International Symposium on Capacity Building for...

International Symposium on Capacity Building for Sustainable OceansFINAL OUTCOMES REPORT JULY 19-20, 2016

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY FOR THE NIPPON FOUNDATION

NIC

K H

ALL

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CAPACITY BUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE OCEANS 2

Executive Summary 3

Background 6

Report from the Sessions 7

Welcome Speeches from the Hosts 8

Keynote Speeches 9

Theme 1: Managing Our Oceans 10 Session 1: Fisheries in Management 11 Session 2: Protection of the Marine Environment 14 Session 3: Science for Decision Making 17 Session 4: Building Resilience to Climate Change 20

Theme 2: Educating and Connecting 23 Session 5: Youth and Community Programs 24 Session 6: Cross-Sectoral Education and Training 27 Session 7: Global and Regional Multi-stakeholder Engagement 30

TED-Talk Style Presentation 34

Final Outcomes Session 35

Closing Remarks 36

Closing Speech from the Host 37

What is Needed 38

Appendix 40 Symposium Program 41

Contents


Community leaders from 21 different and diverse places – from Peru to Kenya to Japan to Canada to Turkey to the Coral Triangle – together with two TED-style talk speakers – from Easter Island and Hawai’i – shared their perspectives on the elements that have enabled them to succeed in building capacity. They also discussed the challenges that remain in sustaining and expanding that capacity for greater outcomes across more communities. Their experiences and lessons are incredibly valuable, and have provided an insight into what it takes to ensure that the right people have the right skills and authority to manage ocean and coastal resources effectively and sustainably.

Representatives from international organizations, UN agencies, academic institutions and governments were moderators and panel discussants for all of the thematic sessions. They provided global context to the discussions, with many outlining the opportuni-ties that are increasing across regions and through international processes to learn from this work and create new enabling policies, especially in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. Many of them, including H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, who gave a video address, called upon the participants to also focus on the ways that science, educational programs and networks can be used to make better decisions over shared marine resources.

The Symposium was opened by Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation, who outlined some of the key challenges facing our oceans and coastal areas: pollution; acidification; sea level rise; erosion; coral reef degradation; and overharvesting of resources, to name a few. He also outlined the unique situation of Japan, “a country protected by the sea, that now works hard to protect the sea”. He was joined by representatives from the Government of Japan – Mr. Toru Doi, Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; and Mr. Fumiaki Matsumoto, State Minister of the Cabinet Office – who also welcomed participants to Tokyo and spoke about the importance of Japan’s role in addressing urgent threats to the ocean.

H.E. Tommy Remengesau, President of the Republic of Palau; H.E. Anote Tong, former President of the Republic of Kiribati; H.E. the Hon Robert Hill, former Global Ocean Commissioner and former Environment Minister and Defence Minister of Australia; and Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, delivered keynote speeches and set the framework for the thematic sessions to follow. They each noted the importance of different communities of practitioners coming together to solve crises impacting the marine environment. Presidents Remengesau and Tong spoke of their unique experiences as leaders of their communities, while also using those experiences to drive policy outcomes at the global level. All of the speakers noted the urgency of climate change and overfishing as predominant threats to the sustainability of coastal communities everywhere, and the importance of global recommendations, including from the Global Ocean Commission and the UN World Ocean Assessment, to drive resources and attention at the local level.

Executive SummaryThe International Symposium on Capacity Building for Sustainable Oceans, hosted by The Nippon Foundation and the Government of Japan, in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, was held on 19-20 July, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. Communities from around the world came together to share lessons in how to build and maintain capacity for ocean health, in this first-ever global discussion dedicated to these issues.


Over the two days of the Symposium, community leaders responded to this call by discussing their challenges of overcoming specific problems in specific places while also connecting their decisions to outcomes at the global level. The discussion was divided into two main themes: (1) Managing Our Oceans; and (2) Educating and Connecting. Each theme opened with a respective video, from Mr. Mark Tercek, President and CEO of The Nature Conservancy; and Dr. Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean. Each theme was further divided into more specific sessions. The first theme included: (i) Fisheries Management; (ii) Protection of the Marine Environment; (iii) Science for Decision Making; and (iv) Building Resilience to Climate Change. The second theme included: (i) Youth and Community Programs; (ii) Cross-Sectoral Education and Training; and (iii) Global and Regional Multi-stakeholder Engagement.

