Climate Smart Conservation for Marine Protected Areas
Full Solution
Gorgona Island
WWF / Molly Edmonds
Climate Change Adaptation Framework for Marine Protected Areas addresses the need for developing a framework methodology integrating technical actions to assess climate risks and resilience of the protected area’s conservation targets, prioritization of climate adaptation actions, implementation of priority actions to increase resilience and adaptation capacity; and integrating adaptation measures with the park’s existing planning tools in Gorgona National Park, Colombia for local stakeholders.
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Context
Challenges addressed
the ecosystem´s vulnerability to climate change, lack of conservation activities
It provides a framework that allows protected area managers in Colombia to mainstream the necessary actions to increase the resilience of coastal & marine ecosystems within the existing planning framework, strengthening the protected areas capacity to provide environmental goods & services, and to benefit conservation objectives and communities in the face of existing & future climate conditions.
Beneficiaries
protected area authorities, coastal fishing communities, local fishing communities, local & regional environmental and planning authorities, protected area managers, regional environment committees, local NGOs, universities and researchers
Location
Buenaventura, Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia
South America
Process
Summary of the process
The building blocks interact in the development of a conceptual framework that enables climate smart conservation in protected areas:
1. It provides practical and scientifically sound guidance to facilitate climate adaptation planning;
2. Based on an understanding of climate risks and climate resilience that determine vulnerability, it then facilitates decision-making about the most appropriate adaptation measures.
Building Blocks
Conservation targets
All species, habitats, ecosystems and ecosystem services with conservation value (e.g. IUCN Red List, national biodiversity plans, etc.) are being listed. Then, a technical committee, ideally composed of Parks staff, NGOs, Universities and researchers, is formed.
Gorgona National Park adopted as conservation targets 6 coastal and marine ecosystem, and 22 species; those targets are also fully considered in the climate smart conservation process, by including them into the technical assessments and climate adaptation planning.
Enabling factors
• Close collaboration between different sectors.
Lesson learned
The best way to start mainstreaming climate change into conservation planning was to select conservation targets in accordance with considerations in the climate adaptation planning. Conservation targets included habitats/species and ecosystem services from a conservation view point that are critical in the future because of their functionality and resilience in the face of increasing climate and non-climate pressures.
Vulnerability Assessment
It is necessary to select an appropriate methodology to rapidly and cost-effectively assess climate risks and resilience of key values in the protected area (Ecosystems, species, environmental services, social aspects, etc.). Rapid methodologies allow the possibility to screen all conservation targets, taking into account local developments and conditions to generate not only accurate but also useful results for decision makers, with the possibility to include local stakeholders in the analysis and next steps.
Enabling factors
• An exhaustive research of literature and methodologies, including local and regional ones, to select those most suitable for the conservation objects and targets assessments.
• Participative exercises with the protected area staff and local stakeholders, especially those with more time and knowledge about the area.
Lesson learned
A good starting point is to clarify the purpose of the exercise and the need for participation of people from different levels, and with technical as well as non-technical profiles. It is very important to provide practical and scientifically sound guidance to facilitate climate risk and resilience assessments in protected areas. There are several methodologies, and in most of the cases, a good approach is to adapt and combine experiences from those methodologies, rather than applying them exactly “from the text”. A key lesson is to provide a flexible framework to make the best use of the outputs, to clarify the conditions and situation in the area that is to be assessed, and gather local information to enrich the assessment and obtain useful results. Local, community and non-technical information can be useful for the diagnosis of the protected areas situation, and it provides useful data and context to increase the assessments quality.
Formulation of adaptation actions
Within the protected areas management framework, a process of identifying, prioritizing and mainstreaming climate adaptation actions was undertaken using the best information provided by the climate risk and resilience assessments. The criteria used on the prioritization process were: Benefits, Opportunities, Risks and Costs. Selected climate change adaptation actions/measures need to be easily adaptable to local conditions and applied with local and regional stakeholders.
