A Model for Stakeholder Engagement in a National System of MPAs
Solution complète
Sanctuary Council
NOAA
Community-based national marine sanctuary advisory councils advise and make recommendations to US sanctuary (MPA) managers across a system of 14 national marine sanctuaries on management, science, service and stewardship. They serve as liaisons between their community constituents and sanctuaries to increase involvement and reduce conflict. Advisory councils offer collective recommendations to their respective sanctuaries, and on system-wide initiatives.
Dernière modification 01 Oct 2020
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Contexte
Challenges addressed
inclusive decision-making
Sanctuaries realized the need for an inclusive decision-making process by including community-based stakeholders with relevant local knowledge about natural resources.Successful implementation of any MPA management plan requires community input, buy-in, support and strong stewardship ethic.Limited financial, staff and technical resources necessitate community partnerships in delivery of management programs.
Emplacement
North America
North America
Traiter
Summary of the process
Councils provide advice and recommendations to their respective sanctuary managers regarding protection and management of the site. The councils draw on the expertise and input of their members in order to provide advice to the sanctuary manager. Council members serve as liaisons between their constituents and/or communities and the sanctuary, keeping sanctuary staff informed of key issues and concerns, as well as providing information to their respective communities on the sanctuary’s behalf. Sanctuary advisory councils are directly involved in identifying new and emerging issues for individual national marine sanctuaries. Through working groups formed under the sanctuary advisory council, which may include bringing in outside technical expertise, they often spend multiple months or years working on these issues to deepen their understanding and come up with a recommendation to the sanctuary manager on how to address the issue. The council serves as a forum for consultation and deliberation among members and as a source of advice and recommendations to the sanctuary manager.
Building Blocks
Sanctuary Advisory Council Charter
The terms and conditions set forth by the Sanctuary Advisory Council Charter are agreed upon and signed off on by each stakeholder representative prior to engagement with advisory councils. Then, functionally the council may serve as a forum for consultation and deliberation among its members and as a source of advice and recommendations to the sanctuary manager. Such advice shall fairly represent the collective and individual views of the council members. In formulating such advice, council members shall recall the primary objective of the sanctuary is resource protection.
Enabling factors
Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) Act authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish sanctuary advisory councils to provide advice to the Secretary of Commerce regarding the designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. This authority has been delegated to the Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries who establishes a NMS Advisory Council for each NMS, providing advice to each sanctuary site manager.
Lesson learned
Stakeholder engagement requires an enormous amount of time and commitment of both staff and financial resources. Inclusive multi-stakeholder, multi-objective decision-making takes far more time than a sanctuary manager making a decision. Staff time is required to support and service the council including meeting logistics, continuous communication, and providing information and research on issues. No sanctuary superintendent can or wants to manage a sanctuary without the support of the broader community; this service is certainly provided by advisory council. Sanctuary advisory council members for the most part volunteer their time, and need to be acknowledged and formally recognized on a regular basis. Even though the investment seems high, it is well justified by the level of return. Sanctuary advisory council members provide valuable input, support and stewardship services to a sanctuary.
Participatory management plan development, review,evaluation
The priorities established in each management plan are derived by using a collaborative process that includes management partners and sanctuary advisory councils (community-based advisory groups established for each site). It is very effective in that it is inclusive of all sectors of a sanctuary community and helps build support and buy-in for implementation of the management plan.
Enabling factors
Political support for NMS advisory councils Long-term commitment by the sanctuary to relationship building and collaborative decision making with sanctuary advisory council members Advisory council members and sanctuary management build their knowledge of multiple issues and stakeholder perspectives to jointly prioritize and develop plans. Plans are then supported by stakeholder group representatives during the developmental and implementation stages
Lesson learned
Multi-stakeholder engagement in the management of national marine sanctuaries is complex, time consuming and costly in terms of financial and staff investments. The net result in terms of relationship building, engagement and stewardship development, and successful implementation of management efforts, is well worth the investment. Identifying the appropriate stakeholder groups to participate in the advisory council, selecting the appropriate representative, and finding the individuals who are interested in engaging in collaborative processes in good faith, can be a trial and error process in the beginning. Expect that (an obvious) stakeholder group is sure to be left out, or that a new group entering the picture may need to be included later on. Getting it right is a challenge, keeping it right over time an even bigger challenge.
Resources
Participatory working groups under leadership of councils
Sanctuary Advisory Councils have the ability to create working groups that focus on specific yet diverse topical areas such as ocean acidification, aquaculture policy or ship strikes on marine mammals. Working groups are created with the full approval of the Advisory Council. A Sanctuary Advisory Council member must chair the working group, yet other technical experts may join in as well. Working groups are task oriented and time limited, with the end result being a recommendation to the full Advisory Council on the issue being addressed.
Enabling factors
Political support for NMS advisory councils;
Long-term commitment by the sanctuary to relationship building and collaborative decision making with sanctuary advisory council members;
Advisory council members and sanctuary management build their knowledge of multiple issues and stakeholder perspectives to jointly prioritize and develop plans;
Plans are then supported by stakeholder group representatives during the developmental and implementation stages.
Lesson learned
In at least two cases (Thunder Bay and Florida Keys), there was a strong and openly antagonistic attitude in the community toward the sanctuary; for example, in both sites, local referenda asking about support for a sanctuary showed a majority of the community did not support the designation. In both cases, however, transparency and community involvement in decision-making, diligence in building relationships, presentation of clear and unbiased information, and simple persistence have changed community attitudes into strong support for their sanctuaries. Today, communities in Thunder Bay are responsible for the expansion of the sanctuary (effective 9/8/14); and making a recommendation in the Florida Keys for a new comprehensive, ecosystem-based zoning plan (8/14). The main issue associated with participatory engagement is sustaining and enhancing such high-cost initiatives in tight fiscal times.
Resources
Impacts
- Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary adopts a monitoring inventory and plan for tracking climate change.
- Olympic Coast Sanctuary completes ocean acidification report and makes recommendations to the Washington state governor.
- Gulf of the Farallones Sanctuary supports proposed Essential Fish Habitat Designations to the Pacific Fisheries Management Council.
- Stellwagen Bank and Gray Reef Sanctuary’s recommendations on the threat of ship strikes to North Atlantic.
- Right Whales Humpback Whales Sanctuary’s recommendations to NOAA on aquaculture policy.
Beneficiaries
the sanctuaries, the stakeholders, local communities and the natural resources as a result of collaboration and cooperation
Story
National marine sanctuaries chairs hold annual summits to explore natural resource issues of significance to all of the sanctuaries. In 2012 and 2014 they explored the theme: Destination Marine Protected Areas: Sustaining America’s Most Treasured Ocean Places for Recreation and Stewardship. The council chairs deliberated on this theme and drafted a call to action to be agreed upon by all councils then forwarded to the National Marine Sanctuary Program. This reflects their collective commitment to ensure proactive management of growing ocean recreation in these special places in order to sustain the natural and cultural assets. Excerpt from their recommendation: When planned and managed sustainably, recreational activities in MPAs can yield health, education and economic benefits to users and coastal communities. However, if recreational uses are allowed to expand haphazardly, they have the potential to inadvertently undermine the very qualities that draw people to these special places. The following federal actions in four related areas will, in our view, greatly enhance the ability of all MPAs to meet both the challenges and the opportunities posed by America's renewed attention to the sea, especially in a time of change.
