Successful EbA planning and implementation needs strong alliances – among different public sectors and levels, with the private sector, with civil society and research institutions. The project strengthens existing partnerships and supports the formation of new ones. These alliances are the breeding ground for awareness raising and communications with regard to EbA (results are e.g. a multi-media strategy, videos and other information material) and joint capacity development measures such as training courses. The creation of the “Climate, Ecosystems and Communities Knowledge Network” for advancing in the search of EbA solutions for the recovery of the Virgen Coastal Lake and its channel system in Cartagena is one tangible result. The education sector has incorporated the EbA approach into educational programs. In this way, the stakeholders bring together complementary competences and knowledge, financial resources as well as contacts and networks. The different initiatives have already attracted interest by the port sector, representatives from the tourism industry and the National Association of Industries, among others. A broad-based financing strategy for EbA is being worked out together with national and regional actors.

The boundaries of an MPA (or zones within an MPA) should be identifiable while on the water. Traditionally, inshore MPA boundaries were referenced to some obvious natural feature or by using a distance from a feature like the shoreline. In some instances, physical demarcation of marine boundaries has occurred using fixed markers on the land or floating marker buoys, but there are significant costs to install and maintain such infrastructure. For deepwater, open-ocean conditions or for large MPAs the placement of marker buoys is extremely difficult, if not impossible, and the cost is prohibitive. For these reasons, MPA managers delineate such offshore boundaries using GPS coordinates (see Resources for Coordinate-based zone boundaries). Experience has shown that submerged features (e.g. depth contours, reefs, banks, shipwrecks, etc) may be hard to identify so should not be used for marine boundaries. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary has considerable experience with installing offshore infrastructure for marine boundaries; FKNMS staff have installed >100 yellow boundary buoys marking marine zones; over 120 boundary buoys and/or signs marking Wildlife Management Areas, and are responsible for > 500 mooring buoys.

Fin Fighters works on the ground and is able to collect any evidence of IUU that may be occurring or is unreported. In the fishing ports and markets we are able to witness firsthand the sale and movement of any CITES listed species or evidence of illegal shark finning. The evidence we have collected so far from the first 2 years of this 5 year study will be amassed and produced in reports (together with our genetic results and data) that will be presented to the fisheries officials and governing bodies. Our aim with this is to prove that despite restrictions and laws (such as CITES and ICCAT) being agreed to by Moroccan governance – they are currently not being managed or enforced effectively. We are currently producing an education scheme, that we hope the Moroccan fisheries ministers will approve (with the reports and fishermen surveys as evidence to back this up) that we will run out across the country in ports and markets. This will provide basic knowledge of different species and outline the laws and restrictions as well as give explanations for why they are necessary.

Surveying fishermen allows a valuable insight to what is being landed across Morocco - and in what quantities, if species are effectively reported and if not why not, what methods are being used to catch elasmobranch species and if species are being heavily targeted for commercial purposes or simply by-catch. Through this we have understood that many fishermen have little or no knowledge of laws and restrictions on shark/ray species and that many international and national trade/catch policies are not translated from management level to the fishermen themselves – who are unaware they are breaking laws. We are therefore working with artisanal fishermen to establish the beginnings of a species education program and on basic training in DNA data collection from their landed catches.

Volunteers are trained to conduct genetic sampling and necropsies and to gather data by monitoring landings and surveying fisherman. This creates an opportunity for conservationists and concerned citizens to have a positive impact and learn new skills for the benefit of species conservation. This has also enabled the collection over a wide area of a vast amount of viable data for scientific studies. Ultimately it means that Fin Fighters are able to provide a much needed data resource in data deficient areas for poorly understood populations. The participants are trained to ID species from various body parts and to take ID images for our data bank. Some of our volunteers request to be taught more in-depth collection skills such as sampling either in situ on the ports, or in controlled environments. Others further their involvement by learning how to carry out necropsies and to extract samples of specific material – such as sperm, or stomach contents for later study. The volunteers (or Citizen Shark Scientists) are also taught how to survey fishermen, and fishing equipment, and to understand fishing methods.

The results of the project have been shared with Belize’s Ministry of Forest, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (including Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute and National Climate Change Office) and the Ministry of Tourism to facilitate replication, and uptake of the process and recommendations. The results have also been shared with local communities, local NGOs, land developers and the private tourism sector to build capacity, awareness and implementation of greener landscape practices within the coastal zone.

The development of the capacity of fisherfolk to manage their organization, through training activities in leadership, business, communications, advocacy and representation is important in contributing to strong fisherfolk organisations and appropriate representation and participation in fisheries governance. This capacity development is based on identified needs, focused on priority areas and conducted in collaboration with appropriate partners.

From the beginning of creation of the ICCA, the local community engaged in the monitoring of quality and quantity of fish catch, socio-economic change and ecosystem health.

The Fishermen Association of the Rural Municipality of Mangagoulack (Casamance, Senegal) was informed that— following international CBD decisions and IUCN recommendations— Senegal was promoting and respecting locally established “community conserved areas”. The association thus mobilized the community to create Kawawana ¬ (“our local heritage to be preserved by us all”) in its ancien estuarine territory. In Kawawana, the ancient governance and management rules– renovated and agreed upon also by the municipal and regional governments – are finally again respected.