Good Relations with the Mandated Management Institution of the MPA
Open Discussions Between the MPA Warden and WWF-Kenya Staff
WWF-Kenya
Initial Planning Meeting Between Partners
WWF-Kenya
Final MPA Staff Training and Mentorship Planning Session
WWF-Kenya
The management of the Kisite Mpunguti MPA is mandated to the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute. It was therefore critical to have buy-in from the managers of these institutions in the implementation of project activities including WIO-COMPAS. This ensured the endorsement of the WIO-COMPAS programme and its subsequent recognition for career development.
For this reason, the two institutions were included in the process from inception to completion. This ensured the MPA staff that this venture would add value, at individual levels, to their careers, and not just to the MPA management. This was crucial, as the WIO-COMPAS assessment preparation process is quite daunting, and a motivating factor is necessary to ensure their participation.
Long-standing history with the management institutions: WWF-Kenya has long-standing good relations with the two institutions, having worked closely together on multiple projects over decades. Additionally, a Memorandum of Understanding is in place with the institutions because of this, making interactions seamless and cooperative. However, where such a history is not in place, good relations can still be fostered by establishing goodwill and through open and transparent collaboration.
Identify a point-person: Though good relations may exist at higher management levels, it is necessary to have a point person at the MPA level to assist in overall planning and staff mobilization. It is an added bonus if that person has the expertise needed to assist in either the training phase, mentorship phase, or both. Where necessary, multiple point persons may be selected. For the case of the Kisite Mpunguti MPA, two staff were selected, including the warden from KWS and the Senior Researcher from WRTI, where both had expertise on the WIO-COMPAS programme.
Criteria for point-person selection: A criteria for the selection of the point person(s) is necessary to ensure smooth implementation. These include:
Availablility and accessibility throughout the planning, training, mentorship phases of this capacity building
Shown interest in the WIO-COMPAS programme
Willingness to assist throughout the process.
Other criteria may be established at this point based on the local context.
Building Capacity for addressing programming gaps through personnel recruitment
Capacity development activities such as training and materials and equipment provision to facilitate collection of baseline data through monitoring and surveillance.
Building Capacity for addressing programming gaps through personnel recruitment
Capacity development activities such as training and materials and equipment provision to facilitate collection of baseline data through monitoring and surveillance.
Prior Assessments to Identify Capacity Gaps
SAPA Assessment - Public Participation with Local Community
WWF-Kenya
SAPA Assessment - Public Participation with Local Institutions
WWF-Kenya
While the WIO-COMPAS programme aims at improving the individual capacity of MPA professionals, it also has a compounding effect on the management effectiveness of an MPA. Therefore, a prior assessment on the different aspects of MPA management effectiveness is necessary for monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptive management purposes.
It is thus recommended that the MPA implementing this process commences with at least one of the following assessments
Combined, these highlight gaps in the different aspects of an MPA, including management, governance, ecological health, and social wellbeing. These gaps can be used to tailor the WIO-COMPAS training programme towards addressing the gaps identified.
Institutional Recognition and Support: The institution managing the MPA must see the necessity of assessing the management status of MPAs. This will ensure appropriate funding allocation in the long term to facilitate the continual capacity growth of the MPA.
Capacity to Conduct the Assessments: Internal capacity is desired to reduce costs. However, external expertise may be sourced where necessary where capacity is lacking. This may include working with partner institutions on a pro bono basis or using a consultant to conduct the entire assessment.
Prior planning: It is necessary to consider the entire process beforehand. This includes identifying the expertise/personnel needed, the duration for the exercise, and any costs associated with it. Additionally, it is important to allocate specific tasks to the individual assessment team members to ensure the objectives of the exercise are fully met in good time.
Public participation: Engaging the MPA staff alone in the assessments leads to positively skewed results. Consequently, it is necessary to acquire views from other stakeholders as well to get a more holistic picture of the management gaps that the MPA is facing. It will therefore be necessary to map out stakeholders, including their influence and interests in the MPA, before the assessments.
