La pesquería de calamar gigante en México, ha atravesado en la última década considerables variaciones en sus capturas, debido a la baja disponibilidad asociada a su abundancia, ya que está principalmente condicionada por los efectos del cambio climático y de El Niño (menos abundancia del recurso) y La Niña (el stock tiende a recuperarse). Dadas las fluctuaciones, el sector productivo ha tenido que adaptarse a través de diferentes componentes para continuar aprovechando el recurso de manera sostenible. Las pescadoras y los pescadores se han organizado en un Comité Nacional Sistema Producto, figura reconocida por la LGPAS, que ha permitido trabajar en estrategias tanto a nivel artesanal como industrial, a través de un sistema de monitoreo, sinergias y financiamiento multisectorial por parte del gobierno y academia, así como la integración de la cadena de valor dentro de sus comités estatales.

La aplicación MiPez desarrollada por TNC en 2018, es una herramienta de ciencia ciudadana, que permite a los pescadores de la cuenca del Magdalena registrar sus actividades de pesca. Recopila información de sitios, especies, cantidades, costos y materiales. Permite usarla sin acceso a Internet. Una vez se termina la faena, los pescadores pueden indicar sus capturas a través de una galería de fotos de especies cargadas en la aplicación. 

A medida que los pescadores cargan información en MiPez, la aplicación consolida una base de datos con indicadores socioambientales como especies pescadas, tiempos de pesca y sitios relevantes. Estos datos son cruciales para determinar la salud de la cuenca e identificar qué áreas están experimentando disminución en las poblaciones de peces. Además, la información es útil para que las autoridades y las asociaciones locales eviten la sobrepesca e integren los datos de las comunidades dependientes en un análisis más amplio del desarrollo de la cuenca.

En México, la mayoría de las pesquerías en pequeña escala que capturan peces carecen de monitoreo pesquero y biológico adecuado. Esto deja vacíos de información y dificulta su manejo. También, complica el reconocimiento de dichas pesquerías ante estándares internacionales, así como la existencia de un beneficio social y económico para las pescadoras y los pescadores. Con el fin de lograr una pesca sostenible de la pesquería de peces (excluyendo a los tiburones y rayas) en México, los actores involucrados en esta pesquería se unieron, bajo un esquema de co-manejo y co-financiamiento, que incorpora la igualdad de género, para establecer un monitoreo pesquero que brinde información para generar mejoras en la pesquería y en su manejo. Esto ha posicionado a las pescadoras y los pescadores como pioneros en sostenibilidad pesquera, siendo un ejemplo para muchas otras personas dedicadas a la pesca.

As coastal development increases in Brazil, artisanal fishers struggle to protect their resources. By leveraging the government-created Extractive Reserves’ (RESEXs) legal structure and working with government, local fishers’ organizations, and communities, Rare’s Fish Forever program in Brazil has 1) established community-led governance and authority over artisanal fisheries; 2) designated managed-access fishing areas, combined with no-take reserves; and 3) improved participation of fishers and communitiy members in fisheries management and decision-making.

Implementation of an ecosystem-based participatory planning program for the benefit of artisanal fishermen operating in the Mediterranean. Under this program, fishermen were able to identify the challenges posed by illegal trawling and dynamite fishing. The creation of a monitoring committee allowed them to take their part in fighting these threats. Their overall income increased thanks to the commercial management of fishery products in the newly created cooperatives.

Lack of data on artisanal fisheries landings is a common element in tropical countries. The Participatory Monitoring Program includes the gathering and synthesis of biological information by organized groups of artisanal fishers. Multi-year data gathered by the fishers is presented and discussed with the community to highlight information on species, minimum sizes, volumes, trends and seasonality in the captures.  This process has resulted in significant changes in fishing practices and management.

The project addresses the dilemma of finding an economically viable grain crop that would not sacrifice food production for wildlife/biodiversity benefits. With the use of the non-GMO grain crop, spelt (Triticum aestivum subsp. Spelta), an alternative vegetation type on land can aid and maximize habitat value for rare grassland species and increase biodiversity on the landscape while also providing the producer with an economical food crop. The project results indicate that biodiversity increased and from an agricultural standpoint spelt was a more economical crop than hay.

Within this project, multiple supply chains engaged in the Handline and Pole and Line fishery in Indonesia were categorized into a set of generic supply chain types. This allowed us to audit a wide set of supply chain types and create a generic improvement approach for each type. We shared improvement approaches with an entire group of industries engaged in the industry association AP2HI, at present over 20 companies and allow them to independently work towards the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard as well as increasing international traceability requirements.

Like most coastal areas in Madagascar, Soariake MPA is located in a remote area where people depend on fishing activities for their subsistence and the lack of alternatives leads to overfishing of marine resources.

In 2016, WCS Madagascar established a partnership with two private companies – COPEFRITO and Indian Ocean Trepan– operating in South West Madagascar to promote aquaculture in Soariake MPA through an industry approach based on “village farmers”. Seacucumber and seaweed farming have been choosen with regards to local context and potential.

For seacucumber farms, IOT provides technical support  and seed at a competitive price, and they are committed to buy the harvest. WCS ensures the equipment for the enclosures and the local communities are in charge of the management of the farm. For the seaweed aquaculture, COPEFRITO provides plants, equipment and technical support, the local communities manage the farms and sells the harvest to COPEFRITO.

The hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) is the national fish of Bangladesh, supporting the livelihoods of more than 500,000 people, particularly in coastal communities. The Bangladesh government’s Department of Fisheries uses incentive-based management to protect its hilsa stocks. Under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan, all fishing is banned for several months a year in a number of coastal sanctuary areas, and during these periods affected fishing households are offered compensation in the form of rice to improve food security and replace lost income. Other affected households are offered training and support to diversify their income sources. Used in conjunction with adaptive co-management and activities to raise awareness around sustainable fishing practices, this distribution of benefits aims to incentivise compliance with fishing regulations and improve the socioeconomic condition of fishing households.

