Examples of Aquatic Protected Area Assessment Frameworks and Indicators

Presented by: Erin Loury (erinloury@fishbio.com)| Fisheries Biologist

Photo by NOAA-

Assessment is Needed to:

• Improve management effectiveness• Identify future needs• Adapt current practices•Make best use of human

effort and financial resources

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

What is Management Effectiveness?

Asking: How well are management actions achieving the goals and objectives of the protected area?

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Potential Aquatic Protected Area Benefits

Ecosystem Benefits:•Fish/Aquatic Species•Biodiversity•Habitats

Socioeconomic Benefits:• Food security • Livelihoods

Management Cycle

• Assessment is a regular part of adaptive management.

• Based on assessment results, regulations or management actions can be adjusted.

How to Use Assessment Results

• Communicate to donors, government, FCZ management teams, NGOs, communities

• Highlight the progress of FCZ management

• Set new priorities for future management actions

• Seek assistance to addressing barriers

• Formulate new goals and objectives

• Address stakeholder interests and concerns

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Learning from Marine Models.

• Large effort to monitor and evaluate marine protected areas

• Indicators of MPA success have been developed and tested

• How is Your MPA Doing? Assessment Guidebook (Pomeroy et al. 2004) developed by IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, WWF, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

MPA Guidebook Development Process

1. Developed a set of assessment indicators

2. Developed methods to include in a guidebook

3. Field tested and refined the guidebook of indicators and methods at 18 sites around the world

4. Published and disseminated a final guidebook

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)Photo by NOAA

Selecting MPA Indicators and Methods

• Performed a literature review (130 indicators)• Workshop of international

experts revised the list (52 indicators)• Submitted list for peer review,

and revised again (42 indicators)• Used peer review to select

methods and provide guidance on analyzing results

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Indicators are Related to Protected Area Goals

Ecological

Socio-economic

Governance

From Goals to IndicatorsGoals

Marine resources sustained or protectedBiological diversity protectedIndividual species protected

Habitat protected

Degraded areas restored

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Indicators

Focal species abundance

Focal species population structure

Habitat distribution and complexity

Composition and structure of the community

Recruitment success within the community

Food web integrity

Type, level and return on fishing effort

Water quality

Area showing signs of recovery

Area under no or reduced human impact

Guidebook Describes 4 Steps for Assessment

1. Select appropriate indicators

2. Plan and prepare for an assessment

3. Collect and analyze data for selected indicators

4. Communicate assessment results to adapt management

.

Field Testing the MPA Guidebook

• Volunteer testing at 18 MPAs around the world• Eight months to test the guidebook, send feedback• Mix of conventional, co-managed, and community

based management

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Beneficial Outcomes

• Providing motivation to clarify MPA goals and objectives was one of most practical outcomes for managers using the guidebook• The guidebook was adaptable to fit local site

conditions. Each assessment is unique to the specific MPA.

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

Challenges• Can track individual MPAs over time, but

hard to compare one MPA to another

• Most MPA managers had higher capacity for ecological studies, lower capacity for socioeconomic and governance studies

• Site-specific limitations: • Restricted access to MPA sites • Reluctance of local populations to

participate

• Need for more funding, time, and technical capacity

(From Pomeroy et al. 2005)

A Useful Tool

“How is Your MPA Doing” guidebook has been used in >200 MPAs around the world to improve MPA management

(From Fox et al. 2014)

Photo by Micronesia Challenge

Case Study: Assessing FCZs in Champasak Province (Ian

Baird)• Used Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK)

of fishers to assess FCZs (1998)

• Interviewed fishers from 53 villages in Khong District about FCZ regulations, which fish species benefited from FCZs

• Villagers named 51 fish and turtle species that benefited from FCZs

• Methods based on LEK included fish surfacing in deep pools; fish croaking during spawning; fish catch outside the FCZ

(From Baird and Flaherty 2005; Baird 2006)

Case Study: FCZ Assessment in Thailand (Aaron Koning)

• FCZs established by Karen villagers along tributaries of Salween River in northern Thailand• Rivers run clear in the dry season, possible to

observe fish from the road• Has seen increases in fish abundance and diversity

1-2 years after establishing FCZ

Case Study: FCZ Assessment in Thailand (Aaron Koning)

• Fish abundance inside and outside of FCZS• Snorkel survey to count large fish• Quadrat surveys to count small

fish hiding in rocks

• Collected benthic macroinvertebrate samples inside and outside• Quantified algae abundance on

rocks inside and outside

FCZ Guidebook Project Activities

1. Perform a literature review to identify indicators

2. Hold workshop of stakeholders to select indicators

3. Develop draft guidebook, including peer-review

4. Pilot test the draft guidebook in the field

5. Revise, finalize, and disseminate the guidebook

FISHBIO Literature Review

• We reviewed ~70 publications of marine and freshwater protected area assessment

• Most published assessments are from academics, few from practitioners

• Biological indicators more frequently assessed than socioeconomic or governance

• Few published assessments of socioeconomic or governance indicators for freshwater protected areas

• We have identified 50 indicators and related methods for this workshop

• By the end of today, we would like to select ~15 indicators

A Starting Point

• The FCZ guidebook is intended to be relevant, but not comprehensive• Focus is on methods that communities and Civil

Society Organizations can implement• This is an initial effort that can be modified and

adapted over time

Questions?erinloury@fishbio.comfishbiolaos@fishbio.com