National | PANORAMA

Moving to the next stage

This building block is still ongoing. There are two complementary directions: (1) to the SRI policy, and (2) to the regional and local stakeholders. Regarding the SRI policy direction, the project outcome is now integrated into a pool of input to design the SRI plan as it was presented to the TSRI team, and the documents were submitted. The main challenge is to what extent our findings are utilized in the national SRI policy. Regarding the regional and local stakeholder direction, our team (SDG Move and the regional teams) is exploring the possibility of establishing a regional network for SDGs, based on the participants and the outcome of the regional foresight workshops. The regional teams are encouraged to use the regional outcomes of the project to engage with local policymakers and stakeholders to form a network to address the regional priorities on the ground.

Designing the project with the knowledge user, in this case, the TSRI is crucial for moving to the next stage. When the project was designed together, the project outcomes are usable and used by the policymakers.

The fact that the SDGs is a global agenda to which the government officially commits and is an obligation for both national and regional government agencies to address, making it easier for our regional teams to push forward the regional and local stakeholder direction.

A reason that TSRI is interested in integrating localized SDGs issues into the SRI plan was because of their awareness of the SDGs’ importance and of the localized policies. However, not all government agencies are aware of these issues. Regular knowledge communication and engagement with the policymakers and government agencies would help them realize the importance of the SDGs. Creating a platform in which the policymakers and government agencies interact regularly with local stakeholders and their practices would also increase awareness.

Academia is in a great position to bridge the government agencies and CSOs using evidence-based and participatory approaches. The approach would provide some credibility and legitimacy to academia as a bridging sector.

A political process to negotiate what works for whom and to find a solution that all parties get some of their priorities is expected. This process even presented itself in our project. Each regional team also has their own local agenda. We need to find a way to balance the project objectives and their agenda so that everyone wins.

National

Data Collection

Several types of data were collected throughout the process of this project. In the Horizon Scanning phase, socio-economic-environmental secondary data using SDGs as a framework were collected along with data from social media trends. This phase was mostly done by SDG Move. These data were processed and challenging social, economic and environmental issues were selected and made each of them into a 1-page report. Each region contextualized the 1-page reports and selected or added regional specific issues. In the Delphi method phase (regional level), expert opinions (assessing and commenting on the 1-page report in the first round and prioritizing the challenging issues in the second round) were collected and processed to identify regional priorities. The priorities were then utilized in the regional foresight workshops, in which Backcasting method was used in a multi-stakeholder consultation for obtaining the regional aspirations involving the regional priorities and strategic directions to achieve those aspirations. Outcomes of all regional processes were synthesized. A list of more than 10,000 research projects was analyzed against SDGs and the synthesized regional outcomes to obtain research gaps.

The expertise of the regional teams made the contextualization of challenging issues possible with little effort. Their social capital, with personal connections to stakeholders from several sectors in the region, helped identify the stakeholders with experienced and engagement with the existing movements, enabling us to obtain grounded and current perspectives of these challenging issues.

A well-planned data collection process and regular and open consultation between SDG Move and the regional teams were also crucial for in-time data collection.

Academic and Civil Society Organization experts are the second-based source to fill the data gap. This is possible because the data are not used for complex statistical methods but to understand the situation of the challenging issues. So the quantitative data was only one piece of the puzzle.

Clear objectives, timeline, and deliverables for each regional team help their planning. The timeline should account for delays and unexpected regional or local limitations. Regular check-in was important to update the project status and obstacles. The earlier the obstacles are identified, the better.

SDG Move as a coordination team has to be open-minded and listen to the voice and concerns of the regional teams since our plan is not perfect and might not fit regional and cultural contexts. The morale of the regional teams also needs to be observed and boosted when needed. The project progress and prospects, and a compliment from the TSRI office were good morale boosts.

National

Enabling Policy

Enabling policy establishes the conditions that make fisheries co-management legal, designs of "Managed Access" areas with no-take reservers implementable, and data-based management functional.

This building block requires relationships with government at multiple scales, including national, provincial, and district levels. It also requires relationships with community-based institutions whose input can set policy priorities and whose functionality demonstrates value to decision makers in government. Finally, enabling policy is dependent on a clearly defined policy strategy that identifies key goals, evidence-based solutions, the stakeholders who will be most impacted by policy changes, and those best positioned to advocate and enact change.