A social marketing and behavior change campaign is being implemented to encourage community support for the set-up of Managed Access Areas + Sanctuaries, a fishery management approach that designates exclusive fishing areas for certain groups of fishers in exchange for compliance with more sustainable fishery practices. This is paired with a household resiliency strategy to help build financial assets for houselholds supporting the program.

CEAFM addresses the problem of declining fish and shellfish populations and the potential impacts of climate change in three selected communities in the State of Yap, FSM. It represents a combination of three different perspectives: fisheries management, ecosystem management and community-based management. It is a broader approach to manage fisheries as component of the marine ecosystem.

The MAR Fund is a regional financial mechanism established to provide long-term dependable funding, collaborative planning and priority setting for conservation, recovery and sustainable use of natural resources in the Mesoamerican Reef. It raises and allocates funding for a network of priority coastal and marine protected areas. It also focuses on issues that affect the integrity of the MPAs, such as overfishing, through the design, establishment, management and monitoring of fish replenishment zones.

Las Áreas Marinas Protegidas juegan un papel clave en el mantenimiento de las pesquerías globales. En su interior, los individuos presentan mayores tallas, hay una mayor densidad y biomasa, así como una mayor riqueza de especies. Estos incrementos también van más allá de los límites del área protegida a través del efecto “desborde”. Con la creación del DMI Yuruparí – Malpelo, se fortalecerá el manejo de las pesquerías de atún y medianos pelágicos, garantizando el mantenimiento del recurso pesquero y los bienes y servicios asociados, contribuyendo a garantizar la seguridad alimentaria del país y la conservación de los recursos pesqueros mediante acciones de planificación y ordenamiento, así como a conservar el patrimonio natural marino del Pacífico Este Tropical aportando a su conectividad ecosistémica. Es una estrategia con enfoque de paisaje de conservación de la biodiversidad local como el SFF Malpelo, y regional como el Área de Recursos Manejados Cordillera de Coiba en Panamá.

As coastal development increases in Brazil, artisanal fishers struggle to protect their resources. By leveraging the government-created Extractive Reserves’ (RESEXs) legal structure and working with government, local fishers’ organizations, and communities, Rare’s Fish Forever program in Brazil has 1) established community-led governance and authority over artisanal fisheries; 2) designated managed-access fishing areas, combined with no-take reserves; and 3) improved participation of fishers and communitiy members in fisheries management and decision-making.

A social marketing and behavior change campaign is being implemented to encourage community support for the set-up of Managed Access Areas + Sanctuaries, a fishery management approach that designates exclusive fishing areas for certain groups of fishers in exchange for compliance with more sustainable fishery practices. This is paired with a household resiliency strategy to help build financial assets for houselholds supporting the program.

Protected areas are faced with numerous ecological, social, and economic challenges both inside and outside their boundaries. Most of these challenges occur over vast spatial scales and are often magnified by a lack of resources to adequately monitor and respond to challenges. The ArcGIS Protected Area Solution (PAM) is an effective way to address these challenges holistically and at scale. PAM allows users to rapidly configure several workflows for effective area management.

M.A.P Scientific Services implemented PAM for the West Lunga Conservation Project (WLCP) in West Lunga National Park, Zambia. The Solution targeted workflows that improve monitoring of the area, these included remote sensing of deforestation and wildfires, law enforcement, wildlife sightings, and community outreach. Outcomes have allowed for improved monitoring and evidence-based management of the protected area that benefits conservation and communities whose livelihoods are intrinsically dependent on the West Lunga ecosystem and its services.

“Are there any innovative solutions for national park visitors to meet nature without any risk of danger?” The long-standing concerns of Korean park rangers have begun to achieve great results by establishing an AI-based visitor safety management system using the latest technology. This system automatically monitors and analyzes the potential safety hazard areas in national parks 24 hours a day by combining measuring equipment such as CCTV, crack gauge, and artificial intelligence. When signs of danger are identified, an alarm is sent to the site where visitors are staying and the control center in the national park office for follow-up and to prevent the risks in advance. 89 intelligent CCTVs have been installed in 15 national parks since 2020, and 525 automatic and manual crack gauges have been operated in 174 potential rockfall hazard areas of 21 national parks since 2013.

Wudalianchi is a national park in northeastern China. In recent years, Wudalianchi has gradually attracted people’s attention. Now it is not only an ideal learning place for geology scholars, but also a popular holiday resort.

Due to the increase of tourists and traffic flow, the protection capacity of the geological relics reached its limits, which also risked visitors’ safety. In the past, only some monitoring points were arranged in the densely populated areas of park, which was far from enough to monitor other non-densely populated geological sites and monitor the tourists flow.

This solution describes how the management committee of Wudalianchi increases the monitoring capacity by upgrading monitoring system and educating the public. Wudalianchi has developed 12 sightseeing areas. This program has greatly reduced the cost of management and the number of security personnel required, allowing quickly response in face of emergency.

By installing an NGO-based anti-poaching team, and using various anti-poaching technologies in Pu Mat National Park, we were able to effectively maintain spatially explicit records of poaching activities, profiles of offenders, strategically implement automated poaching alert systems, and significantly decreased the number of poachers, traps, and camps within the core zone of the protected area while also substantially mitigating poaching activities throughout the entirety of the park. In doing so, we managed to identify and apply pressure on high-risk poaching areas, create avoidance of poaching in locations where high-priority (Endangered, and Critically Endangered) species were present, maintain a working database of offences and offenders within the protected area to understand more about the social aspects of poaching, and built capacity for all operating rangers in the protected area to use the same methods and technologies themselves.

IUCN together with the Swiss PORINI Foundation launched NatureCollectibles (NCs), a new and innovative way to make biodiversity assets tradeable. NCs are digital representations of a species connected to a real-world nature conservation project. They are written to Porinis zero-carbon blockchain where they cannot be copied or multiplied, making them unique and tradeable, like a piece of art.

