GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY PROPOSAL FOR PROJECT DEVELOPMENT FUNDS (PDF) BLOCK B GRANT 1. Country: Indonesia 2. Focal Area: Global Biodiversity 3. Operational Programme: OP2: Coastal, Marine, and Freshwater Ecosystems Program 4. Project Title: Komodo National Park Collaborative Management Initiative 5. Total Cost: $500,000 6. PDF Request: $350,000 7. In-kind contributions: $150,000 ($100,000 The Nature Conservancy; $20,000 from Indonesian government; $30,000 from tourism industry) 8. Requesting Agency: International Finance Corporation 9. Executing Agency: International Finance Corporation 10. Duration: 9 months 1 11. PROJECT OBJECTIVE The goal of the Komodo National Park Collaborative Management Initiative (KCMI) is to conserve and sustainably use the biodiversity assets of Komodo National Park (KNP) through establishing a set of mechanisms and systems to help ensure effective long-term park management. The KCMI will support a 25-year master plan recently developed by the Government of Indonesia with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). A key element of the 25-year park master plan is the development of self-financing mechanisms for the park. While it is expected that user fees eventually can be raised to a level to fully finance park operations, GEF funding is needed to provide the necessary incremental conservation and tourism development investments to make Komodo a world class nature tourism destination. By the end of the GEF grant period, it is expected that the park will be self-financing. Building on the 25-year plan, the GEF project will pursue a number of objectives toward the goal of conservation and sustainable use: (a) to strengthen the governance and management structures of KNP, (b) to implement a collaborative management strategy for the bioregion among the key stakeholders affected, including the Park authority (PKA), local NGOs, local communities and government agencies and the private sector, (c) to establish appropriate incentive measures to address underlying causes of biodiversity loss, encourage sustainable livelihood opportunities that support conservation objectives, and provide more effective enforcement mechanisms, (d) to ensure that financial returns from user fees and access rights to terrestrial and marine resources directly support park management and provide benefits to local communities, and that such activities are appropriately monitored and regulated, and (e) to facilitate appropriate economic development, particularly larger scale ecotourism activities and general tourism activities in the bioregion that support biodiversity objectives. The expected outcomes include (a) the conservation and effective management of the biodiversity resources and assets of the KNP, (b) the sustainable use of the biodiversity resources and assets of the KNP and minimised impacts of economic activity thereon, and (c) more equitable sharing of the biodiversity benefits of the bioregion through the provision of an array of sustainable livelihood opportunities. PDF Block B funding is necessary to undertake assessment, exploratory, and co-ordination activities taking into account the activities undertaken by the PDF A Komodo National Park Collaborative Management Initiative. PDF B grant funds are requested to support a number of preparatory activities and to develop a full GEF proposal. These activities are mostly to be carried out by specialised consultants in close consultation with PKA, TNC, and IFC. 12. GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE Komodo National Park (KNP) is widely recognised as an exceptional storehouse of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity with global significance. Established in 1980, it is listed as a World Heritage Site and a Man and the Biosphere Reserve. Located between Sumbawa and Flores Islands in eastern Indonesia, the park consists of three main islands, Komodo, Rinca, and Padar and several smaller islands for a total land area of 41000 hectares. The park contains most of the habitat of the world’s largest reptile, the Komodo monitor (small populations of Komodo dragons are found outside the park on Flores island, but these areas are not well protected). While originally established to protect the Komodo dragons, it is now highly valued as a marine reserve as well. The park includes 132000 hectares of marine waters. It is considered one of the richest areas for coral species in Indonesia (Borel-Best, et al.) and contains one of the most diverse collection of fishes (900-1000) in the world (Holthus, 1995). 