Enabling factors
• Local stakeholders participation
• Analysis of all the possible alternatives
• Long term thinking, short term action development
Lesson learned
Most of the existing frameworks to manage protected areas reflect the understanding of the different hazards and drivers of change affecting their territories. This experience builds on that capacity, based on an understanding of climate risk and resilience of the conservation targets. This understanding facilitates decision-making on the most appropriate adaptation measures. It also takes into account that several activities carried out in the protected area (i.e. the monitoring and relocation of marine turtles nesting sites, the long term initiative on coral reefs restoration, etc.) are already climate change adaptation measures.
In addition, local solutions are often preferable cost-effective alternatives, compared to those proposed from non-tropical environments. Keeping it simple and natural should be the first thing to take into account to design climate change adaptation activities.
Implementation of prioritized climate adaptation actions
Marine turtles, coral reefs and the pelagic ecosystem have been the conservation targets prioritized in Gorgona NP. The corresponding adaptation measures are being implemented, always taking into account local stakeholders’ participation, encouraging a capacity building process for the PA staff and providing the best information about a changing environment including possible scenarios for the area. Because adaptation strategies are integrated as part of the pre-existing management strategies of the PA, they are also in the “loop” of monitoring and effectiveness assessment.
Enabling factors
• Protected area staff participation and commitment
• Local stakeholders engagement
• Monitoring and evaluation of every selected measure, to determine its effectiveness
• Results analysis to include management tools, especially the protected area management plan
Lesson learned
The implementation of pilot climate adaptation actions, that are also an integral part of the PA management plan, allows incorporation of climate change into conservation action. Specifically, the integration of climate hazards, climate risks and climate resilience of conservation targets allows PA managers to systematically test assumptions in order to adapt and learn. The commitment of the protected area team is the key factor to maintain, monitor and evaluate the success of the implemented actions.
• Different models were considered in order to respond to the different Conservation & Climate Adaptation challenges. No single model can cover the entire agenda.
• Local context defines different needs and availability of information and resources to start a Climate Smart Conservation Initiative
• Try to identify the sources of ecological strength and functionality of ecosystems
Impacts
• Ecological: Gorgona NP aims to maintain ecological integrity of its conservation targets, particularly coral reefs and the pelagic ecosystem. To that end, the PA periodically (every 4-5 years) assesses ecological integrity of its conservation targets and monitors climate adaptation benefits. • Social: It allows the local fisheries to coordinate their activities to protect a common resource. It also increases information and knowledge about the benefits of the PA. • Economic: An increase in fish stocks is expected. Monitoring is carried on at this time to report accurate results.
Story
Gorgona National Park is one of the most representative protected areas in Colombia. Because of its rich biodiversity and the large amount of research carried out on its terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, it is known as the “Science Island”. Although there are no local communities living on the island, local communities are highly dependent on the resources provided by the so-called “Gorgona-Sanquianga region” (Sanquianga is another National Park, and it protects the most important mangrove ecosystem on the south-west coast of Colombia).
Aware of its responsibility and the park’s importance, Gorgona National Park administration has updated its Management Plan for the period 2015-2019, taking into account a regional context beyond its own geographical limits, and including for the first time an ecosystem services approach and climate change considerations. These climate change considerations are not only part of an analysis to set better conservation measures on conservation objects, ecosystems and species, but to maintain key resources for the communities that base their livelihoods on the legal activities outside the Park, such as fishing.
The process of capacity building has included the Park staff, local stakeholders, WWF technical team support and other actor’s inputs and recommendations. Parks and WWF Colombia acquired new skills and technical capacity through this first experience. To keep pace with other conservation organizations and to advise other protected areas, there is still a need to develop better skills and strengthen and expand climate Smart conservation teams. In the short term, this can be through staff training on climate adaptation, biodiversity and climate science, and GIS tools and modeling techniques.
At the end, Climate change adaptation measures and vulnerability assessments in Gorgona has been a team effort including different levels of knowledge, capacities and interest, but most of all, it shows the responsibility and will of Gorgona and WWF to preserve the most valuable resources of the Pacific in Colombia.