We invited 8 protected and conserved areas (PCAs) from 6 continents to present their work at the first African Protected Areas Congress in Kigali and developed a mobile app where these digital twins can be collected and traded. People can now take part in ongoing conservation action.

We collected over 16’000 USD in the first 2 months and any user can see on the APP that 100% of his contribution is sent to the PCA.

In October, we will launch the next collection featuring 8 species from 8 PCAs in Madagascar and over the next 5 years, a total of 512 species in 64 different collections will be added.

Located in the central part of the Kopetdag Range in the Ahal Province of Turkmenistan and spanning an area of 497 km2, Central Kopet Dag Reserve incorporates two sanctuaries and two natural monuments.

This Reserve is the most important stronghold in Turkmenistan for the conservation of the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) and recently the presence of the Pallas cat (Otocolubus manul), a relatively rare small wild cat, rediscovered. The Reserve is the gateway between Iran and areas to the north and west into Kazakhstan for the Persian leopard. Since 2018, thanks to the collaboration between protected area staff and international partners, an effort is underway to establish baseline information on all cat species, the status of their important prey (the Urial and Bezoar goat), and to identify threats, including the impacts of the border fence with Iran. Twenty camera traps have been deployed that to date have enabled to identify several Persian leopards as well as record the Pallas cat.

This is the story on how Huawei and a local association of hunters and anglers – Berlevåg Jeger- og fiskerforening (BJFF) – developed an automated fish trap with a built-in camera system and AI-software to remove the invading foreign humpback salmon from a river in Berlevåg, a small community, on the northmost tip of Norway, neighboring the Barents Sea. By preventing the humpback salmon from swimming up the rivers, we eliminate the risk of reproduction and reduce the threat to invasive species in rivers. The Atlantic salmon populations are exposed to variety of threats but the threat from the invasive humpback salmon is the most significant. This is the story on how to save the Atlantic salmon by using technology.  The humpback salmon problem is escalating drastically, and as a result, the construction design of the fish trap is prepared to be duplicated and fit into other rivers

Biodiversity baseline data is key to conservation decision-making and practices, yet facing data deficiency and information asymmetry. With the assistance of technology tools, China Nature Watch aims at strengthening the collection of biodiversity data from various sources, especially citizen science, facilitating data applications in land use planning and public participation, and mainstreaming biodiversity conservation.

Specifically, technology brings effective solutions to 3 modules:

• Camera trap data management: developing online AI-incorporated data management system to simplify and speed up camera trap data collection and processing.
• Citizen science data visualization: using PowerBI to automatically analyze and interactively visualize species records collected by citizen scientists.
• Biodiversity Impact Assessment Tool (BiA): integrating ecological and construction data from multiple data sources to provide instant enquiry of biodiversity impact assessment for construction projects via cloud platform.

Mexico is recognized as a megadiverse country, housing approximately 12% of the world’s species. The country safeguards a rich natural and cultural heritage through the efforts of indigenous communities. The Yucatan Peninsula, in the southeast, is ecologically rich, featuring rainforests, coral reefs, mangroves, and more, but these ecosystems are rapidly deteriorating due to human activities and climate change. Nearly 80% of the rainforests are disturbed, with only 22% covered by mature vegetation, primarily in protected areas.

The Tech4Nature Mexico pilot project employs continuous biodiversity monitoring and artificial intelligence systems for the detection and conservation of priority species in the Dzilam State Reserve, to strengthen the understanding of the impacts of climate change on the area. This approach has been materialized through the inclusion of the community as main partners and contributors, the application of machine learning techniques and the construction of multi-sectoral alliances.

The Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is one of the most endangered primates in the world, living in the Bawangling area of Hainan Province, China. Comprehensive tracking and monitoring is required for better conservation, but because of the difficulty in vivo tracking, acoustic equipment is needed for monitoring.

“Tech4Nature” is a global project jointly launched by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Huawei, aiming to develop more scientific protection measures, combined with the ICT industry, digital technology and IUCN Green List standards, provides technical support for the acoustic monitoring project of Hainan gibbons. To date, full coverage of 5 family groups monitoring has been achieved, automatic identification and real-time back transmission of Hainan gibbon acoustic monitoring have been realized.

The Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve is one of the most important zones for biodiversity conservation in coastal Ecuador. Local residents are heavily dependent on it, with artisanal fishing as a core activity. The fishing association Arte Langosta and the Nazca Institute created a participatory management system which promotes the protection of biodiversity and sustainable local development. Stakeholders and authorities develop an effective governance model with fair economic alternatives.

The solution to bring greater transparency into the commercial fishery is enabling fishers to make better choices about where to target their effort so as to the reduce waste, to improve survivability of young fish, to change their fishing practices and to record and report their total catch so that it can be aggregated into commercial data sets. If fishers can better target their effort and reduce unwanted bycatch this benefits the fishery, sustainability and the fisher’s financial performance.

High levels of marine productivity around the National Park Isla Isabel attract fishermen, who have been using the island as a temporary camp site for almost 100 years. However, a steadily growing number of fishermen and a lack of organisation have increased the pressure on the island’s natural resources. CONANP initiated a participatory process with the local fishermen to improve the management of the fishing camp and ensure that all activities meet environmental regulations.

The hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) is the national fish of Bangladesh, supporting the livelihoods of more than 500,000 people, particularly in coastal communities. The Bangladesh government’s Department of Fisheries uses incentive-based management to protect its hilsa stocks. Under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan, all fishing is banned for several months a year in a number of coastal sanctuary areas, and during these periods affected fishing households are offered compensation in the form of rice to improve food security and replace lost income. Other affected households are offered training and support to diversify their income sources. Used in conjunction with adaptive co-management and activities to raise awareness around sustainable fishing practices, this distribution of benefits aims to incentivise compliance with fishing regulations and improve the socioeconomic condition of fishing households.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMC) constituted by representatives from local fisherfolk, government, academia, civil society and private sectors serve as a legal forum to jointly discuss and decide solutions for the sustainable use of municipal marine resources. Through the FARMC resource users have a legal status and are actively involved in the management of fisheries and aquatic resources and take part in the decision making process.