Within each of these substantive sessions, three speakers from different countries presented their projects and organizations, facilitated by a moderator and summarized by a panel discussant, also experts in the subject matter. Each of the speakers outlined a particular practice or network that they are leading, including why this is important in their community or region and what obstacles they have faced (or continue to face) that may be impediments for replicating their success in other places, or over the long-term. Overall, they discussed what has enabled them to build success in different contexts.

The lessons were insightful, and a consistent theme that ran throughout the discussions was that building and maintaining capacity throughout local communities is integral in achieving ocean health. Many of the speakers also stressed that a focus on social development, such as through literacy and health programs, for all community members has benefits for increasing engagement in coastal and marine capacity. It was also found through discussions that creative actions from a range of stakeholders are required to expand existing efforts, including working with diverse partners and learning through cross-sectoral networks.

The Symposium closed with keynote speeches from H.E. Jan Olsson, Ambassador for Environment and Oceans from Sweden; Mr. Stefaan Depypere, Director for International Affairs and Markets from the European Commission; H.E. Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing States Issues from Seychelles; and Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director from the Nippon Foundation. Through a global lens, each of the speakers reflected on the importance of the messages from the community practices over the preceding two days. They discussed the importance of inclusiveness in global policy discussions, and the need to ensure that capacity building is a part of relevant processes. The meeting concluded with a call from the Nippon Foundation to learn from the past while looking to the future to plan what is needed for future generations to succeed and inherit a healthy ocean.

Perhaps the reflection of Budi Setiawan from Kelompok Pudu Lingkungan Belitung (KPLB) Coastal Community Group in Indonesia summed it up best, as he urged the participants to remain connected to overcome challenges – to ensure that we actually leave beautiful real resources for our children, and not just beautiful stories of what was once there. Although there is much work to be done, this Symposium in Tokyo brought experts together from around the world to start a very important dialogue about what it takes to build and maintain capacity to enable communities to build a sustainable future.


Main Findings from the Symposium• Capacity building programs for achieving healthy oceans need

to address social and sustainable livelihoods issues.

• Empowering women and ensuring inclusion of older and younger generations is key to building capacity throughout a community.

• Citizens should be encouraged to take part in scientific research and scientists should be encouraged to communicate with citizens.

• Creating networks of communities, NGOs, practitioners, and experts is an effective and practical way of building capacity.

• Project management skills need to be strengthened for producing tangible outcomes and growing organizations and networks.

• Practices at the local level for achieving healthy oceans should be recognized by media and global organizations.

• Level of investment by government agencies in environmental education for citizens and youth should be increased.

• Stewards over natural resources need legal recognition and authority to make and implement management decisions.

• International institutions, governments, and all other funders need to shift from program-based approaches to generation-based approaches in capacity building.


BackgroundThe ocean is a biological and economic engine that fuels planet Earth. It provides half of the oxygen we breathe. It provides food and jobs for billions. It has yielded medicines to treat disease. It is essential to global transportation. And, the ocean is a key player in the battle against global warming. Despite these many gifts, however, the ocean is in peril. Pollution, coral bleaching, overfishing, coastal development, and erosion are exacting a high price upon our most important resource.At Rio+20, The Nippon Foundation made a commitment to open a global dia-logue to support many communities and countries to improve ocean health. In pursuit of creating a sustainable blue economy, the Foundation together with the Government of Japan, and in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, hosted a first-ever international conference dedicated to the issue of capacity building, the International Symposium on Capacity Building for Sustainable Oceans. Open to the general public, the Symposium was held on 19-20 July, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. It explored innovative practices in building capacity to improve ocean health. It profiled practical examples of successful programs at the community level, as well as cross-boundary networks to discover what works, what doesn’t, and where there are opportunities to improve how we care for our oceans for present and future generations.


