Community Centred Conservation C3 – Traditional humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) fisheries in the Pacific Islands – are they sustainable? A case study from Fiji. Akosita Rokomate-Nakoro, Chris Poonian and Maleli Qera

Abstract accepted for ICRS 2012

The instantly-recognizable humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) is of considerable traditional customary significance in many Pacific islands.  Listed as endangered by IUCN, the species is particularly vulnerable to overexploitation because of its life-history characteristics, and notable population declines have been recorded at sites where fishing pressure is only of a moderate level. However, few long-term studies have been conducted because of the generally illicit nature of these fisheries.  We have worked closely with a remote Fijian community living on the Great Sea Reef that almost exclusively relies on coral reef fisheries for their subsistence and livelihood.  The fishers of the community are the appointed traditional fishers for the provincial chief and are responsible for a substantial, long-enduring (and now illegal) C. undulatus fishery, with individuals spearfished on an almost daily basis. Interestingly, although C. undulatus is a highly-valued live reef food fish, the fish caught at our study site were mainly destined for local consumption and were not worth any more per kg than other reef fish species.  We discuss daily landing site, fishing site and socioeconomic data and present information on stock management, spawning aggregations, traditional knowledge, management efforts and historical perspectives.  We suggest management actions that may contribute to the sustainability of the fishery in the face of increasing demand and access to market.

Working with local fishing communities to save the last dugongs in the Philippines

Manila 11th May 2012

The elusive dugong or sea cow is high on many divers’ ‘must see’ list, however there are few locations in the world where it is possible to interact underwater with these amazing grazers of the ocean. However, Coron Island is home to a small herd of dugongs that frequent the seagrass beds along the north coast of the island.

The dugong, Dugong dugon, is a large marine mammal closely related to the manatee. Despite its large range spanning at least 48 countries, most dugongs occur in Northern Australia, while populations elsewhere are sparsely distributed. Dependent on coastal seagrasses for subsistence, it is restricted to shallow water habitats, bringing it into regular contact with humans. Dugongs have been known to live up to 70 years, and are slow to mature, first reproducing at around ten years and only giving birth every 3-7 years. These attributes render it highly vulnerable to human impact and activities and numbers have fallen dramatically over recent years.

Unfortunately dugongs are on the brink of extinction in the Philippines as in many small island states. A combination of habitat destruction, dynamite fishing, hunting, pollution and entanglement in fishing nets has resulted in their rapid decline. Community Centred Conservation (C3) has been working to save the dugongs of Coron Island since 2011, using a unique approach to engage local fishing communities in dugong conservation; the organization believes that people and dugongs can live in harmony in Filipino coastal waters. Local fishermen know the coastal waters better than anyone, and see dugongs regularly, and C3 has been interviewing them to determine ‘hotspots’ for dugong activity. Once these hotspots are identified, C3 plans to closely observe dugong behaviour and develop guidelines for their protection.

The dugong is a creature with which many cultures have a long history; there exist many taboos and legends in numerous countries within the dugong’s range, and it was early explorers’ sightings of dugongs that sparked the Western myth of the mermaid or siren. This is reflected in the name of the order to which the species belongs, Sirenia and its name in many languages, such as French, sirène. Despite this eminence, the dugong is considered vulnerable to extinction under the 2009 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, and receives international protection under several conventions as well as national protection under Filipino law.

However, regulations which help dugongs are not always well-accepted by local communities because they may, for example, reduce the number of fish they can catch, a big deal when fish is your only source of protein and income. In order to address these issues C3 is working hard to ensure that any restrictions do not adversely affect the already-poverty-stricken local inhabitants of the island. The organization is conducting socioeconomic assessments to identify potential means of income generation that will replace lost revenue, and more importantly be environmentally sustainable in the long term.

About Community Centred Conservation (C3)

C3 was borne out of the aspirations of three young people in Palau, Micronesia in 2002, who were passionate about nature but disillusioned with the approach of large international organisations, particularly the lack of time and funds spent at the grassroots level to truly understand and appreciate communities’ needs and fully involve them in the development of conservation strategies. Our mission is to develop conservation efforts worldwide by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives. C3 is a truly community-based organisation which focuses on a two-way process for conservation; learning from local communities about their knowledge of the environment and at the same time providing them with the information they require from collaborative scientific studies to make their own decisions about sustainable resource management.