 The SmartFish Group, a social enterprise, directly incentivizes Mexican artisanal fishing cooperatives to improve their environmental and social performance. SmartFish NGO incubates worthy co-ops to market readiness with responsible seafood, empowering fishers to catch and produce high quality, responsibly caught seafood to overcome the vicious cycle of overfishing. SmartFish Inc. acts as a “good intermediary,” placing their triple impact seafood into prefential markets with transparency and traceability, rewarding them for their responsible practices.

La red de áreas marinas de pesca responsable es la unión de los diferentes territorios marinos bajo una forma de gobernanza compartida tanto en el Pacífico como en el Caribe costarricense.  A través de esta Red, pescadores y pescadoras de toda Costa Rica participan de forma activa en la toma de decisiones referentes a la pesca responsable y la erradicación de la pobreza en las zonas costero-marinas.  La Red promueve la acción colectiva de aprendizaje y busca formas de conservación marinas basadas en el respeto de los derechos humanos.

Since 2009, EcoGourmet has enhanced the technical and administrative capacities of artisanal fishing cooperatives and to achieve responsible fishing. EcoGourmet facilitates the signing of fair agreements between suppliers, fishing cooperatives and restaurants and sensitizes consumers to the ramifications of their purchasing decisions. Participating restaurants offer locally sourced, sustainably caught fish. Negative impacts on ecosystems are reduced while profits for local fishers increased.

The solution addresses the challenge of how to identify and ensure that legal fishing vessels pay their license fees to district authorities, which are important as they fund fisheries management and enforcement efforts of local government structures. It uses a color coded small plastic zip-lock cable tie to identify licensed vessels, enabling fisheries officers and local community-based structures to determine if a vessel is legal and has paid the relevant fees for a particular district.

The Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve is one of the most important zones for biodiversity conservation in coastal Ecuador. Local residents are heavily dependent on it, with artisanal fishing as a core activity. The fishing association Arte Langosta and the Nazca Institute created a participatory management system which promotes the protection of biodiversity and sustainable local development. Stakeholders and authorities develop an effective governance model with fair economic alternatives.

Fishing is an important and primary activity for Imraguen populations in Banc d’Arguin National Park. Imraguen women are engaged in processing fishery products using different species of fish, the most famous is the yellow mullet. This activity often provides women with only small revenues. To support them, the park administration has set up the “Imraguen Credit Fund ” with a 0% interest rate.

Fisheries governance involving fishers in the Caribbean region, promotes the participation of fishers in fisheries management processes and allows for the inclusion of the knowledge, experience and interest of fishers into fisheries policy and law. Problems associated with management regimes that excluded fisher participation include fisher marginalization, negative impacts on fisher livelihoods and related social, economic, food and nutrition issues.

The Upper Gulf of California is home to a variety of marine species, including the endemic Gulf corvina whose use provides a livelihood to more than 9,000 people. Unsustainable resource use has led to the overexploited of this species.
Catch Shares (MCC)is a framework for sustainable fisheries management, resulting in reduced overfishing while improving the economic wellbeing of fisherfolk dependent on healthy marine ecosystems.

Sazani has piloted and expanded an approach to support the development of sustainable livelihoods through education and training in Zanzibar, incl. the delivery of a curriculum to embed Education for Sustainable Development into teacher training and classroom delivery; Provision of training in climate smart appropriate technologies; Supporting climate smart enterprises, incl. jam production using rocket stoves, solar drying as well as bee keeping, mud crab fattening and sustainable agriculture.

The Nasoata Island Co-Management is a partnership that brings together formal and informal management systems (national, provincial & community) for the conservation of biodiversity in Nasoata Island supporting the traditional fishing rights owners of Nakorovou Village, Rewa Province, Fiji Islands.

The solution to bring greater transparency into the commercial fishery is enabling fishers to make better choices about where to target their effort so as to the reduce waste, to improve survivability of young fish, to change their fishing practices and to record and report their total catch so that it can be aggregated into commercial data sets. If fishers can better target their effort and reduce unwanted bycatch this benefits the fishery, sustainability and the fisher’s financial performance.

Costa Rica’s coastal population is culturally and economically closely tied to the seashore and strongly dependent on artisanal fisheries. However, blocked access to marine resources, degraded and polluted habitats and declining fish stocks threaten livelihoods and increase local poverty. The artisanal fishermen’s cooperative CoopeTárcoles R.L, encouraged the community to use local marine resources sustainably, thus guaranteeing their economic future and cultural way of life. They led a dialogue with the semi-industrial fleet to reach agreements on the use of the marine territory. They have promoted a collaborative governance model for the management of the country´s marine territory where fishers and government work together towards responsible fishing and improvement of the quality of life of the communities.

The Bird’s Head Seascape (BHS) addresses habitat destruction from overfishing and resource exploitation in West Papua, Indonesia, through a large-scale ecologically-connected and community-driven Marine Protected Area (MPA) network to preserve biodiversity and regenerate local fisheries.

This solution addresses poverty reduction in Zanzibar for its coastal communities through a more sustainable management of their natural resources, additional income, and consequently, better quality of life. The approach of implementing ecological aqua farming of bath sponges with women in coastal communites promotes healthy economic growth, reduces environmental pressure and threats to marine life and othernatural wildlife, improves public health and strenghtens the economic and social status of women.

In Ecuador, mangroves traditionally supplied coastal communities with a variety of goods. Extensive shrimp farming and weak enforcement of policies, however, have critically depleted mangrove ecosystems, negatively impacted livelihoods of users. Recognizing the problems associated with mangrove degradation, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) implemented sustainable use agreements as an innovative coastal management policy.

This solution adopts a dual bottom-up / top-down approach to local marine resource management in a network of 26 marine reserves. It developed a seascape-scale coastal fisheries co-management plan providing formal national recognition for local fishers’ rights, and customary social conventions (dina) between fisher communities. Fishers were resourced to enforce regulations and the dina to increase their role in marine resource management, and compensate for under-resourced Government agencies.