2 Because of its unique biodiversity and its scenic beauty and in spite of its remoteness and underdeveloped facilities, KNP today is one of the most visited nature reserves in Indonesia. There was a rapid increase in park visitors during the 1990s, peaking at 32,000 in 1996. While political and economic instability in the region have reduced the visitors to two-thirds of that peak, the park remains one of the most heavily visited protected areas in eastern Indonesia. The potential benefits of tourism and biodiversity conservation are threatened by (a) institutional weaknesses in park management and governance and (b) the serious depletion of biodiversity in the area. To address institutional weaknesses, there is critical need to develop an effective and efficient collaborative institutional structure for park management. This structure needs to identify and build synergistic relationships between the key stakeholders in the area, including the protected area authorities, the local communities, the NGOs and the private sector. Komodo National Park has been selected by the Ministry of Finance as a pilot site to test new park financing mechanisms and privatization of limited aspects of park management. This creates an opportunity to implement an innovative park management structure. To address biodiversity depletion, there is a critical need to address the factors underlying the activities driving biodiversity loss. These activities include destructive fishing practices, over-exploitation of marine resources, wildlife poaching, and expansion of enclave communities within the park. The underlying factors driving these activities include the lack of alternative sustainable sources of income for the local communities, the lack of effective enforcement of the protected area, inadequate levels and allocation of funding and the lack of incentives to utilise the resources of the park sustainably. The Indonesian economic crisis has exacerbated significantly many of these problems. While The Nature Conservancy has assisted the government in stepping up successful enforcement activities within the park, recent political instability in the country has created a new urgency to further improve enforcement activity and to provide immediate financial returns to local communities that agree to reduce their biodiversity depleting activities. GEF involvement would provide critical incremental funding to set into motion a self-financing approach to conservation of the park's unique biological resources of global significance. A significant part of the co-financing of this project will come from a private sector low-impact tourism development outside the Park. It is anticipated that this development will provide support to the long-term financial strategy for the Park. Other co-financing will come from The Nature Conservancy and the Government of Indonesia, and further cofinancing will be sought from local and regional financial institutions for the Biodiversity Enterprise Fund component of the project. In this way, the GEF intervention will leverage significant additional investment into the conservation process. This project will complement the COREMAP (Indonesia Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Programme) and explore different options for management of marine resources. 13. BACKGROUND There are approximately 2300 people living inside the park in three enclave settlements. Most park residents are involved in a pelagic lift net fishery that targets squid and small pelagic fish. Another 15000 people live in villages on islands directly surrounding the park. Many fishermen in these villages are involved in destructive fishing practices including the use of cyanide to pursue live reef fish. In addition, fishermen from throughout the region frequently fish in the park waters. Currently the Government of Indonesia, through the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and Protection, is managing the Komodo National Park with considerable financial and technical support from The Nature Conservancy. In July 2000, the park authority (PKA) launched a 25-year comprehensive management plan. The plan establishes the framework for future conservation of the marine and terrestrial resources of the park. The plan calls for a self-financing strategy to ensure that long-term conservation needs are met. The ambitious plan also calls for significant increases in conservation activities in the park to address threats to the park's resources. The plan was developed after extensive consultation with local stakeholders, local and national NGOs, and universities. The Nature Conservancy facilitated the stakeholder consultation. This included a local stakeholder forum and participatory mapping of fishing grounds. A local awareness team was established with representatives in each village in and around the park. At the national level, a workshop was held with the relevant government departments, national and international NGOs, bi-lateral and multilateral development agencies, and the tourism industry. For more details see the chronology of stakeholder consultations in the appendix. 3 4 The current baseline funding for the park is estimated as follows: Government of Indonesia: field activities central support The Nature Conservancy patrols, awareness campaign, monitoring technical and staff support Private sector Media relations, tourism promotion Total $20,000 $30,000 $200,000 $300,000 $25,000 $575,000 To meet the full objectives of the 25-year master plan, additional financial resources are needed from GEF and other sources. 14. PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project will implement a series of actions consistent with the KNP 25-year master plan. These actions represent the GEF alternative and are not a part of the current baseline situation. At this stage, it is envisioned that the proposed GEF activities will include the following: a. Collaborative management structure. Building on existing and emerging institutional structures and stakeholder relationships, a collaborative management structure will be developed for the KNP region. This will provide an institutional framework to enable the key stakeholders, in particular the protected area authorities, the local communities, the private sector interests (tourism development) and NGOs and other relevant bodies, to strategically co-ordinate their activities in the region to enhance its biodiversity status. b. Provide support to park management. The project will establish or enhance “critical support systems” to achieve more effective park management, including biodiversity assessment and monitoring systems, adaptive management of living resources, zoning, capacity building and training, geographic information systems and systematic administration procedures. One of the most critical needs is capacity building in the local PKA staff and local NGOs devoted to working with communities surrounding the park. Another high priority is the development of marine zoning and regulations inside the park boundaries to protect the marine biodiversity. This would include the use of core zone, wilderness zones, multiple use zones and buffer zones. c. Implement a tourism management strategy. A tourism management strategy will establish appropriate roles and responsibilities for park authorities, local communities, private sector operators and relevant bodies in the pursuit of co-ordinated tourism development. Currently, tourism development in the area is ad hoc. While a number of homestays and small restaurants exist to serve the budget tourists, higher quality tourist facilities have yet to emerge. This is due to a number of constraints including infrequent airline service to the area, poor roads, inadequate boat transportation from Bima and Labuan Bajo to the park, and a lack of marketing of Komodo as a tourism destination. Furthermore, there is a need for better visitor facilities within the park. Despite these constraints, a number of outside investors have purchased prime beachfront property in the area suitable for the development of high quality resorts. It is critical that this possible future expansion of tourism being carried out in such a way as to not threaten the park’s resources. The tourism management strategy will include licensing arrangements for tourism activities in the park (in particular for diving and dragon watching) and impact mitigation plans, guidelines for tourism development in the buffer zone and the establishment of a tourism industry body for the bioregion. d. Identify and develop incentive measures. In response to the identified proximate and underlying causes of biodiversity loss, the project will undertake a comprehensive programme to identify and remove existing perverse incentives and to develop and implement positive incentives (e.g. mechanisms that promote appropriate distribution of park benefits, economic and legal mechanisms that discourage resource depletion). There is widespread use of sodium cyanide solutions to tranquilize and capture reef fish. The combination of the cyanide 5 damage to the coral and divers breaking away coral to reach tranquilized fish results in over-fishing and destruction of habitat. The live reef food-fish trade is one of the primary causes of these destructive practices. Napolean wrasse and mouse grouper can sell for as much as $180 per kg in Hong Kong restaurants. TNC is currently experimenting with the use of a mariculture hatchery to supply fingerlings for community based growout enterprises to provide alternative livelihoods to reduce pressure on wild-caught fish. Incentive measures to encourage this activity might include the development of a certification system that would allow local fishermen to receive a premium price for fish produced with environmentally friendly practices. e. Establish biodiversity enterprise fund. A small and medium enterprise fund for the KNP region will be established to finance the development of biodiversity-sensitive economic activities that promote sustainable livelihoods and mitigate critical local threats to biodiversity loss. The enterprise fund will provide opportunities for local communities to reduce their dependency on the biological resources of the park. The fund would be administered locally with a committee of resource users and park representatives reviewing funding proposals from villages within the park and buffer zone. Enterprises would be selected based on both their ability to generate economic returns and to enhance conservation of park resources. The project will attempt to obtain cofinancing for the capitalisation of this fund from local and regional financial institutions. f. Strengthen regulation and enforcement. A regulatory regime with an appropriate array of negative incentives, such as fines and penalties, will be developed along with an effective enforcement regime to discourage illegal harvesting, overexploitation and resource degradation. This will require a consideration of appropriate roles for park rangers, local police, and the military. It will also require capacity building within these organizations and an investment in speed boats, radios and other technology. g. Develop long-term financial strategy and structures. The project will develop a workable long-term financial strategy and associated financial structures. This