Case study on the approach in Solomon
Islands for CBEAFM: management,
monitoring and collaborations
Anne-Maree Schwarz
WorldFish-Solomon Islands
partnership  excellence  growth
What this talk will cover
1. Solomon Islands context for CBEAFM / CBRM
2. Five years of CBEAFM adaptive learning in Solomon
Islands
3. Monitoring approaches in Solomon Islands
4. Collaborations now and 2011+
partnership  excellence  growth
Solomon Islands
context for CBEAFM
>900 islands
80% of population rural the majority with customary tenure and more than half of the villages described as
coastal
MFMR: Authority for fisheries management (inshore and offshore) [Fisheries Act 1998]
MECDM: Authority for conservation (marine and terrestrial) [Protected Areas Act 2010 and others]
Historically a lack national direction for inshore fisheries management combined with remote coastal areas
has meant limited benefits flowing to the people.
1990’s : CBRM originally driven by conservation objectives, MPA’s
Currently - a more people-centered and food security focus.
Participatory approaches are helping put resource owners and users at the center of decision making.
partnership  excellence  growth
• 127 MMA’s in Solomon Islands.
• Largely facilitated and implemented by
NGO’s or universities.
• Most are not specifically fisheries oriented,
those that are, often implemented in
partnership with MFMR.
• Solomon Islands Locally Managed Marine
Area network (SILMMA) acts as a point of
commonality and sharing of lessons
learned.
Govan, H. et al. 2009. Status and potential of locally-managed marine
areas in South Pacific: meeting nature conservation and sustainable
livelihood targets through wide-spread implementation of LMMAs.
SPREP/WWF/WorldFish-Reefbase/CRISP. 95pp + 5 annexes
partnership  excellence  growth
CEAFM Adaptive learning summary 2005 -2010
•
Adaptive learning process through a resilient small scale
fisheries research project funded by ACIAR.
•
Three provinces and a total of 36 villages (WorldFish led
with MFMR); a further 1 province and 5 villages (FSPI)
•
Method development phase; lessons learned
partnership  excellence  growth
DIAGNOSIS PHASE
•
Define the fishery, evaluation of opportunities, strengths and threats
•
Exchange of information between project teams and the communities to
understand community dynamics and leadership structures.
•
Sourcing of traditional ecological knowledge and baseline information on
species, habitats and fisheries trends to help determine management
actions.
•
Awareness and training here and throughout.
MANAGEMENT CONSTITUENCY
•
•
•
Defines who needs to be involved in
management (people).
Helps facilitators and community decision
makers identify suitable entry points for
management (interactions).
May include formation of committees
(structures).
ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PHASE
•
Decision making process including desired
outcomes and the necessary actions to
achieve them.
•
Develop management plan.
•
Actions are evaluated by the communities
themselves through an adaptive management
process using biological or social indicators.
partnership  excellence  growth
NGO
Community
NGO-staff
WWF
ReefCheck
GCRMN
TNC
Simple ReefCheck
GCRMN
TDA
ReefCheck, Timed Swim, Seagrass Watch
same
WorldFish
UQ
CPUE for fish and invertebrates, snorkel surveys Assist communities with
snorkel surveys
for benthic invertebrates, social indicators
Social indicators
Localised ReefCheck
Photo surveys, UVC
RCF
Localised ReefCheck
Photo surveys, UVC
FSPI
LMMA
LMMA
Some points to come out of the SILMMA monitoring workshop
and associated discussions
General agreement that:
Many of the methods that have previously been employed by
NGO’s are not necessarily suitable for sustainable for independent monitoring by
communities.
The purpose of monitoring not always clearly stated or understood.
Recognition that there a range of monitoring approaches may be useful: from general
observations and simple indicators to more complex approaches such as UVC
The chosen method will depend on the management or conservation goals of the particular
community/group.
To expand CBRM there is a need for communities to be able to make independent
management decisions supported at a low level by NGO or government partners.
For CBRM to be available to many at least some degree of monitoring must be able to be
carried out sustainably by communities themselves.
partnership  excellence  growth
1. In a participatory process communities
choose indicators based on the goals of their
management plans and the species/ habitats
they are most concerned about or interested in
monitoring. Examples of indicators are size of
rabbitfish or how many people break rules
around tambus etc.
Value above which the
community feels that
things are in good
shape gets defined by
the community; e.g.
staka
Average length of
x rabbitfish from x
fishers each
Number of people
month 2
breaking3rules
Indicator
Indicator
7” (17.5 cm)
Range within which
the community feels
that it could go either
way. Hem alright but
hemi no good tumas
and mas careful
2. Once indicators have been chosen
communities define thresholds above which
they feel that management is more than
meeting their needs (green).
Only just meeting needs / or
sometimes not (orange)
3” (7.5 cm)
Value below which
the community feels
that things are in very
poor shape; e.g mifala
sori nao
or is in crisis (red).
3. Monitoring results therefore
help them determine further
actions in their management
plan
partnership  excellence  growth
Community based resource management
(CBRM)
” ...Solomon Islands has many strengths
on which to build effective management of
inshore fisheries and marine resources.
The most important of these are its people
and social capital”. … “The Ministry of
Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR)
believes that coastal communities are the
best managers of their fisheries and
marine resources and seeks to work as
partners in securing the potential of these
resources”.
Agreement on the need for MFMR to
achieve its sector goals through
coordinated and supportive partnerships
with coastal communities and other key
stakeholders.
partnership  excellence  growth
Collaborations
CBEAFM and Protected Areas (SIG international obligations)
Marine sector has methods that are being successfully implemented by communities; can help meet
convention goals.
Planned roll out of CBRM in 2011+ requires model design in partnership with MFMR and SILMMA
partners.
Expected to include some or all of:
1. Formalising community-province-national processes linked to Fisheries Act and ordinances.
2. Training modules and JD’s for provincial fisheries officers
3. Training for implementing partners
4. Improve communities access to SILMMA
5. Regular information forums and updates
6. Database managed by MFMR with trained staff
7. ……
8. ……
9. ……
partnership  excellence  growth
Collaborations
Collaborations between who?
National and provincial government-communities-NGO’s - on the ground implementation
Research organisations, universities, regional organisations, -document, monitor and evaluate process
Collaborations with non-traditional partners e.g. WorldVision / Save the Children -outreach to new areas
Regional organisations -training to complement locally agreed approaches
How to make collaborations effective:
Be guided by government strategies.
Work through the government but recognise that most implementation is occurring by partners.
Utilise options like SILMMA to bring together partners to share lessons between fisheries managers and
conservation practitioners
Consider other options like structures within MFMR better suited (than SILMMA) to managing
collaborations between local, regional and international stakeholders.
partnership  excellence  growth
SUMMARY
•
On the cusp of being able to spread CBEAFM,
have had successes and natural spread is
occurring.
•
MFMR has policy and there is a high degree of
commonality on approaches.
•
CTI is highlighting EAFM and climate change
and these are opportunities for all partners to
incorporate these.
•
Challenges:
– to implement a sustainable spread
structure using known effective methods.
– to tie to legislation and ensure government
has ownership of the process.
– to use existing capacity in country and
build up in key areas (province).
partnership  excellence  growth
Thank you
partnership  excellence  growth