Kawawana (“our local heritage to be preserved by us all”) is an estuarine territory where the ancient governance and management rules –renovated and agreed upon also by the municipal and regional governments – are finally again respected. With not a cent of outside support, the local fishermen govern, manage and provide much needed surveillance operations for their own Kawawana, which has dramatically recovered in quantity and quality of biodiversity (fish, dolphins, crocodiles, birds…).

Voluntary and temporary closures of octopus fishing grounds are used as a point of entry for community-based conservation. Closures typically cover 25% of a community’s overall octopus fishing area and are in place for 2-3 months at a time. There is compelling evidence that this improves fishery yields and local incomes, thereby building support to protect natural resources through locally managed marine areas (LMMAs); areas where the management of marine resources are at least in part under community control. These LMMAs often employ marine management strategies such as bans on destructive fishing practices and  community-enforced permanent no-take zones.

The Lauru PAN in Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands, is the first locally managed marine area (LMMA) network in Melanesia. It was established in a community-led process and based on a master conservation plan that is continuously updated. Good governance and conservation impacts are monitored. The partnership between TNC, LLCTC and Choiseul provincial government results in better protection of marine resources and legal security over access rights.

In the Biological Corridor from Puerto Peñasco to Puerto Lobos, Sonora a coastal -marine spatial planning and ecosystem management process is emerging. It is a framework to resolve growing conflicts between different stakeholders/users in the region and a mechanism for building ecosystem stewardship. Through a bottom-up process, traditional users (fishers & oyster farmers) are engaged in designing spatial solutions with a management team including scientists and government.

Sea level rise makes it necessary to raise the dikes of rice fields. However, indigenous people of Guinea-Bissau lack employment, and tend to leave the rice fields. The initiative focuses on helping to restore rice fields and mangroves that were once abandoned. A set of alternative activities (fishing, tourism) and conservation measures complement this shared governance model.

This solution addresses sustainable marine management in Zanzibar in the face of increased fishing pressure. It illustrates that the implementation of a successful octopus management regime can improve yields in a very short period of time through 3-month voluntary no-take zones (NTZ). The participatory approach in training, learning and data analysis can provide an entry point for the wider introduction of collaborative management, to the benefit of all stakeholders.

The local fishermen of Marcona (Ica, Peru), who benefit from the marine resources of San Fernando Cove (Ensenada de San Fernando), were engaged in participatory processes to create and categorize a National Reserve. The fishermen are active partners in current management through the Management Committee of the National Reserve of San Fernando.

ARCAS implements conservation activities on the Pacific coast of Guatemala to counteract threats to leatherback and olive ridley turtle populations from overharvesting by local egg collectors. We work with local communities by training, supporting and advising them in the protection of marine ecosystems. Environmental education helps to ensure long-term sustainable community development, and volunteers and sponsors are invited to participate in conservation activities.

Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMC) constituted by representatives from local fisherfolk, government, academia, civil society and private sectors serve as a legal forum to jointly discuss and decide solutions for the sustainable use of municipal marine resources. Through the FARMC resource users have a legal status and are actively involved in the management of fisheries and aquatic resources and take part in the decision making process.

The ABALOBI initiative is a transdisciplinary research and social learning endeavour, bringing together stakeholders with traditional fishers taking centre stage. It is a participatory action research project with a strong community development component. ABALOBI, a free app/programme, is aimed at social justice and poverty alleviation in the small-scale fisheries chain, transformation in the way we produce knowledge, stewardship of our marine resources, and building resilience to climate change

Quintana Roo (Mexico) has a high marine productivity, but over-fishing and coastal development are leading to a decline of key ecosystems due to pollution and habitat loss. Climate Change is an additional stress factor to this already impacted environment. Lack of artisanal fishermen’s participation in fisheries management has resulted in unsustainable species extraction. To enable change and facilitate collaboration for conservation, the Kanan Kay Alliance was founded as an inter-sectorial coalition promoting shared responsIbility through collective action. Its goal is to protect 20% of the territorial sea through a network of fish refuges; fostering fishermen’s participation in fisheries management.

Sea level rise has led to coastal erosion reducing the island of Mousuni while population increases. Salinity due to brackish water floods makes impossible cultivation for two years, and the use of high yielding paddy varieties. Community development capacity and re-introduction of traditional but salt tolerant paddy varieties and resistant fish and prawn species reached disaster preparedness, increases the resilience of the community, and secures livelihood.

To achieve sustainability in conservation agreements in El Caura, Phynatura has generated social, financial and conservation capacities in local communities. Activities related to environmental education, environmental monitoring, accounting for small businesses, among others, result in conservation, local organization, marketing of non-timber forest products and trained communities. With all these elements that guarantee conservation in the Conservation Agreement Suapure within the Caura Forest Reserve, it is time to achieve sustainability through the consolidation of communities as the main actor in conservation agreements.

Pride conservation campaigns are implemented in four Latin American countries to generate community stewardship of marine resources, by adopting Fisheries Replenishment Zones (FRZ), alternative income activities and voluntary gear changes. Social marketing, fisheries technical assistance, capacity building and biological monitoring changed community behavior to reduce fishing threats and increase fish abundance, species diversity, and habitat health.

Pilar Municipal Marine Park (PMMP) is on Ponson Island, Philippines between Lower Poblacion and Villahermosa villages. Located in what is considered a priority conservation area for reef fishes, the region was previously threatened by compressor fishing and illegal intrusion of commercial fishing boats. To address these threats, PMMP established an innovative multi-stakeholder management scheme with a no-take zone, driving people and nature impacts.

A unique partnership between a lodge, a university and the local communities (especially the CCP, Community Fishing Council), resulted in more than 12 years of protection of natural resources through the Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) of Vamizi Island, or as it is locally known: a sanctuary.

