MPA News
When Fishing Grounds Are Closed: Developing Alternative Livelihoods for Fishing Communities
Closure of customary fishing grounds, whether for fisheries management or as part of an MPA, can strain coastal communities. Fishers, processors, and other workers dependent on fisheries for income may find few options for other employment, particularly in remote, rural areas. When prospects for alternative employment are limited, fishing-dependent communities can suffer economic hardships, including unemployment and outward migration. In areas with little or no enforcement, fishers may be tempted to resume fishing within the closures. It may be in the interest of governments and MPA proponents to help ensure there are alternative livelihoods available for displaced fishers. But developing…
MPA Perspective: International Advisory Boards: A Tool for Local MPA Management
Editor’s note: Marion Howard served for six years as environmental advisor and MPA coordinator for CORALINA, a Colombian government agency. CORALINA manages the natural resources and sustainable development of Colombia’s vast San Andres Archipelago, designated in 2000 as the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve. The marine section of the reserve is 300,000 km2. Howard is now an independent consultant on Caribbean coastal and marine conservation issues, based in the Cayman Islands. By Marion Howard, Former MPA Coordinator, CORALINA In isolated coastal communities, MPAs can face the challenge of promoting local management without sacrificing expertise. CORALINA, a Colombian government agency that manages natural…
Letter to the Editor
Dear MPA News: John Clark is right to be concerned about the closure of areas to fishing and other activities (“Letter to the Editor”, MPA News 5:1). No-take zones should not be seen as the answer to all our management failures. Our focus needs to be on the use of a suite of MPA tools (including closed areas, sustainable multi-use areas, and wider sea-use planning) in relation to the future stewardship of the marine environment. It is important to remember, however, that controlled and balanced use (sustainable development) does not necessarily protect the structure and function of marine ecosystems or…
Notes & News
Action plan provides guide for building MPA network in SE Asia To sustain the high biodiversity and economic value of marine ecosystems in Southeast Asia, a team of government officials, academics, and NGOs has crafted a regional action plan (RAP) to guide establishment of a network of MPAs by 2012. Envisioning a representative and self-sufficient network designed to adapt to environmental change, the RAP provides a portfolio of proposals and implementation strategies, including innovative financing and communications mechanisms. Rili Djohani, director of the Southeast Asia Center for Marine Protected Areas, chairs the working group that developed the RAP for the…
Using Locals in Enforcement, Some MPA Managers See Improved Compliance as a Result
Where there is little or no community support for a marine protected area, compliance with MPA rules may be low and enforcement difficult. This point often underscores the adoption of community-based processes in planning protected areas. However, even with strong local involvement in planning, some level of non-compliance will likely persist, particularly at sites with no regular enforcement presence. Seeking a way to enforce rules while adhering to the concept of community “ownership” of an MPA, some managers have instituted systems of using locals as enforcement officials. These local enforcement patrols – sometimes done in conjunction with professional rangers, sometimes…
Draft Zoning Plan for Great Barrier Reef Draws Reaction, Faces Changes
The draft plan to re-zone the massive Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, proposing to set aside roughly one-third of the park as no-take areas, has drawn strong reactions from stakeholder groups throughout the state of Queensland (Australia). Released in June and open for public comment until August 4, 2003, the plan is expected to undergo changes before heading forward in the legislative process. “There is room to move boundaries and/or proposed no-take zones in some bioregions, so I have no doubt that there will be amendments,” says Jon Day, Director of Conservation for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority…
MPA Perspective: Bringing in the Cash: A Short Guide to Fundraising
Editor’s note: Richard Offen has raised funds for the National Trust, a UK conservation NGO, since 1989. In 1993, he undertook management of the Trust’s Neptune Coastline Campaign to acquire and maintain outstanding natural or historic coastal land in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Through the campaign, the Trust has protected 600 miles of coastline, now privately owned by the organization (MPA News 4:10). This month, Offen is leaving the National Trust to start his own fundraising consultancy. Contact information for his new consultancy is available at the end of his perspective piece below. By Richard Offen, Manager, Neptune Coastline…
Notes & News
Coalition launches effort to establish West African MPA network A coalition of environment and fisheries ministers from West African nations have agreed to establish a network of national and transboundary MPAs in the region and restore fisheries to sustainable levels, among other goals. The “Regional Strategy for Marine Protected Areas in West Africa” aims to allow the harmonization of protection efforts within five years, based on a shared vision of sustainable development and poverty reduction. It will involve the governments of Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal. “The point is that we realize our MPAs have a number…
Letter to the Editor
Dear MPA News: The worldwide clarion call for “no-take zones” has me worried. Have we so failed in management that we must now totally close MPAs to fishing and other uses? Controlled and balanced use of resources through management programs used to be our objective. Now we seem to be giving up on management and turning to closed areas as the solution for all our failures. Closed areas may seem easier in execution but could be seen as a simple-minded approach compared to intelligent management of activities in MPAs, which includes exclusion in certain replenishment areas. John R. Clark 281…
Draft Plan Calls for One Third of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park To Be No-Take
Commercial and recreational fishing should be banned in nearly one third of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to protect the range of reef and non-reef species and communities, according to a draft zoning plan released by the Australian Government on June 2. The plan, now out for public comment, would designate 111,700 km2 of the 350,000-km2 marine park as off-limits to fishing, effectively creating the world’s largest network of no-take marine reserves. Presently, no-take zones – called “green zones” in the draft plan – account for just 16,000 km2, or 4.6%, of the marine park. The marine park as…