Much support was given to improve fisher capacity to manage their access to and use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs). The programme recognised that the establishment of marine managed and protected areas as a method of marine management has resulted in increased reliance on Fish Aggregating Devices installed outside the marine managed and protected areas, for sustenance of the fishery sector.  Fishers within the Carriacou Fisher Folks Inc also recognised this and the need for attention to be paid to the monitoring and management of this resource.  This beckoned the implementation of FAD Data Management training for fishers of Carriacou and Petit Martinique.  The training was facilitated through the Fisheries Department of the Government of Grenada, and included information sharing on, but not limited to data on marine conservation, history of FADs in the region, the importance of data collection, legislation, its challenges, development of informal protocols and rules, identifying fish species as well as data collection methodology and post data collection analysis.  The workshop also realised the commitment of fishers to establish GrenFAD, which will take the leading role in the management of the FADs.  The fishers agreed and signed off on the soft rules for FAD Fishing, membership and FAD fees, data collection, data collection templates and protocols for data collection and management.  Actors in the fishery sector and marine management/protection were also trained in the use of underwater drones for remote sensing. The Programme provided support for construction of at least 6 FADS for the St. Marks fishers in Dominica. In the case of Saint Lucia, the provision of navigational tools to assist in accessing the FAD locations, which are often many miles offshore, and generally speaking to assist with safety at sea.

Del análisis de políticas e instrumentos relevantes para la integración de humedales urbanos, se identificó como la principal herramienta de planificación de la gestión urbana los Planes o Programas Municipales de Desarrollo Urbano (PMDU). 

Aunque las autoridades municipales no regulan las actividades que se realizan en los humedales, sí pueden darles el artículo 115 constitucional, formular los instrumentos de planeación territorial y autorizar y controlar los usos de suelo de los territorios adyacentes o lejanos a los humedales, que pueden generar impactos, directos o indirectos, sobre los humedales. En este sentido, los municipios pueden: i) formular instrumentos de planeación territorial, ii) autorizar y controlar los usos de suelo de los territorios adyacentes o lejanos a los humedales (por ejemplo, construcciones), iii) controlar las descargas de aguas residuales a los sistemas de drenaje o alcantarillado de los centros de población, iv) inspeccionar, vigilar y fiscalizar las descargas de agua residuales por uso doméstico y público urbano que carezcan o que no formen parte de un sistema de alcantarillado y saneamiento, v) implementar plantas de tratamiento de agua, vi) prevenir y controlar los efectos sobre el medio ambiente ocasionados por la generación, transporte, almacenamiento, manejo, tratamiento y disposición final de residuos sólidos e industriales no considerados como peligrosos, entre otros, que de manera directa o indirecta pueden tener impacto en la calidad y cantidad de los servicios ecosistémicos de los humedales, vii) establecer zonas de conservación ecológica municipal, entre otros. Por lo tanto, las autoridades municipales están directamente vinculadas al control y prevención de los impactos que afectan a los humedales (expansión de ciudades, contaminación, dragado, relleno, sedimentación, disminución del caudal de agua, entre otros). 

La integración de los humedales en los PMDU es fundamental para controlar y prevenir los impactos a distancia o cercanía (bordes) que afectan los humedales y aprovechar de manera sostenible los servicios ecosistémicos que los humedales brinden.

Se realizó un análisis de los PMDU de los municipios de las tres regiones del proyecto BIOCITIS, y se evidenció que en el diagnostico reconocen en distinta medida, la importancia de los humedales urbanos y que los humedales urbanos son vulnerables a los elementos específicos de los metabolismos de las ciudades, como los cambios de uso de suelo, la gestión de aguas servidas y residuos sólidos, construcción de infraestructura y desarrollo inmobiliario y hotelero, salvo por contadas excepciones, la información entre los campos ambientales y de desarrollo está relacionada con un análisis de enfoque causa – efecto. Las estrategias de desarrollo planteados en los PDMU carecen de medidas concretas de control y prevención de las acciones de desarrollo que afectan la calidad de los humedales urbanos. 

Luego del diagnóstico de la integración de humedales urbanos en PMDU se analizaron las metodologías y guías sobre el diseño de PMDU que ayudan a los responsables de formular instrumentos de planificación urbana del municipio, elaborando estos documentos. Al igual que en los PMDU, se evidenció que, en las guías los humedales son considerados como elementos en el diagnóstico, pero no en la fase prospectiva de las estrategias, proyectos y líneas de acción. 

Como resultado del análisis, se generó una guía metodología para integrar humedales urbanos en los PMDU, para establecer orientaciones y pautas que faciliten la integración de estos humedales urbanos costeros, buscando potenciar la gestión urbana de estos ecosistemas.  La guía se diseñó para tomadores de decisión municipal, personas que formulan PMDU (técnicos municipales y consultores), y para personas interesadas en integrar el valor y la importancia de los humedales urbanos costeros en este esfuerzo de planificación urbana.