C3 has remained at the forefront of dugong conservation initiatives since its foundation. Recognising the significance of the threat facing the species, C3 first started its dugong research in Palau in 2002. The organisation later spearheaded a regional effort across the Western Indian Ocean to conserve the last remaining populations inhabiting the coastal waters of Madagascar and the Comoros Islands. C3’s expertise is widely acknowledged, having acted as technical advisors to the Convention on Migratory Species’ Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation of the dugong, and the organisation’s methodology for the rapid assessment of populations has now been globally adopted. Director Patricia Davis was awarded the coveted Future for Nature award in 2012 in recognition of a decade of outstanding international efforts to conserve this extremely vulnerable species. C3 is currently working in Madagascar, Fiji and the Philippines, helping remote communities manage and protect their coastal resources. Find out more at http://www.c-3.org.uk/ Additional supporting links: www.futurefornature.net

Earth Day 2012: Community Centred Conservation (C3) Marks Its Tenth Anniversary

The 22^nd April 2012 was a day marked globally for its environmental significance, as over one billion people in 192 countries took part to help protect their environment to commemorate the 32^nd Earth Day. However, for Community Centred Conservation, the day carried extra significance as it also marked the organization’s 10^th Anniversary. C3 staff and local communities in four countries were among the individuals,  schools, communities and companies across the world that were helping Earth Day meet its target of ‘a billion acts of green’.

Established in 2002 by three passionate young people in Palau, one of C3’s first major projects was tackling the serious issue of plastic bags on the island, many of which end up in coastal waters where they can choke sea turtles and marine mammals, while even those that are disposed of appropriately can take hundreds of years to decompose. Recognizing the serious threat this issue posed to many endangered species inhabiting the waters around the island, C3 launched a ‘Bag for Life’ campaign, aiming to reduce the thousands of plastic bags given away each day by stores in Koror by offering  a durable canvas bag as an alternative.

The campaign was one of C3’s first resounding success stories, and consequently it is fitting that, ten years on and with plastic bags still a major issue in most countries, it should be the theme of the organization’s tenth anniversary Earth Day activities.

In Fiji, C3 staff, together with the environmental youth group ‘Reef Rangers’ and most of the local community, overseen by the village headman, went out to replant mangroves around Yaro village on Kia Island. As they were planting, they collected plastic bags and other litter. On the C3 Philippines and Micronesia programme, despite adverse weather conditions, a group of staff members and interns picked up litter in Salvacion on Busuanga Island. In Madagascar, nearly 30 people including C3 staff, scouts and students got together to run a much-needed clean-up on the campus of the University of Antsiranana, where plastic bags are a notorious problem. They did an incredible job on what was a very daunting task, and the event is to become a regular occurrence as everyone was so impressed with the results.

Every C3 staff member got involved to help publicize Earth Day for C3’s tenth anniversary, and to help directly improve their local environment, in the process bringing the message to a number of remote towns and villages that it had previously not reached. The day was a resounding success with well over 100 people joining in across the three countries, and many more appreciating the great improvement in their town, village or university. Overall, a great way to mark the beginning of C3’s second, and hopefully just as prosperous, decade.

About Community Centred Conservation (C3)

C3 was borne out of the aspirations of three young people in Palau, Micronesia in 2002, who were passionate about nature but disillusioned with the approach of large international organisations, particularly the lack of time and funds spent at the grassroots level to truly understand and appreciate communities’ needs and fully involve them in the development of conservation strategies. Our mission is to develop conservation efforts worldwide by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives. C3 is a truly community-based organisation which focuses on a two-way process for conservation; learning from local communities about their knowledge of the environment and at the same time providing them with the information they require from collaborative scientific studies to make their own decisions about sustainable resource management.

