Community Experiences
Melanesia
Outline of Presentation
:- Current Issues
:- What are we doing
:- Challenges
Current Issues
• Growing population, more mouths to feed
– We have around 70-80% of the Pacific’s
population
• Reef/land area remains the same, its doesn't
grow like our populations
• Our people need income, school fees
• Day to day basic needs
• Weak governance systems
Current Issues
• Poachers (mainly from outside our villages)
• Poachers using destructive methods,
– e.g. small mesh net, dynamites, UBA, herbs, sea
cucumber used for fishing (poisons)
– Fishing of undersize fish
• Poachers know where MPAs are
• Fish getting smaller
Current Issues
• Traders selling undersize mesh nets: even if
there is a ban on certain mesh size
• Weak to no enforcement
• Enforcement of rules should apply to traders,
as well as fishers
• Limited alternative livelihoods for
communities
• We are to religious sometimes, replenish
earth with people
Current Issues
• Marine tenure systems
• Land dispute issues can cause resource
management problems (burning of forest,
logging)
• Climate change, beach errosion
What are we doing
• Establish management committees (YMST
committee)
• Develop management plans
– Workshops, blow of kava, chew beetle nut
• Setting MPAS
• In open areas, there are controls on some fishing
gears
• Management “ridge to reef concept”
• Address land and lagoon/reef management
What are we doing
• Adaptive management, trial and error, change
management actions as were learn (CBAM)
• Church ministers/chiefs bless the MPA/Plan
• This helps with compliance, feeling good
What are we doing
• Restocking some species (clams)
• Turtle conservation
• Replanting trees, mangrove (looking after the
habitat)
• Cleaning up rubbish, waste management,
composting
• Organic farming
What are we doing
• Alternative activities e.g. sea weed farming,
• Tourism ($)
• Diving, swimming
• Researchers studying environment, they give
information to back community ($)
What are we doing
• Church can be strong with managing
resources
• Sometimes the church can put big burden on
community to harvest resources, fund raising
What's needed in future
• Clear government regulations/laws are
needed
• Regulations, laws to empower community's to
manage resources (e.g. empower fish
wardens)
• Support in enforcing our rules; provide
equipment, (boats) to help with enforcement
What's needed in future
• Capacity building (should be continuous)
• Awareness of environment, resources,
sustainability
• Continue and improve school
education/curriculum on resources and
management