Management Approaches for CEAFM: A Conservation Perspective Andrew Smith The Nature Conservancy Photo by Richard Hamilton SPC Regional Workshop on Approaches to the Implementation and monitoring of Community-based Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management Noumea, New Caledonia 29 Nov – 3 Dec 2010

Overview of presentation What is “conservation”? Ecosystem-Based Management Examples of marine conservation management approaches in use in the Pacific “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” Common ground Photo: Andrew Smith

What is “Conservation”? Focus on “biodiversity conservation” Perceptions of “conservation” and “conservation organisations” Closing areas / locking resources away / excluding people Current trends in conservation: Ecosystem-based approaches Community-based and focused approaches Wide range of objectives: biodiversity conservation Habitat protection food security climate change adaptation ecosystem services Photo: Copyright Franco Banfi

Ecosystem-Based Management Definition: “Ecosystem-based management is an integrated approach to management that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans. The goal of ecosystem-based management is to maintain an ecosystem in a healthy, productive and resilient condition so that it can provide the services humans want and need.” Photo: Amy Vitale, World We Design “Ecosystem-based management is an integrated approach to management that considers the entire ecosystem, including humans. The goal of ecosystem-based management is to maintain an ecosystem in a healthy, productive and resilient condition so that it can provide the services humans want and need. Ecosystem-based management differs from current approaches that usually focus on a single species, sector, activity or concern; it considers the cumulative impacts of different sectors. Specifically, ecosystem-based management:   Emphasizes the protection of ecosystem structure, functioning, and key processes; Is place-based in focusing on a specific ecosystem and the range of activities affecting it; Explicitly accounts for the interconnectedness within systems, recognizing the importance of interactions between many target species or key services and other non- target species; Acknowledges interconnectedness among systems, such as between air, land and sea; and Integrates ecological, social, economic, and institutional perspectives, recognizing their strong interdependences.”

Ecosystem-Based Management (2) Management approach that: Integrates ecological, social and economic goals Recognizes humans as part of the ecosystem Considers ecological—not just political—boundaries Addresses the complexity of natural processes & social systems & applies adaptive management Engages multiple stakeholders to define problems & find solutions Incorporates ecosystem processes Concerned with the ecological integrity of coastal- marine systems & the sustainability of both human and ecological systems Relationship to EAF (EBFM) Photo: Copyright Djuna Ivereigh EBM as a management approach that:   Integrates ecological, social, and economic goals and recognizes humans as key components of the ecosystem. Considers ecological—not just political—boundaries. Addresses the complexity of natural processes and social systems and uses an adaptive management approach in the face of resulting uncertainties. Engages multiple stakeholders in a collaborative process to define problems and find solutions. Incorporates understanding of ecosystem processes and how ecosystems respond to environmental perturbations. Is concerned with the ecological integrity of coastal-marine systems and the sustainability of both human and ecological systems. EBM and EAF are different, but complementary. EAF differs from EBM in that it is focused on managing fisheries—a single sector— within an ecosystem context. EAF applies EBM thinking to fisheries management by incorporating consideration of ecosystems, habitats and societal objectives into fisheries management decisions, rather than managing only for single species or target stocks. It is important to recognize that EAF does not explicitly attempt to manage for multiple sectors, in contrast to EBM which does.

Conservation Action Planning (TNC + WWF +) Integrated process for planning, implementing, and measuring conservation success for its conservation projects Photo by Djuna Ivereigh

Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA Network) “An area of nearshore waters and coastal resources that is largely or wholly managed at a local level by the coastal communities, land-owning groups, partner organizations, and/or collaborative government representatives who reside or are based in the immediate area.” Photo by Peter and Beate Lange An approach that has been increasingly applied for both resource management and conservation purposes within in the Pacific are “Locally Managed Marine Areas” (LMMA), which are generally defined as:   “An area of nearshore waters and coastal resources that is largely or wholly managed at a local level by the coastal communities, land-owning groups, partner organizations, and/or collaborative government representatives who reside or are based in the immediate area.” LMMAs are generally considered to be a complementary and sometimes more culturally appropriate approach to marine protection and management in the Pacific Islands than the strict use of centrally-managed marine areas – that is, areas that are largely or wholly controlled by a central government body or outside organization, sometimes from afar. There are a number of others. One used in Micronesia is the Management Planning Guide for “Marine Resource Managers” by the Pacific Islands Managed and Protected Areas Community – PIMPAC

“Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” (http://www Convergence of thinking and approaches on the practice of conservation Development and purpose of the Standards Series of best practices for designing, managing, monitoring, and learning from conservation projects Summary of the Standards of Practice Photo: Andrew Smith The conservation community recognised that there was a convergence of thinking and approaches on the practice of conservation. This recognition resulted in the establishment of the Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP) which in turn developed the “Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation”—a series of best practices for designing, managing, monitoring, and learning from conservation projects.   In recent years, there has been great convergence among conservation organisations in thinking about how best to plan, implement, and assess conservation actions in the context of a project cycle. These Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation are less a recipe that must be followed exactly than a framework and guidance for conservation action. The goal in developing these Open Standards is to bring together common concepts, approaches, and terminology in conservation project design, management, and monitoring in order to help practitioners improve the practice of conservation

“Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” (2) Photo: Copyright Franco Banfi

“Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation” (3) Associated tools: Miradi (project management software) IUCN-CMP Unified Classifications of Direct Threats and Conservation Actions Rosetta Stone of Project Management Systems Photo: Copyright Djuna Ivereigh Miradi is project management software for conservation practitioners. It was built as a tool to implement planning and measurement of best practices adopted by the CMP.   The program guides users through a series of step-by-step interview wizards, based on the “Open Standards”. As practitioners go through these steps, Miradi helps them to define their project scope, and design conceptual models and spatial maps of their project site. The software helps teams to prioritize threats, develop objectives and actions, and select monitoring indicators to assess the effectiveness of their strategies. Miradi also supports the development of work plans, budgets, and other tools to help practitioners implement and manage their project. Users can export Miradi project data to donor reports or, in the future, to a central database to share their information with other practitioners. Terminology: One of the foundations of any science is a common nomenclature that practitioners can use to describe the problems they are facing and the solutions they are using in a mutually intelligible way. For example, if one project team faces the threat of "over-harvesting" and another "spearing" and yet another "fish over-production" they may not realize that they are all really dealing with the same issue. As a result, it cross-project learning is difficult and the ability to meaningfully roll-up information across projects is greatly hampered. Rosetta Stone of Project Management Systems: presents side-by-side the various project management systems used by the conservation organizations in the Conservation Measures Partnership

Finding common ground between fisheries and conservation Working with communities Maximise resources (financial & human) Ecosystem-based approaches: EBM and EAF Correlation and convergence of planning approaches and management objectives e.g. Palau PAN; Kimbe Bay MPA network Innovative multi-sectoral mgmt / governance frameworks Need for aligning the various approaches and frameworks Especially in respect of community-based fisheries management Dealing with common threats e.g. climate change Photo: Andrew Smith

Thank you Photo: Copyright Chris Crowley

Questions? Photo: Copyright Franco Banfi