C3 is currently working in Madagascar, Fiji and the Philippines, helping remote communities manage and protect their coastal resources. Find out more at

http://www.c-3.org.uk/

Additional supporting links:

www.earthday.org

www.onedayonearth.org

For further information

Contact – Sarah Brooks (Programme Officer)

Telephone – Tel: +44 (0)20 8144 9693      , Fax: +44 (0)700 603 1572

E-mail Address – info@c-3.org.uk

Web site Address – www.c-3.org.uk

Community-driven monitoring and conservation of Palawan’s threatened dugongs

Background and Aims:

The aim of the proposed project is to sustainably conserve the remaining endangered dugong (sea cow) population of Busuanga Island, in the Province of Palawan, Philippines. The project will gather solid scientific information with the cooperation of local communities in order to create conservation strategies that fully involve local communities and incentivize them to protect their dugongs and associated natural resources.

The dugong (sea cow) is one of the Philippines’ most threatened marine mammals. Although historically, dugongs have been sighted on almost all of the islands of the Republic, the remaining dugong populations are sparse and scattered.  Palawan is regarded as the dugong’s final stronghold in the Philippines and is the most promising hope for the species’ national survival.

Dugongs were previously hunted using nets, prong, hook, spear, harpoon, and dynamite and the meat sold openly in public markets.  Nowadays,incidental capture in fishing nets is likely the most significant threat to the species. Gill nets, seines, trawls, and bag nets have been identified to have caught dugongs. Additionally fish corrals, locally known as baklad have been known to capture dugongs. There are no quantitative data on mortality estimates due to lack of monitoring capabilities.  The species is put under further pressure because of degradation of its seagrass habitat due to increased coastal development and population growth.

A significant step forward in Filipino dugong conservation occurred in 1991 with the issuance of DENR Administrative Order No. 55, which made the dugong the first marine mammal protected in Philippine waters. As stipulated in this AO, any person who shall hunt, kill, wound, take away, possess, transport and/or disposes of a dugong, dead or alive, its meat or any of its by-products shall be punished by imprisonment from 6 months to 4 years or fined Php 500 to 5,000 or both.  This order was the result of several years of internationally supported effort to initiate dugong conservation activities in the Philippines, involving aerial surveys, interviews, habitat mapping and awareness-raising activities.

However, there is a clear need to re-ignite dugong conservation in the Philippines to sustain the momentum initialized by these projects which occurred more than 10 years ago.  The main obstacles currently facing dugong conservation in the Philippines include: lack of funding, insufficient scientific information on population size and threats and ineffective implementation of national laws.

The dugong is reliant on shallow coastal seagrass and thus shares almost all of its habitat and natural resources with humans.  Therefore, in order to successfully protect dugongs in the Philippines, it is essential that the human component is well-considered.  The support and involvement of local communities is key to ensuring the continuation of the dugong in the Philippines.

 

Project activities:

-Population assessment: we will use key-informant interviews and in-water surveys to evaluate the status of Palawan’s dugongs.  This information will provide current data on the size and viability of the remaining population.

-Habitat mapping: we will map seagrass meadows identified as important habitat for dugongs.  This work will provide information on feeding ecology and degree of habitat degradation.

-Awareness-raising and community reporting: we will use novel community-based social marketing methods to promote dugong conservation throughout Palawan.  We will also develop and improve existing fisher reporting project to ensure that dugong deaths are reported and necropsied if possible.

-Incentivizing communities- we will incentivize environmental stewardship of coastal habitats and species using the dugong as a flagship species by facilitating livelihood improvement opportunities in the form of small community grants for sustainable projects proposed by community members based on their socioeconomic needs.

-Training of UP students  – we will train at least 10 students from the University of the Philippines in dugong and seagrass survey techniques.

 

Project objectives:

1. To assess and monitor the status of the dugong population of Palawan and its associated habitat degradation

2. To raise awareness and develop a fisher reporting programme

3. To develop community incentive programmes, stewardship plans and sustainable livelihoods

4. To train University of Philippines students

5. To create a policy brief to contribute to National dugong protection legislation

 

Conservation importance of this work:

Currently dugongs are classified as vulnerable to extinction under the 2009 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, which indicates that they face a high-risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future.  Furthermore, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) lists the dugong in its Appendix II, meaning that the conservation of the species would benefit from international cooperative activities organized across the dugong’s migratory range. Dugongs are also listed under Appendix I of the Convention on the International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a species threatened with extinction.

