BCNet
Principles For Community - Based Marine Conservation
in Melanesia
Results from an Analysis by three Biodiversity Conservation Network (BCN) Projects

P = Principle

Presented to the Public on Tuesday, June 29 1999

At the University of the South Pacific's Science Lecture Theater

Analysis was completed and presented by project representatives from the BCN-supported:

BCN's Marine Conservation Project Sites



THE BIG QUESTION:
What Factors Lead to Marine Conservation?

    • Community Factors (12)
    • Natural Resource Factors (7)
    • Organization Factors (10)
    • Business Factors (10)
      •
    • Defined the factor.
    • Stated our beliefs regarding the factor at the start of our projects.
    • Discussed what happened at our projects in regard to the factor.
    • Developed principle(s) for the factor for future use.

      •
I. Community Factors Identified
    • Community Willingness
    • Community Awareness
    • Traditional Rights Boundaries
    • Leadership
    • Organization
    • Participation
    • Existing Skills/Capacity
    • Defining "Conservation"
    • Traditional Management
    • Long-Term Vision
    • Inclusiveness
    • Fun
      •

a. Leadership

Definition: An individual or organization providing vision and motivation.

Our beliefs were:
    • In Fiji and Solomon Islands, the chief must lead project activities.
    • In Irian Jaya, the head of the village believed in the project and was responsible for motivating communities.

a.1. Principles

P - In Fiji and Solomon Islands, we must work through the chiefly system to ensure strong leadership, management skills, and the election of successful management committee.

P - In Irian Jaya, we must work with community and local government to create a community-elected management body (but not necessarily with the leadership of the head of the village).

    • The head of the village is very strong and involved at some sites, but not at others. This is OK because the management body is most important. This would not be suitable in Fiji and Solomon Islands.
      •

b. Roles and Responsibilities

Definition: All project partners must provide a clear understanding of whom is responsible for which project activities.

Our beliefs were:
    • Defining roles and responsibilities is important, but it wasn't necessary to do a complete job of it at the beginning of the project.
      •

b.1. Principles

P - Clear regulations, responsibilities, organizational structures and working relationships are necessary at project start.

    • In Fiji, this process must be done through the chiefly system and an elected management committee; in Indonesia, this is done through the management body.
    • In Indonesia, the management body's structure and regulations were created in the project's second year.
      •
P - The roles, responsibilities, etc. must be regularly reviewed and adapted to changing conditions.
    • In Indonesia, the project partners hold a formal review each 6 months.
      •

c. Participation

Definition: The level of involvement by various stakeholders in the use of natural resources.

Our beliefs were:
    • Unless roles, responsibilities, and activities were clearly defined at the beginning, there would not be full participation from the community members.
      •

c.1. Principle

P - We must have participation and endorsement of all community members in the project area.
    • One good method is community mapping of project boundaries, resource use patterns and social institutions.
    • Where projects began before the communities were given full information about the work; there was not full participation until the second year of the project.

      •
II. Natural Resource Factors Identified
    • Ecological Awareness
    • Identifying and Dealing with Threats
    • Equipment and technology
    • Spawning Grounds
    • Traditional Ecological Knowledge
    • Fishing/Effort Rotation
    • Habitat
      •

a. Understanding Ecology

P - Before the community can identify their problems and take any action they have to understand their local ecology.
    • This can be a long process (Arnavon Project)
    • Gathering information involves both science and traditional knowledge (Verata Project)
    • New information needs arise, and so this is a continuing process (Padaido Project)
      •
P - Biological Monitoring is necessary and must be community-based.
    • Community volunteers are capable of doing the monitoring (Padaido & Verata Projects)
    • Methods must be simple and based on daily activities and local knowledge (Padaido Project)
    • Information has to be returned to the wider community and used to revise management plans (Arnavon Project)
      •

b. Identifying and Dealing with Threats

P - The community needs control over their resources or government recognition of management rights to be able to deal with external threats.
    • Local rights are recognized in Fiji (Verata Project)
    • Community negotiated with government and now both must agree before management decisions are approved (Arnavon Project)
    • In Indonesia the role and rights of the community in management are still not resolved (Padaido Project)
      •

c. Identifying and Dealing with Threats

P - When selecting a tabu or protected area the need for the local fishers to continue subsistence harvesting must be recognized and accommodated.
    • Hand line fishing by local communities in the core conservation area (Arnavon Project)
    • Gear bans or incentives to use less harmful gears is a useful strategy (Padaido Project)

