought live viewing and interaction but a completely new level of underwater restoration. Fish and coral interaction can be securely monitored allowing scientist to discover more about underwater interactions.

Community engagement and partnerships

This project cannot succeed on its own. For the long-term success of coral reef restoration, it was important to develop strong collaboration with locals, fisher communities, other stakeholders. Through the Tech4Nature partnership, we were able to get more support and engage locally with other stakeholders.

By engaging the fisher communities in coral reef restoration from the beginning of the project and allowing them to take part in eco-tourism activities. This not only saved the area from further damage but allowed the fishermen to generate more incomes through sustainable touristic activities while also enjoying the overspill of increased fish abundance in the area.

Close-up monitoring by local communities
Ownership by fishermen communities
Strong partnership with local companies

This has allowed us to continiously bring the work done underwater to the general public (global level).

Evidence through research

Pathogen and disease detection under the PREDICT and PREDICT-2 projects as well as other research initiatives have generated a strong evidence base on the drivers of zoonotic diseases. In Liberia, the finding of Ebola virus antibodies in a bat provided evidence that Ebola is circulating in wildlife in the West Africa region and signaled that there are ongoing spillover risks requiring public health attention.

Involvement and partnership of international and national institutions ensured best practices in research activities. The National Public Health Institute provided important leadership to support outreach on the significance of the Ebola finding. Another key factor was the model practices demonstrated by the sampling team, involving safe handling and sampling and attention to animal welfare, which itself helped to increased awareness of these aspects by observant communities.

In the past, communities in Liberia have distrusted foreign researchers and do not typically have direct access to the findings from research activities. Communities were aware of the sampling activities around their villages; by seeing Liberian scientists involved in this work with their own eyes, they were more receptive to the findings.

Application of resilience strategies in Madidi

Madidi understands that tourism is a sustainable activity that generates social, economic, and natural benefits for the protected area. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to apply planning processes to resume these activities. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the activities in the tourism sector were impacted and this caused a slowdown in tourism activities.

The level of organization is maintained and meets the goals and establishes priorities to continue promoting tourism in the area. These activities maintain a high level of participation by the local population.
The government promotes a reorganization of tourism activities, promoting the participation of other productive sectors.
It reduces the high personnel turnover that generates gaps and creates uncertainty in management.

The pandemic was a fortuitous problem that generated diverse impacts at different scales in the area. Although Madidi is willing and able to deal with complex problems, this extraordinary situation taught us to have a Plan B as a recovery measure, which requires great efforts and regrouping capacity, and these actions are based on an adaptive model of territorial management that allows us to manage sensitive but also complex aspects.

Strategic alliances between the beneficiaries of tourism in Madidi

The Madidi National Park and Integrated Management Natural Area coordinates with the Vice-Ministry of Tourism, under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and local entities to prioritize this activity as a strategy for local and regional development, in addition to the recovery of the development vision and the use of natural, scenic and cultural values.

The institutions maintain a common vision based on nature conservation.
Institutional conditions are in place to promote tourism as a local development strategy.

Strategic alliances in the area have been strengthened with a vision of tourism-driven development; this process is implemented with the participation of various stakeholders from different sectors, which has allowed for the planning of activities at different scales and scopes.
The planning processes were established with a broad participation of the territorial actors, once they achieve a common objective, the context conditions were generated to work in a sectorial manner, in this case tourism, since with common objectives the search for different sources of funds is carried out and a common vision is established to have an impact in the medium and long term.
Conservation objectives are very important when supporting development processes such as tourism. The main criterion to achieve conservation can be tourism, seen as a means to obtain tools and conditions establishing a context to conserve the protected area.

Implementation

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

National

Interaction between conservation and population health

Nature conservation and its relationship with the quality of life and health of the local population.

Conservation and maintenance of functional environmental conditions are a priority to avoid emerging and zoonotic diseases.
Preservation of local knowledge and appreciation by indigenous peoples of plants and animals for use in local medicine and culture.
Management actions by protected areas to systematize and rescue local knowledge.

The relationship between nature and health is becoming more and more critical, there are many empirical evidences that diseases that affect humans through the relationship with wild species can cause outbreaks and new pandemics. In this sense, the conservation and maintenance of stable natural conditions and functional food chains can reduce this risk.

The risk of degradation affecting vulnerable people in local communities is very high, so protected areas are playing a critical role in conservation.

Strengthening the market based on forest products

The Manuripi National Amazon Wildlife Reserve builds its sustainability based on the management and harvesting of Amazonian fruits within the territory. The measures adopted within the different links of the value chain are very important to achieve benefits for the local population.

The valuation of forest products is maintained or improved to promote these activities and the country and region provide support to improve production.
The prices of these products are stable or rising and promote a profit for the harvesters.
The certification provided by the reserve motivates harvesting activities to continue with a vision of economic benefits, environmental sustainability and social responsibility, which demonstrates a triple impact project.

Financial sustainability is a mitigator of social and environmental conflicts since many of the population requires support in establishing viable alternatives for local progress. Once the forest products have been identified and the productive chain has been analyzed, investments help to improve production and general satisfaction with the conservation of nature through sustainable use.

Clear territorial policies for conservation

These are tools that are implemented over the long term and promote action planning and in situ conservation, based on the principle of institutional mandate that provides decision-making autonomy to PA managers. Although this is not a completed process, strengthening the legal framework should be one of the measures to achieve PA integration into the region's development.

The planning tools implemented are mandatory and establish a framework for action that allows for their application, including adaptation when gaps are found.
The regions and communities recognize the fundamental role of the reserve because of its natural and cultural characteristics and respect its objectives and scope.

Clear policies, with defined legal frameworks, make it possible to achieve interinstitutional coordination and to plan actions at different time scales. investment in compliance and monitoring of the regulations is fundamental from a conservation perspective.

Implementation

National

Integrated forest management

Integrated forest management as a local development strategy allows articulating different perceptions in a joint vision to achieve sustainable development. This is a State policy that has been implemented since 2009 and has established important advances such as the regulation of land use and availability.

To this end, the protected area plays a fundamental role in integrating actions from the local level that are then integrated into the national policy and possibly into the regional conservation vision.

Territorial management policies are carried out by each of the local actors, which establishes an organization of functions and activities at different scales.
Communities comply with the mandate and potential land use and maintain a stable natural structure.

Integrated forest management requires an approach that makes visible the multiple perspectives that the context demands. For this reason, it is important to have transdisciplinary teams to achieve a joint vision of development.

In addition, the active participation of institutions that invest resources, such as ACEAA and WWF, is required.