Governance and Enforcement are Critical to Managing Oceans

1. Governance and Enforcement are Critical to Managing Oceans Giselle Samonte 5 October 2010 Arlington, Virginia

2. The ocean and coast are under increasing stress • More people are living along the coast. • Fishing pressure is intensifying, but fish catches have reached plateau worldwide. • Changes in land use are causing runoff of pollutants into the ocean. Sustainable Development Unsustainable Development

3. People depend on the ocean ecosystem • Food security • Recreational opportunities • Shoreline protection • Climate regulation • Transportation • Medical and engineering resources • Provision of energy (fossil fuel, wave, tidal, wind) • Regulation of waste and sediment

4. Marine managed areas (MMAs) are part of the solution • MMAs are multi-use, ocean zoning schemes • Often have subareas with different purposes such as no-take areas, buffer zones, and areas for specific uses.

5. Governance is key to managing oceans

6. Promotes inter-agency coordination

7. Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM) Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) NEW LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE COIBA NATIONAL PARK ParqueNacional Ley No. 44 de 26 de julio de 2004 1,708 km2 2,700 km2 Plan de Manejo ConsejoDirectivo ComitéCientífico Comisión de la Zona Especial

8. NEW GOVERNANCE FOR THE COIBA NATIONAL PARK VotingRights CENTAL GOVERNMENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT PRIVATE SECTOR • Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente (ANAM) • Ministerio de Gobierno y Justicia (MINGO) • Instituto Panameño de Turismo (IPAT) • Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT) • Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) • Universidad de Panamá, Santiago (CRUV) • Alcalde de Montijo • Alcalde Soná • Rotativamente los Representantes de: Río de Jesús, Las Palmas y Mariato • Cámara de Comercio Veraguas • Sector pesquero • Organización no Gubernamental (ONG)

9. Enforcement better • Belize • Reduced pressure on resources, withdrawal of fishing licenses from non-local fishers, diversification of livelihoods from fishing to other economic activities • Fiji • – no more illegal fishing

10. Challenges may arise when implementing MMAs • Loss of access to fishing grounds • Inequitable benefits • Dependence on project assistance • Unmet expectations How can these challenges be addressed?

11. Solutions for successful MMAs • Benefits exceed costs • Shared benefits • Livelihood options improved • Strong community participation • Accountable management style • Supportive local government • Enabling legislation • Rules enforced • Empowerment and capacity building • Strong, persistent leadership • External agents involved

12. Law Enforcement Analysis in the ETPS Countries (Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama)

13. Objectives • Determine thecriticalpoints and weaknesses in thelawenforcementsystemin the ETPS countries as well as thefactors/causes that drive suchsituation • Outlinetheactivities and measuresthatcouldstrengthenlawenforcementat local and nationallevels • Define actionsforimplementingtherecommendedactions/measuresboth at national and regional levels.

14. LawEnforcement as a System Regulatory Framework Education & Outreach “SoftTechniques” Community, Local Governments and Stakeholders’ Commitments Inter InstitutionalEfforts / ActivitiesEfficiency Personnel, Enough, Competent Assets: Adequate, Enough, Available? Scenario: Area, Budget, etc. L.E. Capacityy Surveillance FieldOperations “HardTechniques” Detection Arrest Prosecution Sancion: Admin o Judicial

15. LawEnforcementChain The Chain is as strong as its weakest link

16. External Threats Oil Spills, disposal of garbagesand efluents Illegal Capture & Trade of marine species Illegal fishing within the MPA and nearby EEZ without control OVER USE of visiting sites Pressures over NO TAKE Zones Within MPAs out of control fisheries: Over exploitation of species and areas Increasing Maritime/Aerial Activity (Tourism + Logistics driven) = Risk of invasive species introduction Use of predatory fishing gears/techniques within the MPA Mangroves destruction Piracy, Contraband and drug traffic Use of sands from beaches Nearby real estate developments MarítimeTráfficroutes Key Factors: Poverty, lack of education and commitments from local communities. Locals do not feel or perceive they are beneficiaries from MPA mgmt. MPA not an option for long term development Weak Marine Environmental Governance: Inter Institutional interferences, overlapped regulations, ineffective judicial system (high impunity rate)

17. Internal Factors/Problems • Oudated / insufficientRegulations. Mustevolvetocover new activitieswithinornearbyMPAs (cargo & oiltransportation, passingtrafic, underwatertourism, etc.) • Poororinexistentboatsmaintenancecapacity • Park wardens and Coastguardofficerswithnoneorweak marine conservation training orcompetences. • Insufficient and poorlypaidparkwardens • High rotation rate in Coastguard personnel • Authorities mutual interferences (fisheries vs. Maritime vs environmentalauthorities vs. EnvironmentalPolice) • MPAs head officers lack of financial/administrative/jurisdictional autonomy • Inadequate or insufficient assets to cope operations • Absence of marine resourcesmonitoring and inter regional management (formigratoryspecies) • Lack of appropriatescientific base forRegulatory and LawEnforcementdecisionmaking

18. Strengths • Colombia, Costa Rica and Ecuador with formal and active presence of CoastguardwithinMPAsand&oragreementswithEnvironmentalPolice • SeveralNGO’scommited and activelyinvolved in LawEnforcementissues: MarViva, FundacionMalpelo, Conservation International, WildAid, WWF, Sea Shepherd. • GrowingMPAs (terrestrial, marine and underwater) tourismindustrywithfirminterest in conservation. • There are alreadyseveralsuccessfulexamples of local governments, communities and enterprisespossitivelyinvolved in MPAssustainableactivities (Malpelo, Costa Rica, Galapagos). • International concerns and support (Goverments, miultilaterals, organizations) • Cost-effectiveinvestmentswithdirectimpactonMPAspreservation: re use of assetsfromPolice and Coastguard. • Galapagos and Colombia MPA Directors with certain levels for acting as judges • Outreach programs available in all MPAs with external support