Report from the Sessions


Welcome Speeches from the HostsThe Symposium was opened by a welcome speech from the host, Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation. He outlined some of the key challenges facing our oceans: pollution; ocean acidification; sea level rise; erosion; coral reef degradation; and overharvesting of resources, to name a few. He urged the need to act quickly by saying that the “very survival of humankind is threatened” by these issues facing the ocean and stressed that building diverse capacities is essential to combat these challenges. He said that the Symposium is a showcase of capacity building examples for sustainable oceans and will contribute to creating a roadmap for combating threats surrounding oceans.

He was joined by Mr. Toru Doi, Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism, and Mr. Fumiaki Matsumoto, State Minister of the Cabinet Office, Government of Japan, who also welcomed participants to Tokyo and spoke about the importance of capacity building for using the ocean sustainably. They also both emphasized the many important roles that Japan plays in addressing the urgent threats to the ocean, in managing its own coastline, as well as with regard to international agreements and law of the sea.

Mr. Hanson Hosein, Director of the Communication Leadership Program, at the University of Washington, facilitated the Symposium throughout the two days. He introduced each of the sessions and provided context for each of the themes covered during the Symposium.

REPORT FROM THE SESSIONS

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation



Keynote SpeechesFollowing the welcome messages from the hosts, representatives from countries and international organisations that are actively promoting actions to achieve a blue economy and ocean health gave keynote speeches. This session provided global context and stressed the need for international policy processes to learn from, and align with, innovative practices at the local level.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco opened this part of the program with a welcoming video message. He called upon the participants to focus on the ways that science, educational programs and networks can be used to make better decisions over shared marine resources. He stressed the urgency of collaboration, noting that all disciplines must work together to promote and protect our ocean and coastal resources.

H.E. Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, talked about the importance of marine resources for the country’s economy and said that his country is “more appropriately called a large ocean state” because of the size of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which is twice as big as Japan. He stressed the urgency to bring an end to illegal fishing and said that the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) would enable cooperation among nations to cut off access of illegal fishers to markets. He also emphasized that partnership is essential in capacity building and that island states have much expertise to offer in bringing stakeholders together; the “ocean does not separate us, but rather it unites us.”

H.E. Anote Tong, former President of the Republic of Kiribati, talked about the important role that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) plays by providing clarity of the custody of resources to coastal states. He also highlighted that overfishing of some fish species continued to be a problem and called for the need to increase financial resources for sustainable fisheries. He referred to the Phoenix Islands marine protected area in Kiribati as an example in sustainable marine resource management.

H.E. Tommy Remengesau Jr., President of Republic of Palau

H.E. Anote Tong, Former President of Republic of Kiribati


Hon. Robert Hill, AC, Adjunct Professor, University of Sydney; Former Minister of Environment, Minister of Defense and Ambassador to the UN, Australia; and Former Global Ocean Commissioner, noted that the new internationally legally binding instrument under the UNCLOS on biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of the high seas will hopefully bring better outcomes for the oceans. He also highlighted some of the recommendations made by the Global Oceans Commission including a Sustainable Development Goal on oceans; universal ratification of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement; prompt entry into force of the PSMA; global information sharing platform for real time sharing of high seas fishing vessels; and study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on interactions between climate and oceans. He said, “Time is running against the oceans” and stressed that a greater sense of urgency is needed to drive change.

Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director of the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, mentioned that the timing of this Symposium is important as the first UN Global Integrated Marine Assessment, which identifies a number of capacity and knowledge gaps, has recently been approved by the UN General Assembly. She pointed out that major capacity-building chal-lenges remain in implementing legal frameworks for the oceans such as the UNCLOS and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the importance of taking into account the needs and capacity gaps at the local level in the process. She referred to the UN-Nippon Foundation Fellowship Program and its Network of Alumni as an example of important capacity-building and suggested that the “outcomes of this Symposium can also inform the partnership dialogues at the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, to be held in Fiji next year.”