      •

III. Organizational Factors Identified

    • Internal/External Regulations and Enforcement
    • Community Skills Training
    • Biological Monitoring
    • Evaluation and Dissemination/Communication Process
    • Equipment and Infrastructure
    • Control of Outsiders
    • Partnerships with Others
    • Dependency on Funding
    • Project Learning (Seeking out Lessons)
    • Long-Term Vision
      •

a. Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation

Definition: Steps needed to do good marine natural resource management for sustainability

Our Beliefs Were:
    • Our marine resources will not be declining even if we continue to harvest them without control.
    • Planning, monitoring, and evaluation are not necessary for our communities.
      •

a.1. What We Found

      1. A number of our marine resources are actually declining due to uncontrolled harvesting. (Examples: trochus, turtles, reef fish).
      2. It is difficult to do planning, monitoring, and evaluation due to a lack of know-how.
      3. But, with appropriate training, community members can do good quality monitoring.
      4. When people do the work themselves, they are more likely to use the results.

a.2. Principles

P - Planning, monitoring, and evaluation should be done regularly.
P - Training and know how are important.
P - Planning, monitoring, and evaluation should be done by the community.
P - Information from monitoring should be shared with all the community and used to take action.

b. Working With Outsiders (Part I)

Definition: One group of outsiders is other people using the resources of our community.

Our Beliefs Were:
    • We must work with all these outside groups to manage the resources.
      •

b.1. What We Found

      1. Yes, if we are on small islands and the "others" are neighbors, then we can work with them to develop tabu areas.(Examples: Padaido and Arnavon Projects)
      2. This is harder to do when the neighbors are from a different culture. In this case, the key to success is respect.
      3. If the "others" are foreign companies, we can't work with them without our government.

b.2. Principles

P - It is important to maintain respect between neighbors, especially with different cultures. This takes extra work.
P - Work with your government to try to stop foreign companies.

c. Working With Outsiders (Part II)

Definition: Another group of outsiders is the conservation groups and donors that we work with.

Our Beliefs Were:
    • We needed these groups to provide not only financial support, but also to help to implement activities
      •

c.1. What We Found

      1. If communities receive the proper training, then they can run and manage their marine resources. (Examples: Padaido & Arnavon Projects)
      2. Too much reliance on outside partners does not lead to long-term resource management.
      3. Sometimes waiting for outsiders to do something ends up taking too long.
        (Example: Arnavon Project)

c.2. Principles

P - Get training, but do the work yourselves.
P - The community can do it!

d. Regulation and Enforcement

Regulation - Rules to manage marine resources for sustainability (community & national).

Enforcement - Policing of rules and punishment.

Our Beliefs Were:
    • Regulation will ensure that communities will sustainably manage their resources.
    • The community can do policing.
    • The general public will follow community rules.
      •

d.1. What We Found

      1. Not all people abide by the regulations, some people (mostly outsiders but also one or two insiders) did not follow regulations.
      2. It is difficult to punish outsiders - they have little respect for community regulations.
      3. Rules and enforcement are not effective unless there is public awareness (general campaign).

d.2. Principles

P - Revitalize customary practices within the community.
P - Government must recognize local regulations and authority and enable the community to take legal actions against the intruders.
P - Promote public awareness so people appreciate the reasons for the regulations.

IV. Business Factors Identified

    • Infrastructure/Equipment Availability
    • Investment in Enterprise
    • Economic Planning
    • Financial Auditing
    • Community Support of Enterprise Activities
    • Marketing
    • Profit
    • Transportation
    • Cultural "Fit"
    • Equitable Benefits
      •

Highlighted Factors:

a. Community Support

P - Without community support there will be no business.

    • Should fit into the community culture.
    • And community should be involved at all stages.
    • To educate and train community about the business.
    • Community should know how the profit is to be distributed/transparency.
      •

b. Funding

P - The business should have a variety of funding sources.
    • Local funding
        • Community contributions
    • Loans
        • Local or external banks
          •
    • Donors
        • MacArthur Foundation, Biodiversity Conservation Network
          •

c. Marketing

P - To start a business there must be a feasibility study and a business plan.
    • Suitable for local conditions and culture
        • Transportation (Arnavon)
          •
    • Business that yield profits
    • Stable market
        • Padaido - very limited market
        • Arnavon - fisheries products but very limited market
        • Verata - fixed market
          •

Recommendations

    • Respect the culture of the community
    • Good leadership
    • Good teamwork between community
    • Need for a good relationship between everyone (community, govt., Donors, other stakeholders)
    • The community-enterprise should take the responsibility to look after their resources
      •

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