The solution focused on the mitigation of the two biggest problems of the local community: health and education. Supporting medical aid and capacity building for teachers of a local school were the “exchange currency” for starting an LMMA on the island.  After initial mistrust, fishermen were persuaded to cooperate: 6 years later, fisheries around Vamizi improved and became significantly better than those in surrounding waters.

Vamizi Island is now famous for its LMMA, a place where taking turtles, mosquito net fishing and illegal scuba diving are banned. The LMMA has increased the fisher’s catch rates and can count on the Fisheries Council to control illegal fishing around it.

Endangered species, particularly rhinos, continue to face pressure from poaching and loss of habitat across the continent. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s solution to these challenges is to adopt a community-centric conservation model that recognises that conservation efforts can only be successful and long-term if the local people are involved, participate and derive value that supports their day to day livelihoods. Over the years, Lewa has used conservation as a platform to protect and grow populations of endangered and threatened wildlife species, carry out research and monitoring programmes, promote a safer landscape by providing security for both people and wildlife, initiate and support livelihood programmes, run low-impact tourism, and catalyse conservation across northern Kenya. As a result of its successes, Lewa has become one of the learning grounds of integrated private-community conservation practices, and how conservation can benefit both people and wildlife. 

In coastal Andhra Pradesh in India, deforestation and aquaculture threaten unprotected mangrove forests and several vulnerable species that inhabit them, primarily fishing cats (Prionailurus viverrinus) and smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata). A feasible strategy to conserve these unprotected mangroves is to provide human communities with alternative and sustainable livelihoods. One idea that can potentially curb deforestation is the sustainable harvest of mangrove mud crabs (Scylla spp.) with crab-culture boxes in naturally occurring water channels among mangroves. This idea is also a low-investment alternative to commercial aquaculture ponds that are more expensive to maintain, pollute natural waters, and are prone to income losses due to soil infertility.

196 Sustainable Livelihood projects were financed by LEEMP-GEF from 2004-2010 in 40 Support Zone Communities (SZCs) of Lake Kainji National Park. Building on this investment, the NPS-Bridging fund Project helped to scale up to 206 projects in 46 communities from 2011 to date.

The projects rely on a system of revolving product assets among members of the group. The assets include cows worth N60,000 (US$167) as well as medication and feeding worth N40,000.00 (US$111). The product assets are given to the 1st beneficiary, who fattens the cows for 6 months to 1 year, then sells them, keeping one and giving another one to a different group member to fatten. This continues until all members of the group have benefitted. The revolving is then repeated.

From 2010 to date all the members of the hunters and youth user group in the SZCs of the park have benefitted, and the scheme is now in the second round.

In Foreste Casentinesi National Park, the annual census of Red Deer, based on the vocal rutting monitoring, has become a very important event involving for three days and nights more than 600 volunteers that arrive from all over Italy and abroad, belonging to different categories: wildlife managers, scientists, rangers, students, hunters, environmentalists and ordinary volunteers. All the involved volunteers are requested to spend many hours in the night outside. They are divided in couples, listening to rutting deer and registering data. During the days, they attend seminars, training lessons and moments of conviviality. The original goal of monitoring the Red Deer population for managing purposes is now accompanied by other important objectives: removal of cultural barriers between people from very different cultural and social backgrounds about nature conservation; nature tourism opportunity; social experience, creating a strong feeling with the Park.

The solution provides sustainable adaptation for people depending on vulnerable coastal areas of India that are further stressed by climate change, particularly sea level rise. Socio-economic and ecological characteristics are used to plan and implement an innovative brackish water  farming system. In this system, mangrove plantation is integrated with aquaculture, with mangroves and halophytes planted on outer and inner bunds (dam)  of the system to protect against rising sea level, cyclones and other natural disasters and water spread area used for aquaculture for income generation.

Mexican marine ecosystems are not exempt from overexploitation. Approximately 17% of the Mexican fisheries are overexploited,  70% are at the maximum sustainable yield, and only 13% are underexploited. With 41% of the Mexican population living in coastal municipalities and 11,000 coastal communities with less than 15,000 habitants mainly relying on the marine resources and ecosystems, sustainable fisheries are crucial to ensuring employment, income, and food security for many people.  

COBI has developed four building blocks to reverse the degradation of the marine environment: 1) capacity building of leaders and fishing organizations, 2) sustainable fishing, 3) marine reserves, and 4) support to public policies. For each, COBI develops demonstrative models that can be adopted by fishing organizations and other stakeholders in Mexico and elsewhere.

The transversal elements of our work are collective action, citizen science, and gender equality. 

This solution aims to create a better governance (shared governance) of natural resources in the coastal zone of Soc Trang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam to protect its first line of coastal defence (mangroves) and to improve the livelihood of local communities through resource conservation. This approach also ensures climate justice through participative stakeholder processes and benefits for all affected stakeholders.

Kuruwitu Conservation and Welfare Association(KCWA) was set up in 2003 by members of the community concerned about the degradation of their seas. Over-fishing and effects of climate change needed to be addressed before the marine ecosystem was damaged beyond repair. Fishers and concerned residents who remembered how healthy and productive the sea had been in the past felt it necessary to act before it was too late. In 2005 they took the unprecedented step of setting aside a 30-hectare Marine Protected Area (MPA). This was the first coral based Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) in Kenya. Twelve years on, the area has made a remarkable recovery. With fishing prohibited within the MPA, fish have grown in abundance, size and diversity. Fish catches in the area have improved,and alternative income generating enterprises have been introduced. Kuruwitu has become a model for sustainable marine conservation. The KCWA share their knowledge with other local and regional coastal communities.

The Galera-San Francisco Marine Reserve is one of the most important zones for biodiversity conservation in coastal Ecuador. Local residents are heavily dependent on it, with artisanal fishing as a core activity. The fishing association Arte Langosta and the Nazca Institute created a participatory management system which promotes the protection of biodiversity and sustainable local development. Stakeholders and authorities develop an effective governance model with fair economic alternatives.