Hon. Robert Hill, AC

Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli


THEME 1

Managing Our OceansThe first day of the Symposium focused on the theme of Managing Our Oceans and discussed the successes and challenges of capacity building in managing fisheries, protecting the marine and coastal environment, integrating science into decision making regarding resource use, and responding to the increasing threats from climate change. In the opening video message for this theme, Mr. Mark Tercek, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy, noted that a need to increase capacity for ocean conservation exists in communities all around the world.

Each session included five speakers: a moderator, three community leaders who presented specific capacity building activities, and a panel discussant who summarized key and common points from the three presentations and added comments based on their own experience.

CARL

TON

WA

RD


Session 1: Fisheries ManagementThe first session, Fisheries Management, was moderated by Dr. Yoshitaka Ota, Director of Policy for the Nereus Program, University of British Columbia. He opened the session by noting that issues of fisheries are cross-boundary and thus the world needs to seek cross-cultural solutions.

Ms. Bridget Adachi, Executive Director of the Northern Reef Fisheries Cooperative, Palau, presented the work of this community-based organization, which was established by two fishing communities in the States of Kayangel and Ngarchelong, Palau. The main problem that is faced by these communities is the decline in the size and abundance of fish due to increased access by commercial fishing and fishermen from outside of the communities. Ms. Adachi described that having the fishermen involved in the learning activities and using science to understand why fish are getting smaller and less abundant contributed to successfully building capacity within these fishing communities. She noted that sometimes communities are not directly consulted and this results in failing to achieve capacity building goals and that learning exchanges are very effective in capacity building at local level. She also said that the challenges the Cooperative face are the lack of tools and human and financial resources as well as to increase community participation in fisheries management.

Mr. Zafer Kizilkaya, Co-founder of the Mediterranean Conservation Society (MCS), Turkey, presented the Gökova Bay Community Conservation Project. He described that the Mediterranean Sea is one of the most over-exploited seas and that grouper and shrimp fisheries have collapsed resulting in a 50% decrease in fishermen’s income. The MCS with communities of Gökova Bay has trained local fishermen as rangers who are now part of the coast guard. They are part of the legal system and report cases of illegal fishing activities to the coast guard who then assigns fines to the illegal fishers.

THEME 1: MANAGING OUR OCEANS

Ms. Bridget Adachi

Mr. Zafer Kizilkaya

Mr. Kizilkaya emphasized the important role that women play in the project by saying that they communicate essential information throughout this entire region. He noted that the project is so successful that communities around Turkey are coming to visit Gökova Bay to learn from the successful example of co-management of fisheries by the government and local NGO and communities. Some of the challenges MCS faces include enabling and empowering more women to participate in the local fishing cooperatives, and also keeping fisheries on top of the agenda for local communities and authorities in the area where other major issues such as human trafficking attract much of the attention.


Dr. Girley Gumanao, Dean of the Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries at Davao del Norte State College, and Rare Conservation Fellow for the Panabo City Pride Campaign, the Philippines, talked about experiences from Panabo City in increasing personal capacity for sustainable fisheries. She described the social marketing techniques used in this project which include using a symbolic mascot, developing a logo, and telling stories among others to change fishing behavior. Some of the factors contributed to the success of this project were 1) knowing the target audience and tailoring messages and trainings, 2) telling stories of conservation and connecting to local pride so that the community owns the campaign, and 3) using prizes to re-enforce changed behavior. She highlighted that relationship building and trust was essential in the success and the need for continued efforts by strong and patient conservation leaders. One of the challenges faced by this project is to engage with urban communities in changing behaviors on fisheries. In an urban environment, fisheries management is not a priority for communities and thus it takes longer to apply the social marketing technique to change behaviors.

At the end of the session, Dr. Arni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General of Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, commented on the three examples presented. He pointed out that the “robustness” of these projects supporting small scale fisheries needs to be examined and considered. For example, he noted that we need to examine if and how the scientific results have been recorded, and how to invest in capacity to do that. He also said that across all of these projects, further consideration needs to be given to how these activities can be scaled up and lessons replicated in other places. He also highlighted that a question must be asked about what other inputs are needed for the community to carry on to complement what has already been achieved.


