Reflecting on Pro-Conservation Livelihoods and Community Capabilities for Marine Protected Area Governance

Wednesday 8 December 2021

A limited group of project partners gathered in Kenya in early December 2021 to reflect on the successes and challenges of our GCRF funded project.  Efforts were undertaken with communities near Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Kenya, Ghana and Madagascar.  In Kenya our project trialled the development of a ‘governance baseline approach.’ This brought together a wide constituency of partners, including: the government agency Kenya Wildlife Service with legal duties for the management of the Watamu National Marine Park; key conservation NGOs, Watamu Marine Association, Bahari Hai, Local Ocean Trust and A Rocha Kenya; and key community stakeholders including fisheries, boat tour operators, hotel owners, and watersports and recreation sectors, plus local chiefs and community groups.  The baseline approach encouraged all parties to reflect on trends in environmental and human conditions; take stock of current measures for managing the MPA; and look ahead to future challenges such as climate change and find points for potential shared action.  A broad consensus emerged that the approach has been helpful in breaking down silos of knowledge, generating trust and wider partnership to implement the MPA management plan; and also allowed voices of community members to be properly heard.  Some gaps in knowledge remain, including questions on how much sewage pollution might be affecting the resilience of coral reefs to respond to climate change impacts.  Further needs were identified for the governance baseline approach to consider locally specific, culturally encoded forms of knowledge such as music and story, and undertake Ecosystem Services assessment.  A report is available here.

Governance tools

However, the point of undertaking the baseline approach, was not merely reflection and mutual learning.  In the second phase of our project we sought to implement actions which responded to what the baseline evidence showed.  As is often the case in many parts of the world’s coasts, the evidence revealed a range of human activities which are placing pressure on sometimes vulnerable plants and animals.  At the same time, it also revealed needs and concerns in the local community, and raised questions about how a protected area can effectively interface with improved livelihoods.  Multiple partners are taking forward different initiatives.  But drawing on ideas from the community, 3 specific initiatives were developed in response (Figure 1).  One project took a market focus-  carbon credits project for mangroves and seagrass was considered.  However, gaps in scientific knowledge and size of scientific effort involved, plus also challenges about how any (limited) benefits might be distributed amongst the community emerged.  This is particularly thought provoking considering how much COP26 encouraged the notion of nature based solutions to respond to climate change- are we ready with the science and partnerships to implement valuable and bonafide projects?  A second project took a regulatory focus, and has been working towards the eco-certification of tour boat owners, to reduce environmentally damaging behaviour by both tour boat operators (e.g. anchoring) and tourists (e.g. smothering coral).  This project has proven too ambitious to realized in the short timeframe available, with more time needed establish of relationships of trust and training that will lead to effective implementation.  Various tools and educational material have been produced nevertheless.

Farming God’s Way demonstration training

A third project took a community based focus, seeking to train people in conservation agriculture (Figure 2).  The aim was to reduce pressures of illegal fishing activity in the MPA and improve food security. Initial concerns about the project ‘Farming God’s Way’ that this would lead potential clashes between Islamic and Christian communities, proved to be unfounded as the communities found this approach resonated with both of their traditions.  Despite a very challenging start with a failure of rains, participants have been reaping a return on their crops which will reduce pressures on the marine environment, and showcase good land management practices. The project can also look back positively on a community based survey which provided, jobs, vital insights and also an inducement which supported food security of local people during C19, and outreach to youth.

Thanks to all project collaborators and to the UK/SFC Global Challenges Fund, project SGS0 XFC120.

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