All teachers and principals are trained with much care at the beginning of each school year. A workshop for 3 days is conducted to guarantee that the lesson plans, sessions and activities will have the utmost impact. We go though all sessions with the participants and also conduct all outdoor activities and experiments planned for the children. Together, we improve games, songs and theater plays.

The community is working to set up an indigenous-run tracker training school which would service Namibia and potentially also neighbouring Botswana. Due to low literacy levels in the region, indigenous peoples were previously kept out of formal conservation employment or underpaid for their sophisticated skills. Though anchored in Khwe traditional knowledge, the training and assessment methodology is based on international standards and is accessible to people from any background who have sufficient biodiversity and faunal / floral knowledge of a specific ecosystem. Research thus far indicates a strong demand for certified trackers by both government and private sector for conservation, anti-poaching and natural resource management.

Two levels of institutions were established. At the Park level, an independent society was created that people could approach comfortably and a flexible management approach could be adopted. At the community level, Eco Development Committees (EDC) were created that would set up and manage revolving fund to provide loans on easy terms to members to get out of debt trap.

Our economic valuation method can be repeated at relatively low cost, using largely existing data. We only valued a portion of the many services provided by coral reefs and mangroves, focusing on components that are relatively easy to measure using published information and especially important to local economies. Tourism: We used financial analysis to estimate that in 2007, reef- and mangrove-associated tourists spent US$150–$196 million on accommodation, reef recreation, and other expenses. Fisheries: We used financial analysis to estimate that economic benefits (sales plus value added from cleaning and processing) from reef- and mangrove-dependent fisheries were US$14–$16 million in 2007. Shoreline Protection: We evaluated shoreline protection services in a geographic information system (GIS). We used an avoided damages approach to estimate that coral reefs provided US$120–$180 million in avoided damages in 2007, with an additional US$111–$167 million from mangroves. In total, we estimated the value of these three coastal ecosystem services in Belize to be US$395–$559 million in 2007. As a reference point, Belize’s GDP was US$1.3 billion in 2007.

In parallel with the formalization of the tracker skills and competence assessment, trackers learn to use Cyber tracker handheld computer / GPS technology. This allows important data on biodiversity trends and density, to be systematically recorded and algorithmic analyses provide rapid insight into conservation priorities, including issues of climate change, disease vectors and anti-poaching strategies.

Best-available science was adapted to the local conditions in the form of research methods and field activities (i.e., approach to community-based mangrove replantation). Both scientific literature and local scientists were involved in the design and implementation of our approach. We drew from international and national scientific expertise and experience to design the areas that were to be deforested (aerial surveys, GIS mapping, satellite imaging), and the species to be replanted (depending on surveyed mangrove natural zonation). In addition, the approach to engage local stakeholders is based on similar recorded experiences in the Philippines. In relation to the Blue Carbon estimation, we used the methods agreed upon by an international group of Blue Carbon scientists, and these methods were implemented by local scientists. The estimation was directed by a scientific expert on the subject and followed international guidelines, and a botanist was hired to direct the mangrove replantation efforts.

12 Club P.A.N. sessions are held in outdoor nature classrooms. Sessions typically involve fact sheets, activities, role playing, songs and games with animal puppets which are based around a chosen theme. Themes deal with ecosystem services, wildlife conservation, sustainability, healthy living and the importance of biodiversity. We aim to promote positive club spirit through interactive ways of learning and essentially having fun.

Park authorities, communities and NGO’s developing a clearly articulated and agreed process to address issues. Land tenure and user rights secured for communities inside the park through participatory land-use planning and zonation with park authorities and NGO partners. Robust social institutions developed or strengthened to manage activities and decision-making in communities

The bulk of our capacity building effort in Belize was aimed at enabling stakeholders to replicate our valuation methods. We focused at the MPA level, where we worked with a number of NGOs, as well as Hol Chan Marine Reserve and the Fisheries Department, to develop a template for applying the national valuation methods in MPAs. We worked with co-managers for several MPAs in Belize to compile data on use of the reserves for fishing and tourism. For many MPAs, this exercise highlighted gaps in current data collection, and drew attention to chronic undercounting of visitors and user fees. We produced preliminary valuations for all of the MPAs we worked with. We conducted a workshop summarizing our efforts in November 2008 and invited all organizations working on MPAs to attend. A great deal of interest was expressed in the economic valuation template. We have made it available electronically along with a detailed user’s guide. Several MPAs have already committed to adapting their current data collection efforts to better support economic analysis.

We worked with local stakeholders at all levels of the project. Thanks to strong commitment from local women in particular, stakeholders, under guidance from an expert, took responsibility over the nursing and replantation of over 8000 mangrove plants. Local stakeholders were also engaged in capacity building for tourism microentrepreneurs, and an education program was launched at three schools. Prior clarification of the values and interests that motivate local stakeholders proved to be key in project design and implementation. Investing significant amounts of time working with and supporting the communities is critical to its success. In general, science was integrated throughout stakeholder engagement, including the education program. Specific activities include using current knowledge to present the value of mangroves to local children; designing and implementing the replantation program; and presenting the blue carbon assessments (i.e. scientific research) to local policy makers.