Se divulgo el manual en webinar a un total de 25 personas, y se aprovecho el contenido del material para la incorporación de criterios para la conservación de humedales urbanos costeros dentro del reglamento de la ley de asentamientos humanos de Quintana Roo. 

Educational and knowledge exchange programs were used to promote awareness of the importance of effectively managing ecosystems.  By focussing on the younger generation, the Programme sought to incorporate sustainability into its impacts as these youth would be the decisionmakers of the future. Further, there is the observation that children tend to share whatever they have learned with their parents. Thus, it is seen as an opportunity to reach the wider community with information.  Several approaches were executed.  In 2017, the Programme supported the Soufriere Scotts Head Marine Reserve (SSMR) Day in Dominica, a major collaborative effort between local authorities and the CATS programme.  500 primary school students and 81 teachers from 33 primary schools participated in activities that promote the understanding of the ridge to reef concept.  There was also adoption of the Soufriere Primary School as a Reef Guardian School.  This initiative served the dual purpose of educating and raising awareness of students and by extension, their parents, of the ridge to reef concept, and also making teachers more aware of these, so they could better instruct their students.  Also, in Soufriere Saint Lucia, three schools benefitted from support for the establishment of low chemical garden plots to produce food for the School Feeding Programmes embarked on these schools. The garden establishment also involved active participation of the children in the gardening process and revenue generation by the school through sale of excess produce.  This also realised development of management guidelines to be used by the schools for managing their existing plots as well as implementing similar. 

The CATS Programme was based on the acknowledgement that good practices within the terrestrial zone augur well for the health of the coasts and marine spaces.  Thus, it worked with practitioners (farmers, foresters, agroprocessors) within this space by teaching and reinforcing good practices that could be incorporated within their operations.  A small group was also taught the specialised skills for mushroom cultivation as an alternative to traditional crop production.  This niche area was anticipated to increase food production diversity as it aligned with the practices of good resource management, recycling of byproducts and resilience.  For practitioners at the management level, the Programme supported the training of various persons in the practical application of Unmanned Aerial Systems for natural resource management and monitoring.  Since CATS Programme’s introduction of this, several other organisations both private and public sector have embarked on similar trainings for their officers. 

The project team facilitated the development process of the supporting documents (05) required to enhance the capacity of the network and finalize the formal registration as an NGO in Zanzibar. 

The documents developed included a Communications Strategy, Financial and Accounting Manual,  Partnership and Fundraising Policy, Human Resources Policies and Procedure Manual, and Procurement Annual. In addition, the website of WIOMN was redesigned and updated: https://wiomn.org. 

Moreover, the WIOMN Five-Year Strategic Plan 2023-2027 was developed during the SOMN project implementation process as an innovative and effective tool to ensure opportunities and challenges that will affect the Network’s operations and bring about changes in the conservation and management of mangroves in the WIO region. 

National Mangrove Ecosystem Management Plan 2017-2027 provides for establishment of National and County Mangrove Management Committees to serve as advisory organ to inform Kenya Forest Service on the technical issues regarding mangrove management. The committees at national and in the five counties of Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River and Lamu, have been established and operationalized. Their membership comprise of technical experts for mangrove ecosystem relevant disciplines, including; Forestry, Fisheries, Wildlife, Water, Land, and Climate, and representatives of communities and Civil Society/Non-governmental organizations.

After a first mapping of the key stakeholders of the WIO region, the consortium led by WWF Tanzania Office approached the WIOMN on the eventual collaboration related to mangrove conservation. 

Jointly, the urgent need for capacity building and the formal registration as an NGO was identified as the main issue and reasons for the limited scope of action during the past. In the following, the needed activities were budgeted in the proposal accordingly. 

The IOC requires that all Olympic Forest Network projects “be developed and implemented in collaboration with the relevant experts and authorities.” All six projects that are currently part of the Network not only take this requirement into account but establish it as a corner stone of their implementation.

For example, the Papua New Guinea project involves a partnership between the NOC, local communities, the National Fisheries Authority, and the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority. The Slovenian project is partnered with the Slovenian State Forestry Company; the Spanish with the Ministry of the Environment and the Federation of Spanish Municipalities; while the Portuguese project has the technical support of the governmental Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF) and the Abramud e Sentido Verde association. 

Requiring partnerships between NOCs and environment experts ensures that projects running under the Olympic Forest Network are as relevant and effective as can be with regards to nature conservation. Partnering with local experts and organisations also ensures that the Network can have meaningful impact not only on the environment, but also on the local communities where projects are run. Moreover, it facilitates local interest in, and ownership of, environmental work.