19. Strengths • Recent assets and technological improvements: • Colombia commissioned 1 oceanic patrol vessel for Malpelo and a second one is on the eve of commissioning for operating within Gorgona MPA. • Galapagos implemented VMS control on ships over 20 Gross Tonnes and a floating-radar outpost barge at Wolf Island. • Costa Rica commissioned one fast patrol boat to operate around Cocos and improved operational agreements with MarViva

20. Regional Weak Links • Extremelylowboatsavailability • Absence of control at cargo/persons interfaces: Ports, airports. • Verylimited use of technologyforsurveillance • Poor and loosecoordinationbetweenLawEnforcementchainactivities. • MPA Directorswithverylimitedsanctioningempowerment. • Verypoor, inexistent, overlappedor disperse Marine Legal Framework at country levels. IMO regulationsappear as much more adequate and defined. Sanctions do notreflectthecost of damages.

21. Regional Weak Links • Examples of judicial efficiencyon MPA processes: • Costa Rica: 2 out of 70 processesopenedwithinthelast 10 yearsreached a sentence. • Ecuador: Administrativesanctions are priioritizedover judicial proceedings. Over44% of those cases are lost. Monetarysanctions in administrative cases are extremelylow (below US$4,000) • Panama: Average time spanforadministrativeprocessestoreachsanctionis 4 to 21 months. For judicial cases ittakesover 2 years. • Colombia: 1 to 3 years (for industrial fishingvessels), 15 daysto 5 months (artisanalfishingboats)

22. Courses of Action • Whenbudgetlimitations are severe, strategiesshouldfocusonsofttechniques, technology in surveillance and fluentadministrativeproceedings. • IImprove MPA management: Quarantineprocedures, financialindependeceovercriticaloperationalissuessuch as boatmaintenance, improve salaries or at least per diemswhenwardens are onfieldoperations, functions and proceduresmanuals, parkwardensqualificationcourses and followon training . • IInterinstiturionalcoordination: Reachagreements (ontheoperationallevel) withfisheries and maritimeauthorities as well as environmentalpolice. Recurrentyearly training forfieldofficers of thoseentitieson MPA lawenforcementoperations. Complementparkwardenscrewwithcoastguard and/orpolicepersonnel. • Surveillance and DetectionEfficiencyimprovement: Implementtechnologicalsolutionssuch as electronic/remotevigilanceones, reviewtheadequacy of someboats (endurance and speed are of outmostimportance), extendsurveillancebeyondMPAs (createbufferingzones and enforceEEZs) • .

23. Results: Boats Maintenance Supported by NGOs

24. Enforcement

25. Distribution of benefits Willingness to Pay 30 25 5 Nationals: Nationals: 20 US$ 15 Foreigners: Foreigners: 10 5 0 Actual fee Willingness to pay Actual fee Willingness to pay Coiba National Park, Panama Gladden Spit and Silk Caye Marine Reserve, Belize Coiba National Park, Panama Coiba National Park, Panama Gladden Spit and Silk Caye Marine Reserve, Belize MMAs secure economic values of oceans Results from economic valuations of MMAs in Panama and Belize: Visitors are willing to pay significantly more than the current entry fees charged at these parks. Both nationals and foreigners benefited economically from MMAs. The analysis con the importance of continued support and funding for MMAs. The analysis con the importance of continued support and funding for MMAs.

26. Local outreach is vital but usually underfunded Analysis of 8 MMA sites in Central and South America: • Enforcement received a large proportion of expenditures at every site (13% to 37%). • In most cases, outreach received a small proportion of total expenditures.

27. Current MMA funding is insufficient • Worldwide, managers and decision-makers are constantly seeking more funding for MMAs. • Analysis showed that MMA budgets are very low compared to the value of the MMA resources.

28. Global MMA Effectiveness • Analysis of field-gathered data from 15 sites: Vietnam, Philippines, Africa, Belize, Fiji time Ecological Outcomes & Outputs = The effects of MMAs! Socioeconomic Governance Pre-MMA established MMA established now • Objectives: • Determine ecological, socioeconomic, governance effects • Identify critical factors for success and timing • Predict effects for new MMAs…

29. Conditions: MMA Effects: • Enabling policies/legislation; External agents involved • Appropriate scale/defined boundaries; Leadership; Empowerment, capacity building; Community organizations; Long term support of local government; • Participation by those affected • Conflict management mechanism; Clear objectives; • Adequate financial resources; Management rules enforced • Decentralization/delegation of authority; Group homogeneity • Equity - shared benefits among participants • Equity - Successful alternative livelihoods • Perceived crisis; Life history characteristics of key species • Functional redundancy within the ecosystem • Trophic structure • Habitat characteristics • Incidence of storms • Outbreaks of disease or harmful algal blooms • Frequency and degree of coral bleaching • Impact of land use and human activities on habitat/water quality • Characteristics of fisheries Socioeconomic Livelihoods Food security Governance Resource use conflicts Participation Compliance Ecological Abundance of “ecological engineers” Biomass of extractable species Resilience post-trauma Biodiversity

30. Indicators • Indicator variable (instrument); levels reported before and after the establishment of the MMA • Level of conflict • Perception of conflict • Police records • Participation • Perception of participation • Compliance • Perception of compliance • Reported violations • MPA monitoring/Ecogov…

31. Questions for you… Consider your MPA, 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the legal framework and its compatibility with existing management plans? 2. What are the soft and hard measures of law enforcement in your MPA? Are they effective? Why? Why not? 3. What are the weaknesses of the law enforcement system and what actions should be taken to improve overall effectiveness of programs?