Fishing is an important and primary activity for Imraguen populations in Banc d’Arguin National Park. Imraguen women are engaged in processing fishery products using different species of fish, the most famous is the yellow mullet. This activity often provides women with only small revenues. To support them, the park administration has set up the “Imraguen Credit Fund ” with a 0% interest rate.

The hilsa shad (Tenualosa ilisha) is the national fish of Bangladesh, supporting the livelihoods of more than 500,000 people, particularly in coastal communities. The Bangladesh government’s Department of Fisheries uses incentive-based management to protect its hilsa stocks. Under the Hilsa Fisheries Management Action Plan, all fishing is banned for several months a year in a number of coastal sanctuary areas, and during these periods affected fishing households are offered compensation in the form of rice to improve food security and replace lost income. Other affected households are offered training and support to diversify their income sources. Used in conjunction with adaptive co-management and activities to raise awareness around sustainable fishing practices, this distribution of benefits aims to incentivise compliance with fishing regulations and improve the socioeconomic condition of fishing households.

Through eco-tourism the WCS, park authorities, business and communities are protecting globally significant endangered species in northern Cambodia. These enterprises generate enough revenue for local people to change their behavior to more wildlife friendly ways, while also increasing their wealth. Communities manage eco-lodges and provide employment. A community payment directly linked to conservation is discretionary spending for the village committee.

La gestión participativa es clave para Santuario Nacional Megantoni (SNM), por ello promueve los acuerdos de conservación (AC), con asociaciones de productores, comunidades nativas y la empresa privada como La Ibérica (empresa chocolatera) y PERHUSA (empresa exportadora de café), con la finalidad de promover la conservación de la biodiversidad del SNM y dinamizar el desarrollo local.

Actualmente se tienen 06 AC, que benefician a 248 familias y estas a su vez retribuyen protegiendo 58 367 ha del SNM y 33 459 ha en la zona de amortiguamiento mediante acciones de vigilancia comunal. El SERNANP acompaña en el proceso, capacita y reconoce a los vigilantes comunales. Las empresas compran el cacao y café a precios justos y hacen uso del sello “Aliado por la Conservación”, certificación que demuestra que los servicios o productos son elaborados bajo un esquema de buen uso y manejo

La pesquería de calamar gigante en México, ha atravesado en la última década considerables variaciones en sus capturas, debido a la baja disponibilidad asociada a su abundancia, ya que está principalmente condicionada por los efectos del cambio climático y de El Niño (menos abundancia del recurso) y La Niña (el stock tiende a recuperarse). Dadas las fluctuaciones, el sector productivo ha tenido que adaptarse a través de diferentes componentes para continuar aprovechando el recurso de manera sostenible. Las pescadoras y los pescadores se han organizado en un Comité Nacional Sistema Producto, figura reconocida por la LGPAS, que ha permitido trabajar en estrategias tanto a nivel artesanal como industrial, a través de un sistema de monitoreo, sinergias y financiamiento multisectorial por parte del gobierno y academia, así como la integración de la cadena de valor dentro de sus comités estatales.

El Servicio Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (SERNANP) por el Estado Peruano, tiene entre sus funciones la administración de 75 Áreas Naturales Protegidas, que representan el 15% del territorio nacional, con el objetivo de conservar su diversidad biológica. Aproximadamente, al rededor de 90 mil personas viven al interior de ANP y 750 mil personas en las zonas de amortiguamiento.

La estrategia de manejo de recursos naturales implementada, tiene como objetivo regular y formalizar el aprovechamiento de recursos de flora y fauna silvestre, para evitar la sobre-explotación de recursos, evidenciar los beneficios de la conservación y generar bienestar a la población local socia de la conservación.
Más de 2000 familias han formalizado el manejo de recursos asumiendo compromisos ambientales, sin embargo la venta de sus productos está mal pagada en el mercado. Para hacer frente a esto, la SERNANP creó la marca, Aliados por la Conservación con el objetivo de diferenciar estos productos y posicionarlos en el mercado.

L’Institut de développement durable Mamirauá a été fondé en 1999 en vue de proposer des connaissances scientifiques, technologiques et novatrices aux communautés de la région de l’Amazonie. Le mandat est exercé avec le plus haut niveau d’éthique et de responsabilité, en respectant les connaissances traditionnelles des habitants.

L’Institut a créé la Réserve de développement durable de Mamirauá. D’une superficie de 1 240 000 hectares, la Réserve abrite la plus grande zone humide de la planète, ce qui la place au premier rang des réserves de développement durable (de catégorie 6 de l’Union internationale pour la conservation de la nature) au Brésil.

Au cours des dernières décennies, la Réserve de développement durable de Mamirauá a été surexploitée par des entreprises privées. C’est pourquoi l’Institut travaille en étroite collaboration avec les communautés locales afin de veiller à l’utilisation durable des ressources halieutiques.

La red de áreas marinas de pesca responsable es la unión de los diferentes territorios marinos bajo una forma de gobernanza compartida tanto en el Pacífico como en el Caribe costarricense.  A través de esta Red, pescadores y pescadoras de toda Costa Rica participan de forma activa en la toma de decisiones referentes a la pesca responsable y la erradicación de la pobreza en las zonas costero-marinas.  La Red promueve la acción colectiva de aprendizaje y busca formas de conservación marinas basadas en el respeto de los derechos humanos.

Las pesquerías de almejas y callos tienen un papel muy importante para el bienestar de las comunidades costeras del noroeste de México. Estas pesquerías enfrentan desafíos como sobre-explotación, ilegalidad, mal manejo, falta de información, bajo involucramiento del sector productivo en la toma de decisiones, entre otros. Para afrontar estos retos, en COBI se han implementado diversas herramientas de manejo en colaboración con diferentes actores (comunidades pesqueras, sector de gobierno, academia y organizaciones de la sociedad civil). Estas herramientas incluyen el diseño y adopción de estrategias integrales de aprovechamiento. Además, se ha generado información sistematizada que ayuda a diseñar y evaluar las estrategias de aprovechamiento, identificar los impactos ambientales en la pesquería y, crear sistemas de manejo sostenible para almejas y callos, ya sea a través de procesos formales, por medio de un decreto oficial, o tradicionales, mediante acuerdos comunitarios.

