Government agencies conduct training sessions and disseminate knowledge about the mangrove ecosystem, its resources, economic interests and conservation needs, and build capacity for monitoring and recording of the biodiversity and catch data.

Stakeholders, including government and local communities, are engaged in the early design stage of the development of an Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan. Up-to-date datasets on ecosystem services are identified as critical given their relevance for the Placencia Peninsula region’s economic stability and growth (coastal protection, spiny lobster fisheries, marine tourism and recreation, and carbon storage and sequestration). Data was collected and included within the Natural Capital’s Marine Invest analysis tool in order to carry out ecosystem service valuation.

Collaborative efforts among governments, reef-reliant industries, civil society and academia promote buy-in and enhance extraction resources. Defining roles, responsibilities and strategic priorities of all parties involved aids in increasing the effectiveness of lionfish control programmes.

Each stakeholder of the Cacheu Park had its abilities strengthened. The Oceanographic Research Centre for the Study of Resources received additional trainings and tools to carry out the evaluation of fish resources and propose management rules. The IBAP staff was trained on aerial imagery and shared governance mechanisms. Training and resources (surveillance boats) were devoted to the implementation of maritime surveillance and biodiversity monitoring. Formal and informal education and communication institutions received capacity building, and educational tools were provided to them.

Fishers and vessel managers worked with fisheries scientists and innovative software technicians in collaboration with government officials to design an electronic observation tool that could be installed like lego building blocks on vessels as money becomes available or needs change. The tool meets multiple needs - fishers (safety), business (history of effort and catch), government (compliance), public (transparency). When the snapper fishers began to realise that video cameras could provide the transparency they sought, they went out to providers around the world and invited people to show their products. After off-the-shelf commercial offerings for Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) and video monitoring (EM) were discounted because they didn’t have the required functionality (from a commercial perspective) or were too expensive, a decision was made to design and build a fully integrated suite of electronic monitors. Fishers wanted a system that used smart technology like automatic WIFI downloads, encrypted footage and ability for the viewer retrospectively to focus the camera on 3600 views.

Local communities live around the National Park and are generally poor, rural farming communities whose populations are reducing as children grow up and move away because there are few employment and/or income generating opportunities in the communities. The communities are seeking to improve their livelihoods and living standards. If National Park management can help by introducing and facilitating environmentally and economically sustainable livelihoods which promote the preservation of natural and cultural heritage then it benefits both National Park management and the local communities. This is the case in our most successful communities where two quite different sustainable tourism ventures have developed with some assistance from the National Park with project funding e.g. facilitating national level skills training and certification, provision of computer and office furniture, provision of small grants to assist with improvement of tourism ventures. The tourism ventures (attractions, cultural activities, guided trail tours) also link to the agricultural produce in the area e.g. provision of meals, sale of fruit juices and wines.

To examine the way in which the different uses are incorporated in the marine space, two compatibility matrices have been developed to guide the proposed policy measures and spatial structure of this plan. These two matrices analyze: 1. Compatibility and conflict among the different uses 2. Compatibility and conflict between the different uses and the natural resources and heritage and cultural values The two matrices were based on a list of uses in and values of the marine space – and a summary of the environmental impacts of each use, their significance and range. On the basis of the information collected, the relationships were categorized, cross-referencing the different uses, and relating to the degree of possible or desirable synergy between them.

The purpose of this building block is to have the agenda of the protected area current among stakeholders and participants. The Reserve’s staff engaged with different stakeholders on a strategic and long-term basis. These included: Directors of Schools, representatives of media (including National Media outlets), sponsors (who provided prizes for children’s competitions). The stakeholders were invited to the events because the events addressed their own agenda and because they were involved in the atmosphere of the celebration (music, colorful traditional costumes etc.)

Partnerships with fisheries management bodies such as national fisheries administrations, the FAO and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism as well as relationships with the University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute have provided for the provision of funding and technical expertise to develop fishers’ capacity to engage in fisheries governance. These partnerships promote the appreciation of differing perspectives, sharing of lessons and form the basis of integrated fisheries management with the participation of fishers.

Social learning can be interpreted in many different ways. In the context of this project, social learning is embarked upon in a transdisciplinary way. This means various stakeholders, beyond just scientists, from multiple disciplines, began working together on this project by jointly framing the problem and the research questions. A participatory action research programme then ensued and led to the co-design of the tool. Different components were carefully designed based on the stakeholders’ input and then tested in real-life situations. A social learning programme thus helps the transdisciplinary team in further developing the tool, but also engage with the data.