strategy will consider such financial instruments as gate fees and resource harvesting fees, licensing agreements, tourism fees, external donor assistance and debt swap mechanisms as a means. Both because of its tourism potential and its high visibility as a World Heritage Site, the park has considerable as yet unrealized potential for generating substantial financial support. A long-term financial strategy is needed to determine how best to raise necessary funds for conservation and to ensure the funds will be available after GEF funding has ended. The need for appropriate feedback loops to local communities will also be considered. It is envisaged that an appropriate way to achieve this objective might be the creation of a tourism management concession, which would also undertake activities to support park management, enforcement, etc. 15. Description of Proposed PDF B Activities PDF grant funds are requested for the following activities: 1. Tourism development planning: This component will determine appropriate mechanisms for co-ordinated tourism development in the region. Guidelines for tourism development will be developed with the aim to both preserve the natural and cultural identity of KNP and surroundings. This will include analysis and mitigation of tourism development on the Park, in particular of homestay development and hotel/resort development in the buffer zone and on mainland Flores and expansion of marine tourism. Carrying capacity limits, in particular for diving and dragon watching, will be identified and a biodiversity and social impact assessment will be conducted to determine appropriate mitigation measures for planned tourism development. These activities will be conducted interactively with the development of a tourism concession management proposal. 2. Support to park management and enforcement system: This component will develop a plan of action for providing support to and enhancing the implementation of the 25-year management plan currently under development. This will include the development of a comprehensive plan for capacity building and institutional strengthening for the park authority. An important focus of this activity will be the improvement of enforcement. This sub-component will review the strengths and weaknesses of the current enforcement system for protecting terrestrial and marine biodiversity. A new enforcement system will be designed that will include training of 6 park rangers, establishment of a village monitoring system, establishment of a system of fines, design of a marine zoning system, design of a licensing system for fishermen, dive operators and other businesses operating in the park, and means for interagency co-ordination. Recommendations will be developed for the appropriate roles of PKA, police and Navy. Training and resource needs for implementing a more effective enforcement system will be identified and a plan of action developed accordingly. 3. Economic analysis: This component has five aspects: In the first place, a study will identify and assess the current incentives to deplete or conserve biodiversity in the bioregion, e.g. identifying proximate and underlying causes of biodiversity loss. Second, the same study will identify and evaluate options for instituting changes to the incentives. Third, a strategic plan will be formulated to redesign the existing incentives regime in those ways that are politically, socially and economically possible, including looking at property rights, access fees, licensing procedures, taxes, etc. Fourth, a critical evaluation will be conducted to ascertain the economic viability of proposed natural resource based activities designed to reduce pressure on the biodiversity assets of the park. The feasibility of alternative livelihood options such as mariculture, development of a pelagic fishing industry, seaweed culture, and handicraft development will be analyzed. This component will also identify key investment opportunities to be implemented under the project and conduct incremental cost analysis. Last, the overall financial sustainability of the collaborative management structure as a whole will be examined. This financial feasibility analysis will build on economic analysis of potential tourism revenues conducted under the PDF A. 4. Options for Collaborative Management: This integrative component will address the need to combine all the above elements into an effective and sustainable collaborative management structure. This work will build on activities conducted under the PDF A including legal analysis, consultative meetings, and initial design of a collaborative structure. This component will entail: (a) (b) (c) (d) a baseline assessment of the formal and informal collaborative structures and practices currently being used; stakeholder identification and consultation; mechanisms will be formulated for the most effective engagement of key stakeholders in tourism development and biodiversity conservation. A proposal for a tourism management concession will be developed and options for full stakeholder participation will be explored. Given the recent legislative moves toward decentralisation in Indonesian governance, the collaborative management structure must be cognisant of the strong stake that the district governments (kabupatans) have in the future development of the park and surrounding area. The collaborative management structure will have to integrate all the parallel formal and informal structures relating to management, including the proposed concession structure, the 25-year management plan, etc; a programme of action to put the appropriately identified structures into place. 