Policy change is slow, and Rare has learned that government processes often work on their own timeframes regardless of project plans. This is true for the development of policy documents, the passage of laws, and the approval of submitted plans and proposals. In all cases, Rare found that steady and regular engagement with government partners was key for sustaining momentum. Likewise, Rare learned the importance of working simultaneously at multiple geographic scales. Enabling national legislation is essential for effective management, but it is insufficient for meaningful implementation. For this, Provincial and District policies are necessary, including the allocation of local budgets, the procedures of implementing agencies, and the active support of local elected officials. Finally, we found that an adaptive approach to policy work is the most effective strategy. Government priorities can shift quickly when elections and appointments bring new decision makers into the conversation, and when circumstances require the government’s immediate attention.

East and South Africa

Network of Community -Managed MPAs for Inshore Small-Scale Fisheries in Mozambique

Zach

Lowe

Enabling Policy

CMA+R networks

Behavior Adoption Campaigns

Financial Inclusion

East and South Africa

Network of Community -Managed MPAs for Inshore Small-Scale Fisheries in Mozambique

Zach

Lowe

Enabling Policy

CMA+R networks

Behavior Adoption Campaigns

Financial Inclusion

East and South Africa

Network of Community -Managed MPAs for Inshore Small-Scale Fisheries in Mozambique

Zach

Lowe

Enabling Policy

CMA+R networks

Behavior Adoption Campaigns

Financial Inclusion

Evaluation, dissemination, and effective conservation management.

Open standards for the practice of conservation

Conservation Standards

Miradi workshop

Helen Gath/Durrell

Release management techniques, data collection, and the need for intervention are continuously being assessed to facilitate effective adaptive management on a day-to-day basis.

Dissemination of methods and results is an important tool to communicate to donors, attract new funding or stakeholder support, and increase awareness at a national and international level.

Monthly reports to project partners are published online at www.BirdsOnTheEdge.org in a reader-friendly format that engages with the public. As a result, the project has received funding, attracted post-graduate research, helped network with international practitioners and inspired other organizations.

Work is currently underway to analyze existing data, identify data gaps, and carry out research that will aid the development of a long-term management plan.

Durrell recently incorporated the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation into their strategic planning using Miradi software.

An existing organizational ethos to assess, plan, implement, evaluate, and disseminate projects.
A supportive network of people with a wide variety of skills.
Financial backing to set up, run, and develop online tools and resources.

This building block is ongoing and hard to review at present.

Documentation and dissemination of results

Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation

Miradi

Planning and managing effective conservation projects course

Management and protection of the wild breeding population

Captive reared birds tend to use the same type of nest in which they were raised. Based on this theory, nest boxes were installed along cliffs and a working quarry adjacent to the release site. Ronez, the quarry owners, paid for a UK expert to visit Jersey to help plan, design, and install the boxes.

The first nests, in 2015, were inside quarry buildings, not the boxes. Boxes began to be used as competition for nest sites increased. When two nests failed due to being built on dangerous machinery, staff installed boxes and successfully encouraged the pairs to nest in them, allowing quarry staff to continue operations.

Nesting activity is closely monitored allowing staff to estimate incubation, hatch, and fledge dates based on pair behavior at the supplemental feed and/or from direct nest observations. Chicks are ringed and DNA sexed in the nest where feasible. Alternatively, fledged chicks that visit the supplemental feed site can be trapped in the aviary when called for food, ringed, and immediately released. This option was used in 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 prevented access to the quarry.

The recently revised Jersey wildlife law gives full protection to chough nests. Staff are now working to increase public awareness and offer nest boxes as mitigation when choughs nest on private property.

Bringing in outside expertise
Developing a strong stakeholder relationship - Ronez appointed a liaison officer who works with Durrell to access, monitor, and protect nest sites.
An enthusiastic team willing to go above and beyond for the species.
Accessible nest sites with an alternative option for ringing juveniles/adults, i.e. the aviary at the supplemental feed site.
A supportive public equipped with species knowledge, the means to report sightings, and are respectful of the wildlife laws.

Public awareness and support have resulted in additional invaluable data about dispersal, roost and nest-site selection, and habitat use. In 2021, a new roost site was discovered at an equestrian yard when the owner contacted the project officer questioning the presence of an ‘unusual crow’. A single female chough was identified roosting in the stables with a visiting pair attempting to nest nearby. Despite this, an evaluation of the reintroduction in 2019 identified an overall lack of public awareness. As the reintroduced population grows and new territories form away from the protected release site it will become increasingly important to have an informed and engaged public supporting the conservation management.

Staffing has been very limited and restrictive. There is no dedicated marketing or educational outreach team. During the breeding season, monitoring multiple sites is only possible if there is a student placement assisting the project officer.