The Seagrass ecosystems on which these species depend are important not only for the survival of the dugong but also for a plethora of other marine biodiversity. Seagrass ecosystems provide important habitat and breeding grounds for many marine species, including important fishery species that millions around the globe depend on daily for their livelihoods. The economic benefits to coastal communities of seagrass protection cannot be overstated: i.e. shrimp and fish use these ecosystems as development grounds. Local artisanal fisheries depend on these habitats to supply for to a growing community of hundreds of millions.

Dugongs are effective flagship species which can support biodiversity conservation and ecosystem based management of coastal seagrasshabitats, while promoting protection for the sources of livelihoods upon which millions of families depend. The dugong’s vulnerability to adverse anthropogenic influences puts them in the front lines of many insidious and compounding threats across their extensive geographical range.  Due to the dugong’s precipitous decline and the scientific consensus that the species will disappear from the majority of its range without significant conservation interventions, its long-term survival of the dugong will be contingent on effective conservation and collaborative management throughout its extensive range. Using dugongs as a flagship species, the project would not only provide significant improvement in its survival rates but also the protection of seagrass and associated mangrove and reef ecosystems, wider improvements in coastal biodiversity and environmental services including preservation of fish nurseries, increasing coastal carbon sequestration, and buffers from climate change impacts.

Madagascar Marine Conservation Roadshow wins ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge

Madagascar’s Marine Conservation Roadshow has again won international recognition for their imaginative conservation awareness raising efforts, winning ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge with their song about the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), how it is affected by climate change, and what people can do to help.

The Marine Conservation Roadshow is implemented by a group of Malagasy teenagers, formed in a collaboration between the Antsiranana Boy Scouts and Community Centred Conservation (C3) Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Programme, who raise awareness of marine conservation issues in communities across the northern region of Madagascar.

Wildscreen, the not-for-profit charity organization behind ARKive, announced the Creative Climate Change Challenge earlier this year, asking young people to “get creative and inspire friends and family to do their bit and act on climate change”, using a climate change mascot species.  The Marine Conservation Roadshow chose the Hawksbill turtle, a critically endangered species which nests on Madagascar’s beaches, and made a film of themselves performing in Place Kabary, Antsiranana’s traditional meeting place, which they then posted on YouTube.  The song, written and performed in their local Sakalava dialect of Malagasy, but also translated into English for an international audience, describes the causes of climate change, the effects it has on the Hawksbill Turtle, and ways in which people can help.

The Scouts recommend that people take responsibility by using green energy from the wind and sun, contribute to reforestation and stop burning plastic, to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global temperatures and sea levels to rise.  Erosion caused by the rising sea threatens the beaches that the turtles nest on, and increasing temperatures damage the coral reefs they feed from.  In addition, temperature changes affect the sex ratio and health of hatchlings.

This isn’t the first time the Marine Conservation Roadshow has won international recognition for their valuable work.  Last year, they travelled to Sweden as finalists in the Volvo Adventure Awards, an educational programme run in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme to reward environmental activities and decision-makers of the future.

They hope to continue their success and keep spreading the conservation message by teaching their climate change song to children in both urban and rural communities, starting with a trip to Ampasindava in the Nosy Hara Marine Park next month.  In the meantime, they hope that people all over the world will learn more about climate change and the fano hara (Hawksbill turtle in Malagasy) from their video.  The video will soon be displayed on the ARKive website, along with thousands of other photos, videos and educational resources used to promote environmental conservation.  The website is used by scientists, conservation practitioners, the general public and school children, so they certainly have a large audience.

About Community Centred Conservation (C3)
C3 was borne out of the aspirations of three young people in Palau, Micronesia in 2002, who were passionate about nature but disillusioned with the approach of large international organisations, particularly the lack of time and funds spent at the grassroots level to truly understand and appreciate communities’ needs and fully involve them in\ the development of conservation strategies. Our mission is to develop conservation efforts worldwide by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives. C3 is a truly community-based organisation which focuses on a two-way process for conservation; learning from local communities about their knowledge of the environment and at the same time providing them with the information they require from collaborative scientific studies to make their own decisions about sustainable resource management.

C3 is currently working in Madagascar, Fiji and the Philippines, helping remote communities manage and protect their coastal resources.