5. Design of Biodiversity Enterprise Fund: This component will provide the initial design of a biodiversity enterprise fund to support biodiversity-sensitive activities that generate income for local communities. For example, by promoting pelagic fisheries, local fishermen could be encouraged to reduce their pressure on coral reef ecosystems by learning how to pursue economically valuable fish in deeper waters. Recommendations will be developed on how to attract funding for new enterprises and to collaborate with communities and interested organizations on ways to allocate the funds. Procedures for project identification, selection, and oversight 7 will be identified. Institution building needs (staff training, support for development of policies, procedures and financial management) will also be examined. Potential investors will be identified and approached. Finally, it will be necessary to find or establish an appropriate intermediary body for the management of the Fund. It is envisaged that representatives of the target communities living in and around KNP will be organized in a management council that will decide on the allocation of the funding. 16. PDF BLOCK B OUTPUTS The PDF B activities are expected to lead to the following outcomes: Articulation of a process for preparing the proposed project in consultation with the various stakeholders; Development of a bioregional tourism development plan; Identification of biodiversity impacts and determination of appropriate mitigation measures for planned tourism development; Capacity building and institutional strengthening plan for support to park management; Design of an enforcement system and support thereto; Completion of biodiversity incentive analysis and strategic plan for incentive design; Financial feasibility analysis; Plan of action for collaborative management structure development and implementation; Design of a biodiversity enterprise fund; Design of the project proposal; Development of a monitoring and evaluation strategy for monitoring and assessing ongoing conservation benefits of the project. 17. ELIGIBILITY Indonesia was accepted as a member of the World Heritage Convention on July 6, 1989 and ratified the Convention on Biodiversity on August 23, 1994. The project’s various components are in line with the GEF Operational Program Number 2, Coastal, Marine, and Freshwater Ecosystems. Specifically, the strategies meet the two main objectives of the Operational Program on conservation and sustainable use. In addition, several conservation and sustainable use activities have already been undertaken by TNC and will be used in conjunction with new activities to support the development of the Komodo Collaborative Management Initiative (KCMI). Conservation activities include demarcating marine conservation areas (2.17a), assessing the impact of anthropogenic stress (2.17b), and taking remedial actions in areas under threat (2.17c). The KCMI will utilize at least one activity from each of the examples given by the GEF (2.18a-e) for typical activities modified to sustainably manage biodiversity. The GEF would be supporting capacity building, targeted research and monitoring, public education, technical assistance, and investment all which are listed as supportable activities in the Operational Programs manual (2.16). 18. NATIONAL LEVEL SUPPORT The Indonesian Ministry of State for Environment developed the Indonesian National Strategy on the Management of Biological Diversity (ISMBD) in 1993. The document gives guidance across all sectors for biodiversity conservation and seeks to integrate national programmes in biological diversity including Act No. 5 Concerning the Conservation of Living Resources and Their Ecosystems of 1990, the Tropical Forestry Action Plan of 1991, and the Biodiversity Action Plan of 1991. This national biodiversity strategy states that success is based on both identification of biodiversity loss and the development of management based on sustainable utilisation, both in line with GEF operational guidelines. PKA has expressed support for the PDF B during consultative meetings. Drs. Effendy A. Sumardja, Assistant Minister for the Environment and GEF National Country Focal-Point, has endorsed the PDF B proposal. (Letter of endorsement attached.) 