Global conservation translocation perspectives: 2021

Monthly chough reports 2012 - present

Soft-releases and post-release management

Supplemental feeding at the release aviary

Rachel Hughes/Durrell

Choughs waiting at the release hatches

Rachel Hughes/Durrell

Between 2013 and 2018, captive-bred choughs were soft-released in small cohorts replicating normal family group size.

The plan was to release chicks shortly after fledging although sub-adults (< 4 years old) were used for the first release. Captive breeding at Jersey Zoo was not successful until 2014.

Cohorts acclimatized and socialized in the release aviary for a minimum of 2 weeks and trained to associate a whistle with food, enabling staff to call birds back to the aviary if needing re-capturing. Each cohort was initially given a set amount of time outside then called back in for food and confined until the next release. Duration outside increased day by day until reaching full liberty. Staff followed any bird that failed to return attempting to lure it back if feasible. If it had gone to roost, staff would return at sunrise to retry.

All birds were fitted with leg rings. Tail-mounted VHF transmitters were fitted to all birds released between 2013 and 2016. Initially, they received three supplemental feeds a day, as in captivity, reducing to once a day. This continues to the present day permitting close monitoring.

Jersey Zoo’s Veterinary Department conducted pre-and post-release faecal screening to monitor parasite levels, administer wormer if necessary, and have also treated physical injuries.

Dedicated staff willing to go above and beyond for the species.
Supportive public with a means and willingness to report sightings away from the release site
Jersey Zoo has its own veterinary department with expertise in avian medicine and experience of working with the species.

VHF tracking had limitations. GPS technology was not available for the species at the time. With regards to dispersal data, staff were often more reliant on public sightings than VHF tracking methods. However, VHF tracking was invaluable when locating missing individuals recently released. The team were able to locate birds and provide supplemental feed or on one occasion recover a dead bird allowing vets to carry out a post-mortem.
Supplemental feeding should continue post-release to support the population during times of limited wild food availability. Survival rates were high during the release phase. Losses were attributed to starvation when the individual could not access supplemental feed.
Greater success is achieved by releasing choughs under six months of age.
Individuals reared alone without siblings are more likely to fail in the wild even if parent-reared in captivity.
Adaptive management is key. Have a plan but be prepared to deviate in reaction to the species needs.

Global conservation translocation perspectives 2021

Birds On The Edge - choughs

Establish a captive breeding program for release

One day old chough chick hand-reared at Jersey Zoo

Elizabeth Corry/Durrell

Paradise Park loaned two pairs of choughs to Jersey Zoo in 2010 to begin a captive breeding program. To establish a wild population, it was estimated 30 to 50 juveniles needed to be released over a 5 to 7-year period. Any shortfalls in numbers would be supplemented by importing juveniles from Paradise Park.

Jersey Zoo transformed two aviaries into dedicated breeding aviaries and created a display aviary to house the flock over winter mimicking natural behavior. Nest boxes were fitted with cameras for remote monitoring. Nestlings are susceptible to aspergillosis and nematode infections in captivity. Cameras allow staff to monitor for clinical signs and intervene as soon as possible to ensure survival.

Paradise Park, with decades of experience breeding choughs, provided guidance, training, and financial support. Jersey staff spent time behind the scenes at Paradise Park to learn about chough husbandry reciprocating once the release was underway with staff from the UK visiting Jersey.

Despite releases ending in 2018, Jersey Zoo continues to breed chough in captivity providing a backup in case there is a renewed need to release. It also allows a conservation message to be communicated to the public through educational talks at the display aviary. Surplus juveniles are returned to Paradise Park’s breeding program.

A support network of skilled and experienced conservationists enabling efficient planning with the ability to adaptively manage.
Strong partnerships with a commitment to succeed.
An enthusiastic team willing to go above and beyond for the species.

Initial breeding success was limited for various reasons one being incompatibility and/or inexperience of breeding pairs. Inexperience was initially a problem with the keepers as well. Not with techniques, but with nuances of the species which was why learning from others and a willingness to try different things is crucial.

Double-clutching is not documented in wild choughs but is possible in captivity and could be an effective tool for increasing productivity.

Choughs are intelligent and quick to learn. This can be problematic for management, e.g. learning to avoid entering catch-up enclosures. On the other hand, it can be beneficial if exploited, e.g. crate trained.

Operation Chough – Paradise Park, Cornwall, UK

Choughs at Durrell

Captive breeding choughs - Birds On The Edge

Project plan for the re-introduction of red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocor…