Rural communities in low-income countries are among the most vulnerable socio-economic groups, often referred to as the “poorest of the poor”. These communities often rely heavily on natural resources, and those resources are often overexploited since little opportunities exist for livelihood improvement, better management, and empowered governance. The innovative program that we proposer focuses on delivering a service that improves livelihoods via a performance based financial mechanism that incentivizes behavior changes that result in improved environmental management of natural resources that rural communities both have influence over and rely heavily upon. Through the provision of strategic and tangible access to capital in exchange for the long term conservation of natural resources, the proposed project will provide long term means to finance conservation and as such may be widely applicable in developing countries and regions where markets (and payments) for environmental goods are lacking.

1. Incentivizing local people for
marine conservation
Chris Poonian and Patricia Davis
Community Centred Conservation (C3)

2. Casestudy #1 : Busuanga, Palawan, Philippines

3. One of the most important sites for the dugong in
the Philippines

4. Local threats:
•Previously hunted using nets, prong, hook, harpoon,
and dynamite and meat sold openly
•Nowadays, incidental capture in fishing nets is likely
the most significant threat

5. • Dugong reliant on shallow coastal seagrass and
thus shares almost all its habitat with humans
• Support and involvement of local communities is
therefore key to ensuring the survival of the
dugong in the Philippines

6. Involving fishing communities in dugong research
•Key Informant Interviews
•Dugong sighting register

7. Raising awareness
•Novel ideas – Dugong ‘ecobag’, Iphone app
•Community workshops and school activity days

9. Casestudy #2 : KIA ISLAND, FIJI

10. Issues
•Great Sea Reef - the third largest barrier reef
system in the world
•Over 80% of the island relies on fishing as their
primary source of income
•Locally Managed MPAs – but erratic compliance
•Opening of closed areas leads to periodic heavy
exploitation

11. Humphead Wrasse
(Cheilinus undulatus)
•Largest reef-dwelling teleost (2m)
•Vulnerable to fishing pressure
•Live reef fish trade
•Spawning aggregations
•Red List: Endangered; CITES: Appendix II

12. Humphead Wrasse global distribution (Sadovy et al. 2004)

13. •Fiji - Eastern edge of the species’ range
•Decline in national reported catch
-1998:12 tonnes
-2002: 3 tonnes
•Trade prohibited under Fijian Law (since
2002) - FJ$5,000 or imprisonment
‘Draudrau’

14. Data collection
•Expert fisher interviews (n=21)
•Humphead Wrasse landings
-aim to record every fish landed in 2012
•Community members involved

15. In the past Nowadays
How many caught annually?
‘300’
‘200 or 300’
‘100 or 200’
‘100’
’40 or 50’
’20 or 30’
‘10’
‘4’
‘60 to 80’
Actual catch during 2012
– at least 198 fish!

16. Monthly catch
Jan – mid-Feb
MPA open to generate
funds for school fees
26 Mar -
Funeral
30 May -
Turaga-ni-Koro bans
capture of Humphead
Wrasse

17. Cultural significance
•Feasts, funerals, other community events
•Mototeivovo – (hump area) is reserved for
high-ranking chiefs
•Grade B / C – FJ$4-6 / kg but BIG
•Jewelry - upper jaw made into necklaces

18. Management
•Widespread awareness of laws
BUT
•Lack of enforcement
•Ready market – Chinese fish traders
•Government fish wardens not trusted

19. Management
•Low community awareness of humphead
wrasse life history
•Adaptive management and self-
enforcement by community
-remoteness of site
-’luxury fish’ not critical source of livelihood
•Improved understanding of population
status – in situ surveys

21. Casestudy #3 : NOSY HARA MARINE
PARK, MADAGASCAR

22. Critical ecosystems and
endangered species
•Sea turtles
•Dugongs
•Sharks
•Nearshore fisheries
•Coral Reefs
•Mangroves

23. Community motivation
• Community optimistic, but skeptical due to
past issues with Park authorities
• Socioeconomic benefits of MPA a key
issue
• Incursions continue
• Our project aims to generate direct
benefits for good environmental
stewardship

24. Socioeconomic needs
Socioeconomic surveys identified main
community needs to be:
• Maternal health care (esp. delivery)
• Clean water supply
• Ecotourism development (external
operators focus on islands)
• Support for secondary school access

25. Community service provisions in return for
environmental performance
Dugong aspects include :
-Ban on gill nets in key areas
-Reduction of dugong mortality to zero
Adaptive performance monitoring system is
key – now under development with the
community
Environmental Stewardship Agreements

26. Capacity building
• 50 + students from University of Antsiranana
• 10 National Parks staff
trained in :
• Habitat mapping & monitoring
• Socioeconomic surveys
• Endangered species biology and
conservation

27. ‘We have now learned that by protecting our
marine environment, we are saving the
future of our fisheries…and our own future’
-Village elder in Ampasindava

29. Thanks!
Donors and partners
www.c-3.org.uk
& Community members