19. JUSTIFICATION 8 Indonesia ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1994 and hosted the second COP, which led to the Jakarta Mandate promoting conservation and sustainable use in marine ecosystems. Marine conservation has been a high priority in Indonesia ever since, its importance reinforced by creation of a new Ministry of Marine Exploitation. The project focuses on in situ conservation in a national park of recognised global importance. Komodo is a World Heritage Site, recognised both for its terrestrial fauna (Komodo dragons) and its incomparable marine life. It lies at the center of the world’s richest marine ecosystem, within one of WWF’s 200 important ecoregions. The project supports conservation and sustainable use, and more equitable sharing of benefits, by improving marine management, strengthening protected area management and independent monitoring and putting in place mechanisms to encourage sustainable tourism that profits both the park and local communities. The project is supporting barrier removal by promoting new management models that develop partnerships between local government, private sector, NGOs and local communities that will provide regular financing for protected area management and encourage financial, ecological and social sustainability. Empowering local communities and governments to better conserve, sustainably utilize and benefit from biodiversity is becoming increasingly important in Indonesia in the new era of economic hardship, political democracy and decentralisation. The project is consistent with COP guidance as it focuses on conservation and sustainable use of critical ecosystems and threatened endemic species and supports the active involvement of local communities as managers and beneficiaries of better biodiversity management. It responds to COP guidance through promoting conservation and sustainable use through capacity building, economic incentives and alternative livelihood opportunities for local communities; and by encouraging and promoting sustainable tourism. The project will take an ecosystem approach to maximize biodiversity conservation both on land and sea that will encourage new models of management, involving the private sector and regular revenues from tourism, that are expected to ensure long-term security for the park and provide models for replication elsewhere. The requested PDF funds will finance activities necessary to design a project with maximum global benefits. The project will be most effective if it takes advantage of the different strengths of government agencies, conservation organizations, local communities, and the business sector. PDF B funds are needed to engage the various partners in a co-ordinated approach to project design and development. 20. TIMETABLE The PDF B project will begin in August 2000 and be completed by April 2001. A draft tourism concession agreement has been prepared and will be submitted to the government for comment in August. Consultants have been identified for the preparation of the various activities. The GEF project will be submitted to the GEF council in May 2001. BUDGET The following table shows the costs to be incurred under the PDF Block B activities in US dollars. Activity GEF Financing Tourism development planning Park mgt support and enforcement Economic analysis Options for collaborative management Design of enterprise fund Project design M&E Strategy Total 50,000 50,000 50,000 100,000 30,000 40,000 30,000 350,000 Government Financing 5,000 5,000 10,000 Other Financing 15,000 80,000 5,000 20,000 10,000 20,000 130,000 Co-financing for the PDF-B is available in the amount of $150,000. The breakdown is $100,000 in financing from TNC to assist in components related to management and enforcement, economic analysis of alternative livelihoods, and project design; $20,000 from the government for consultation on the park management and enforcement, tourism development 9 and collaborative management options; and $30,000 from the tourism industry for assistance in developing the tourism strategy and the collaborative management assessment. This cofinancing is additional to the $500,000 per year that TNC is putting into baseline management, protection and planning activities. 10 Appendix 1. Chronology of Stakeholder Consultations for Communities in and around Komodo National Park 1) Feb 1996: A coordination forum (2 days) was held to discuss the potential management, development and enforcement approaches for Komodo National Park with relevant provincial and local stakeholders in Labuan Bajo. Participants included forestry, fisheries and tourism officials, mayors, planning and police officers, court officials, legislators, military, NGO representatives and local village leaders from Komodo, Sumbawa and Flores. Presentations were held by the Park’s authority, The Nature Conservancy, and by various agencies of the local government from Flores and Sumbawa. The participants worked in smaller groups on the following themes: enforcement, park boundaries and zonation, and alternative livelihood strategies. The outputs of the workshop included: i) an increased understanding on the objectives of the Park, ii) a starting point for a continuous dialogue among the key-users and stakeholders, iii) integration of local stakeholders concerns and interests in the management plan, iv) increase of local government commitment on enforcement issues, v) consensus on (expaned) park boundaries including Banta Island. (reference: Pet & Djohani, A Framework For The Management of The Marine Resources of Komodo National Park and Surrounding Marine Areas in Eastern Indonesia, 1996). 2) 1996: An extensive participatory mapping of important fishing grounds was carried out with the villages in and around Komodo National Park. These village maps reflect the importance and location of marine natural resources for each of the villages and presents information on habitats of marine biota and types of fishing gear used. The information has been integrated in the zonation plan in the 25 year management plan of Komodo National Park. (reference: Abubakar, Resource Utilization in and around Komodo National Park, 1996). 