En México, la mayoría de las pesquerías en pequeña escala que capturan peces carecen de monitoreo pesquero y biológico adecuado. Esto deja vacíos de información y dificulta su manejo. También, complica el reconocimiento de dichas pesquerías ante estándares internacionales, así como la existencia de un beneficio social y económico para las pescadoras y los pescadores. Con el fin de lograr una pesca sostenible de la pesquería de peces (excluyendo a los tiburones y rayas) en México, los actores involucrados en esta pesquería se unieron, bajo un esquema de co-manejo y co-financiamiento, que incorpora la igualdad de género, para establecer un monitoreo pesquero que brinde información para generar mejoras en la pesquería y en su manejo. Esto ha posicionado a las pescadoras y los pescadores como pioneros en sostenibilidad pesquera, siendo un ejemplo para muchas otras personas dedicadas a la pesca.

Une mission de déploiement et d’installation de caméras traps a été effectuée par l’équipe de l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE dans le parc national Fazao-Malfakassa (PNFM) et la Réserve de Faune d’Abdoulaye du 1er au 10 mars 2021 avec l’appui des conservateurs et écogardes.

En mai 2020, l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE a bénéficié d’une subvention pour le projet « Contribution à l’amélioration des statuts de conservation des carnivores dans les aires protégées du Togo » financement de l’IUCN Save Our Species et de l’Union Européenne pour établir les preuves scientifiques de la présence des grands carnivores : le lion (Panthera leo) et le léopard (Panthera pardus) au Togo. Ont pris part à cette mission de collecte de données de la présence de ces grands carnivores au Togo, le Directeur Exécutif de l’ONG AGBO-ZEGUE, John Kokou Toviho GAGLO, et les deux assistants techniques du projet, Madame Jeanne Kafui DEKAWOLE et Monsieur Délagnon ASSOU.

Fishing is an important and primary activity for Imraguen populations in Banc d’Arguin National Park. Imraguen women are engaged in processing fishery products using different species of fish, the most famous is the yellow mullet. This activity often provides women with only small revenues. To support them, the park administration has set up the “Imraguen Credit Fund ” with a 0% interest rate.

The Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development was created in 1999 to provide science, technology and innovation to communities in the Amazon region. This is done with a high level of ethics and responsibility, respecting their traditional knowledge.

The Institute is responsible for the creation of the Mamirauá Reserve. With 1,240,000 hectares, the reserve has the largest wetland area on the planet and is the first Sustainable Development Reserve (IUCN category 6) in Brazil.

In recent decades, Mamiraua has been over-exploited by private companies, so the Institute works closely with local communities to ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources.

Mama Fatuma, the hard working middle aged woman living in Kibuyuni Village of Kwale County embodies the success of seaweed farming on the Kenyan coast. In a village where the predominant economic activity of fishing is a preserve of the men, Mama Fatuma encouraged fellow women to embark on seaweed farming as an alternative economic activity to wean them off over-reliance on their men folk and to enable them contribute to the family income. Following research trials and support from various sectors, seaweed farming is now earning Kibuyuni Village over USD 11,000 from the initial USD 2,000 in 2012 and beginning to thrive in various places along the south coast of Kenya and improving livelihoods through provision of additional income for families to pay school fees, meet medical costs and diversify the economy. It has also generated interest in mariculture and marine science generally among the youth in coastal Kenya.

In Zanzibar, seaweed farming is a small-scale but important livelihood activity, carried out at 80% by women. Recently, declines in production were observed, proved to be mostly due to climate change.

Tubular nets – an innovation piloted in the context of the Sea PoWer initiative, have shown promise over the traditional “off-bottom” peg and rope technology to improve seaweed productivity and local ecosystem conditions. However, tubular nets are used in deeper waters, and thus, require swimming or boat handling skills that most women do not have. Establishing seaweed farms in deeper water, using new technologies, could only be a successful adaptation option, with institutional support, significant investment and through the empowerment of women and the participation of local communities.

In 2020, Honduras was not only affected by the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic but saw also massive disruptions and destruction caused by back-to-back hurricanes, Eta and Iota. The compounded effects of this double-crisis had major impacts on coastal communities.

Still, communities part of Rare’s community-driven Fish Forever program [GP1] showcased resilience towards these impacts, coping comparatively well. Coastal communities supported each other, demonstrating solidarity and strong social cohesion, and leveraged their healthy fisheries and money saved through Fish Forever’s savings clubs to cover income losses and other emergencies, ensure local food security, and recover. The crises also led to new opportunities through local entrepreneurship and a stronger understanding across local stakeholders of the importance of a healthy ocean for local livelihoods and food security.

The present case study is prepared by the Van Gujjar Tribal Yuva Sanghatan (Hereinafter, Sanghatan) to highlight the measures undertaken by the Van Gujjar pastoralists engaging in breed conservation of the indigenous Gojri buffalo and protecting its pastoral landscape. The Sanghatan has chosen Kunaon Chaur, a grassland within Gohri range, Pauri Garhwal district, as a model site to throw light on how they utilize common property resources and contribute towards sustainable pasture land development. The recognition for the work of the Sanghatan in this landscape will encourage it to develop similar practices in other regions with Van Gujjars and the Gojri breed therein. The Sanghatan hopes its efforts on facilitating claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and sustained conservation initiatives will bring positive reward in the near future.

Since 2009, EcoGourmet has enhanced the technical and administrative capacities of artisanal fishing cooperatives and to achieve responsible fishing. EcoGourmet facilitates the signing of fair agreements between suppliers, fishing cooperatives and restaurants and sensitizes consumers to the ramifications of their purchasing decisions. Participating restaurants offer locally sourced, sustainably caught fish. Negative impacts on ecosystems are reduced while profits for local fishers increased.