'%Healthy Reefs for Healthy People - A Guide to Indicators of Reef Health and Social Well-being in the Mesoamerican Reef Region%'%by Melanie McField and Patricia Kramer% of 16

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INCREASING EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH COLLABORATION

Examples of goals common to most organizations

focused on marine conservation in the MAR:

Environmental

monitoring

has

increased

substantially throughout the MAR in the last

· Maintain or enhance the health of coral reef

decade, as has the number of conservation and

ecosystems

management programs. International, national and

· Reduce the negative impacts of human activities

local organizations and governments are all involved.

by reducing pollution from inland runoff and

This enormous effort is beginning to produce

agricultural practices, eliminating destructive fishing

measurable success in conserving the region's

and reducing overfishing, implementing sustainable

spectacular marine resources. One example is the

tourism and coastal development practices,

Spawning Aggregations Working Group in Belize,

minimizing impacts of global climate change.

a wide coalition of organizations that successfully

· Improve effectiveness of management actions and

negotiated an agreement to protect eleven spawning

marine protected areas

aggregation sites in Belize in 2003.

· Raise awareness of the value of healthy reef

ecosystems and the need for conservation (this

Still, there is a growing consensus that conservation

aspect actually appears to be absent or of lower

and management efforts in the MAR can be much

priority in recent years)

more effective through increased collaboration.

A recent study of "Who's doing what in the MAR?"4

A related goal of sustainable development

examined regional organizations and donors to assess

organizations and emerging as a goal in some

gaps, overlaps and areas of potential collaboration.

conservation organizations is:

One example activity matrix is presented below for

regional organizations working on fisheries issues

· Improve people's quality of life by reducing poverty,

(Table 9.d). Many key partners share common

ensuring access to safe water and sanitation, and

objectives and have expressed a willingness to

recognizing cultural values of reef ecosystems and

work together in a more structured fashion, but full

other natural resources.

strategic collaboration has yet to be achieved.

With threats expanding rapidly, the reasons for working

together are clear. Strategic collaboration and

resource-sharing will increase efficiency, optimize

opportunities, and generate greater conservation

impact across the region.

Table 9.d. Overfishing and Illegal Extraction (modified from Gorrez, 2005)4.

Regional

Anticipated Outcomes/

Threat/Stressor

Strategies/Actions

Impact Measures

Comments

Stakeholders

Impacts

Majority of investments are to address

Overfishing

Promotion of Sustainable Fisheries

ICRAN-MCRA

Development,

· SPAGs species

overfishing.

Management: Maintain or restore viability

MBRS Project/

implementation and

abundance,

Extraction of

of targets species populations such as

CCAD

acceptance of best

breeding

Spawning aggregations are a primary

marine fisheries

Nassau grouper, conch, lobster, rainbow

Oak

practices for fisheries

population

focus of addressing overfishing issues.

resources beyond

parrotfish and sharks

Foundation

all along the supply

structure,

the capacity of the

Strong potential for collaboration in

1. MPA management and strengthening

Summit

chain.

behavior

biological system

lobbying for regulatory frameworks,

2. Harmonized closed season for queen

Foundation

Well-developed

to maintain natural

· Target species

developing best practices for fisheries

conch, lobster and marine turtles

TNC

capacity for ecological

and economically

abundance

and MPA-based efforts.

3. Limited commercial use of marine

WCS

and socioeconomic

productive levels.

· Number

turtles

World Bank/

monitoring.

Gaps

In the region this

of fishers

4. Regulation of fishing gear gillnets

GEF

Reduced fishing

has resulted in the

Direct threat-abatement through

successfully

5. Alternative livelihoods development

WWF

pressure through

severe depletion of

volume limitations, size catch

transitioned

and provision specifically to alleviate

alternative livelihoods

resource populations

limitations and enforcement of these

into alternative

pressure on SPAGs

provision.

and localized

laws.

livelihood

6. Fisher co-management capacity

extinctions in some

Effective conservation

building and community-based

Monitoring of regional policy

· Improved

cases.

and management for

ecological monitoring

harmonization strategies.

economic status

priority SPAGs in the

Research and Monitoring

of fishers through

region.

MPA infractions related to illegal

1. Spawning aggregation site-based

alternative

fishing to determine success of threat

Decreased incidence

research

livelihoods

abatement/enforcement strategies.

of overfishing of target

2. Impact of MPAs on Nassau grouper,

species.

sharks and rays

Improved impact measures for

3. Nassau grouper restoration project

alternative livelihoods.

Interpreting indicator data in

conjunction with one another.

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