3) 1996-onwards: A cross-sectoral patrol team was established to carry out a routine patrolling program that includes 2 days patrols covering the entire park on a weekly basis. The enforcement team comprises of staff from the Park, military, policy, navy and fisheries. TNC staff and members of the enforcement team have been trained to record data on resource utilization patterns during routine patrols in the KNP area. These data include number, type and origin of fishing crafts, their catches and their spatial and temporal distribution. All fishing activities are recorded on standard data sheets during the routine patrols and a data base on temporal and spatial patterns in resource utilization has been established at the Komodo Field Office. This information has led to the design of a zonation and regulation scheme for the Park in such a way that objectives can be achieved with a minimum of conflict with local resource users (reference: TNC, Marine Resource Utilization In Komodo National Park, 1996-1997). 4) 1996-onwards: An awareness team has been established which is in constant dialogue with the key communities in and around the Park. Special emphasis has been given to the identification and training of young representatives in each of the villages and teachers of elementary schools. Materials have been developed including a coral reef flip chart, posters, comic books on dynamite fishing, and leaflets on the Park. Results from the monitoring programs on corals, fish, cetacean’s, and resource utilization patterns are integrated in the awareness programs with the focus on i) the Park’s objectives, ii) the impact of destructive fishing practices on the livelihood of local villages and, iii) solution oriented dialogues on how the villages can participate in natural resources management. Recently, in May 2000 a training workshop was organized for local NGOs and community members on the planning and tools for park awareness programs. Specific outputs included the development of a billboard, a song, puppet show, sermon sheets and a leaflet on park regulations with marine conservation messages. The expectation is that the participants will join the growing park conservation cadres who can continue awareness programs in support of the park. More detailed stakeholder analyses will be carried out under TNC's site conservation planning, organization wide, initiative which will be integrated in the 5 year work plan for the Park. 5) 1997: 11 A basic diving and eco-tourism training course (two weeks) has been implemented for park rangers, tourism officials, NGO members, local entrepreneurs and community leaders. Basic principles on eco-tourism were integrated with a diving course including sessions on marine conservation and park management. Dialogue and recommendations on community based tourism were documented and integrated in the 25 year management plan (reference: Kalpataru, Community Based Eco-Tourism For Komodo National Park, 1997). 6) 1999: A pelagic fisheries project has been introduced to two villages (Misah and Seraya) as an alternative livelihood for destructive fishing practices. The three main opportunities for alternative livelihood development for local coastal communities, as described in the 25-year master plan for KNP, are in the field of a) pelagic fisheries, b) eco-tourism, and c) mariculture. The project has proved to be an excellent vehicle for awareness and constituency building programs for the Park. Close working relationships and a sense of trust was built between the villages and the TNC team. Forty boats have been involved in pelagic fishing of which 25 are still operational. In combination with the enforcement and awareness programs, this project has led to the decrease of the tremendous fishing pressure on reef resources. More small-scale community development projects (e.g. sea weed) will be essential to immediately i) benefit local communities, 2) lower fishing pressure, 3) build constituency for the park, and 4) protect the natural resources in the park. 7) 2000: A national workshop on the 25-year plan and the park financing strategy for Komodo National Park was held in February. Attendees included national government officials from the Ministry of Forestry, Environment, Finance, Planning, Tourism, Marine Exploration and Fisheries, representatives from the Indonesian Tourism Promotion Board, international NGOs (WWF, CI), and World Bank. Discussions focused on the feasibility of innovative park financing mechanisms and the exchange of experience in other conservation areas throughout Indonesia (e.g. Tukang Besi Islands, Leuser, Bunaken, Pulau Seribu etc.). A series of smaller meetings were held with the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and Protection during the past year on the 25-year and the park financing strategy for Komodo. Intensive (‘lessons learned’) discussions were held with the team of the Leuser Foundation, the Rhino Foundation (tourism concession in Way Kambass) and the NRM Project (Proyek Pesisir and Bunaken National Park) on numerous occasions as well as with the boat and tour operators in Bali and Jakarta. 12