“Status and potential of locally-managed marine areas in the South Pacific Island Region”

1. “Status and potential of locally-managed marine areas in the South Pacific Island Region” Hugh Govan LMMA Network

2. Content • Based on SPREP/WWF review of regional progress and LMMA annual reports • Overview of history and status • Characteristics • Lessons and challenges • Potential for CEAFM or EBM

4. Traditional purposes / food allocation Conservation Fisheries management / Livelihoods Biodiversity Evolution of LMMAs and objectives Pre- 1900s Ceremonial or Kastom purposes (Vanuatu, Fiji ) Support agencies (up to 1990s) Harvest tabu area when fish are plentiful (Vanuatu) To protect the nesting ground and rookery of the Hawksbill and other sea turtles in the Arnavon Islands. (AMCA) Support agencies (since 1990s) To manage and protect the inshore area to help increase the amount of resources (Tonga) Locally Managed Marine Areas

5. S P E C T R U M OF O B J E C T I V E S Local or internal Global or external

6. Courtesy of M. Mills, JCU

7. Inventory of Marine Managed Areas in Pacific Countries *This estimation excludes the Phoenix Island Protected Area that comprises 408,250 km² making 11% of the EEZ under management once the management plan and endowment will be finalized.

8. Inventory of Marine Managed Areas in Pacific Territories * Including World Heritage core marine areas declared in 2008 comprising 15,743 km² and excluding the buffer zone of 12,871 km².

9. What are these marine managed areas like? Roviana, Solomon Islands

10. Most are community conserved areas or LMMAS Fishing reserve (tabu), Solomon Islands Community planning, Tuvalu Sa - (No-take zones) in Safata MPA, Samoa Traditional declaration of a tabu in Vanuatu (with pig killing)

11. Many are performing adaptive management in which communities identify problems, examine options, implement actions and evaluate

12. The same adaptive management process can be use for integrated management, disaster preparedness, adaptation and other community development purposes Paunagisu, Marou and Anelgehaut in Vanuatu have watershed and development plans integrated in their “MPA plan”

13. No-take zones or tabus are smalle.g. Solomon Islands …and the tabus may be periodically opened.

14. Importance of social networks • Traditional ties and neighbouring communities (trickle down) • Government sponsored e.g. Fisheries or Environment department in Samoa • Provincial or district (e.g. Kadavu, GERUSA) • National multi-stakeholder e.g. FLMMA, SILMMA, PNG-LMMA • Regional NGOs e.g. WWF, TNC, FSPI • Regional mixed e.g. LMMA network, PIMPAC, MIC

15. The Locally Managed Marine Area Network (LMMA)

16. LMMA Network Members LMMA Country Networks Philippines PLMMA Palau FSM ILMMA PNGCLMA SILMMA Solomon Islands Indonesia Papua New Guinea Vanuatu Fiji Islands FLMMA

17. Site members of the LMMA Network 2009

18. Courtesy of M. Mills, JCU

19. Kadavu Yaubula Management Support Team A. Tawake

20. Kadavu Yaubula Management Support Team A. Tawake

21. What are some of the reported benefits? • Biodiversity (increases in tabu areas) • Increased resource harvests (harder to measure) • Information, awareness and capacity • Food security – predictable supply • Governance and conflict management • Community organization • Resilience and adaptation • Health • Strengthen resource rights, respect, tenure… • Cultural recovery/survival • Integrated resource management • An excellent basis for Integrated Island Management / ICZM?? Biodiversity (increases in tabu areas) Increased resource harvests (harder to measure)

22. Some key issues • Define new roles: Government/external agencies’ role is support, coordination and technical advice rather than “command and control” – define new governance roles and multi-sector partnerships. NGOs..? • Go to scale and beyond MPAs: Huge potential of tenure systems for integrated or ecosystem based management owing to land and sea tenure – building block of resource management • Long term sustainability: External costs kept very low as community provides main inputs – beware “incentives” – sustainable use is the key driver • The potential is very good AND little alternative approaches demonstrated

24. Support costs can be low (yearly avg) Cost effectiveness?

25. National network support Government support Personnel External Technical support Communications Office/field equipment and admin Travel Workshops/Training Major costs are staff and transport e.g. FSPI Solomon Islands

26. Potential for taking these experiences forward as a national approach would depend on being: • Designed to fully integrate into government functions over the medium term (applies to Melanesia), • Decentralized into logistically functional management areas (provinces or similar), • Cost effectiveness to improve the likelihood of sustainable financing within government budgets or from donors / all of government approach (DRM, CCA, ICM) • Phased or cumulative approach optimizing trickle down or snowballing effects. 1000’s of communities.. • Simple but strategic overview and non-burdensome data collection to enable the ongoing identification of gaps (objectives, species, habitats, coverage and so on).

27. Sources and reference: • Govan et al*. 2009. Status and potential of locally-managed marine areas in the Pacific Island Region. SPREP/WWF/ Reefbase/CRISP • LMMA annual reports www.lmmanetwork.org * Et al. = Contributions from Alifereti Tawake, Kesaia Tabunakawai, Aaron Jenkins, Antoine Lasgorceix, Ann-Maree Schwarz, Bill Aalbersberg, Bruno Manele, Caroline Vieux, Dan Afzal, Delvene Notere, Erika Techera, Eroni Tulala Rasalato, Helen Sykes, Hugh Walton, Hugo Tafea, Isoa Korovulavula, James Comley, Jeff Kinch, Jess Feehely, Julie Petit, Louise Heaps, Paul Anderson, Pip Cohen, Pulea Ifopo, Ron Vave, Roy Hills, Seini Tawakelevu, Semese Alefaio, Semese Meo, Shauna Troniak, Suzie Kukuian, Sylvia George, Tevi Maltali. Munda, Solomon Islands