Additional supporting links:

http://www.c-3.org.uk

http://blog.arkive.org/2012/04/arkives-creative-climate-change-challenge-%E2%80%93-the-results/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuK-G3UoXA4&list=UUBbSDvMq5jILF3giXtHauHQ&index=1&feature=plcp

Contact details:

Sylviane Volampeno

C3 Madagascar Programme Co-ordinator

Telephone: +261 (0)32 80 883 15

E-Mail: sylviane@c-3.org.uk

Community Centred Conservation (C3) Team earns Second Future Conservationist Award

Community Centred Conservation’s (C3) Fiji and South Pacific Islands Programme, has been awarded US$15,000 from the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP) for the project ‘Building Marine Conservation Capacity of Fishing Communities in Fiji’. The CLP is a partnership of four organisations, (Birdlife International, Conservation International, Fauna and Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society) working to promote the development of future biodiversity conservation leaders by providing a range of awards, training and mentoring. C3’s application for the Future Conservationist Award was one of 238 received, with 28 projects from 22 countries eventually supported and the only project based in the Pacific Islands.

C3 has been working on the remote Island of Kia, north of Vanua Levu since January 2011. Previous work has shown that the Kian community is almost completely dependent on the marine resources of the Great Sea Reef for subsistence and livelihood. The reef hosts internationally-significant marine biodiversity and rare and endangered species such as Green Sea Turtles, Humphead Wrasse and Spinner dolphins. Funding from the CLP award will be used to train members of the Kian community in marine conservation and community education with a particular focus on vulnerable groups such as women and youth.

The project will empower the island’s community to make better informed decisions about their marine environment and to spread their knowledge and experiences among other communities dependent on the reef’s rich marine resources. Community Conservation Ambassadors and ‘Reef Rangers’ from the local school will receive training to help monitor the status of local marine resources and raise awareness of local environmental issues. Kians will be encouraged to participate in conservation activities through bimonthly awareness raising events, where the Reef Rangers display their work and perform songs and sketches and Conservation Ambassadors give formal lectures on different aspects of marine conservation.

The future looks bright for the people of Kia and the Great Sea Reef. The award will go a long way to ensuring that local marine resources are sustainably managed for years to come and countless future generations will benefit. Programme Coordinator, Akosita Rokomate, as a member of the CLP network will also receive future training and mentoring opportunities, starting with a two-week Conservation Leadership & Management Training Workshop to be held in Canada in
June.

About Community Centred Conservation (C3)
C3 was borne out of the aspirations of three young people in Palau, Micronesia in 2002, who were passionate about nature but disillusioned with the approach of large international organisations, particularly the lack of time and funds spent at the grassroots level to truly understand and appreciate communities’ needs and fully involve them in\ the development of conservation strategies. Our mission is to develop conservation efforts worldwide by building the capacity of local individuals and institutions through grassroots research and training initiatives. C3 is a truly community-based organisation which focuses on a two-way process for conservation; learning from local communities about their knowledge of the environment and at the same time providing them with the information they require from collaborative scientific studies to make their own decisions about sustainable resource management.

C3 is currently working in Madagascar, Fiji and the Philippines, helping remote communities manage and protect their coastal resources.
Find out more at http://www.c-3.org.uk

Additional supporting links:

http://www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org

http://www.c-3.org.uk/fiji.php

Contact Details:
Akosita Nakoro (Programme Coordinator)
Telephone – +679 3563815
Email Address – ako@c-3.org.uk

Community Centred Conservation (C3) and University of the Philippines Ink Agreement for Joint Cooperation in Coastal and Marine Conservation

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES – C3 and The University of the Philippines (UP) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Educational and Scientific Cooperation, formalizing the partnership between both organizations to mutually share resources for coastal and marine management and research.

C3 and UP will work together on activities related but not limited to: (a) the functional relationships of selected coastal habitats; (b) management and conservation of coastal resources; and (c) education and training towards local capacity building.

Through the MoU, C3 will provide field placements or internship opportunities for UP students from the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology (IESM). This shall give competitively selected students the venues from which to conduct their research projects — all of which will fall within the scope of the C3 Philippines Programme. Aside from field placements, both organizations committed to cooperate in developing and implementing research projects, and training materials.

Find out more: C3 : www.c-3.org.uk ; UP : http://www.iesm.upd.edu.ph/