Dr. Girley Gumanao

Dr. Yoshitaka Ota

Dr. Arni Mathiesen


SESSION 1 Fisheries ManagementCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Having local fishers involved in identifying the issues and capacity building activities so they are both relevant and embraced

2. Developing leaders who have skills, motivation to listen, convene, and engage with communities, and serve as bridge between communities to authorities

3. Developing fisheries cooperatives that unify fishermen and connect across communities

4. Engaging women as effective agents of change5. Having prizes and recognition by outsiders which re-enforce

capacity building efforts6. Using learning exchanges as an effective way of expanding the

capacity building work in other locations7. Monitoring and communicating impacts of conservation and

capacity building efforts

COMMON BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

All speakers emphasized that building capacity and changing behavior takes time and stressed the need for sustained efforts and investments. In areas that are urban or have other major issues, fisheries is often not given a priority by communities and more challenging to change behaviors. Building trust with each other, including between local communities and government authorities, is essential in success, but can also be a challenge and takes a long time.



Session 2: Protection of the Marine EnvironmentThe second session in Theme 1 was about Protection of the Marine Environment. This session was facilitated by Ms. Kate Brown, Executive Director of the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA). Ms. Brown opened the session by focusing the speakers and audience on the need for learning about holistic planning with reference to many tools to ensure a healthy marine environment. She also noted that GLISPA, and other partnerships, offer important platforms to share information about protection and conservation techniques.

First, Mr. Doug Neasloss, Marine Plan Partnership (MaPP) of the North Pacific Coast, Canada, presented MaPP’s activities. It is a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and 17 First Nation communities to collaboratively participate in a large-scale land-use planning and implementation process. It has successfully raised funds to reimburse losses of income to communities from the declining logging industry, produced zoning plans to guide local communities to regenerate fish populations, established coastal watch programs to reduce illegal fishing activities, and introduced a fee for commercial fishing operators to help pay for community-based monitoring, among many other achievements. Mr. Neasloss attributed the success of the MaPP project to the unique co-management by the local First Nations communities and the Government, using local knowledge and science to develop solid land-use plans, and having hundreds of meetings over time which strengthened partnerships between stakeholders. He also commented that motivation of the stakeholders came from the recognition that resources have been lost.

Mr. Doug Neasloss

Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy

Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, National Coordinator of the MIHARI Network, then talked about this network of locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) in Madagascar. She noted that the financial and technical weaknesses of the Government for properly managing marine and coastal areas created a space for local communities to step in and become managers of resources. The MIHARI network now has 65 LMMAs, 150 resource management associations, 19 supporting organizations, and covers 12,000 square kilometers in local management. It facilitates a number of learning activities for the members including peer to peer learning, community leaders’ trainings, awareness workshops on laws, and policy dialogues. Ms. Rakotondrazafy highlighted that the network has strengthened the voice of communities, and the participating communities are enforcing local rules very well. She pointed out that the lack of legislation to recognize rights of communities in resource management as the remaining gap, and also commented that the literacy rate in communities affects the levels of success with LMMA management.


Mr. Jay Carpio, Chair of the Maui Nui Makai Network, Hawaii, USA, presented this learning network of 6 communities across Maui to address threats to marine resources. Each community has an action plan which includes reviving limpid (shellfish) populations, restoration of coral reefs, promotion of responsible fisheries practices, and reducing soil erosion on land among others. So far 5,000 people have engaged in the network and 20 square miles of marine area is managed under the network. It has addressed issues facing resource management faster than it can be done by a single community alone. Mr. Carpio described the success factors for the network as having close proximity to each other which reduced cost of working together, and also having a deep connection to place. Some of the challenges he noted that are facing the network now include: 1) overly-efficient fishing technologies which is contributing to 80% reduction in coastal fish catches since 1900; 2) different perceptions of the level of threat among communities; 3) succession planning for leaders; and 4) concerning level of motivation for conservation among younger generations.

Following the three presentations, Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society, summarized the session and commented that the three cases presented in this session demonstrated the effectiveness of working with local communities. She noted that cultural values and conservation are intertwined and blending traditional knowledge with science is key. She also stressed the need for legal frameworks in support of communities’ role in enforcement and the importance of empowering local stewards.


Mr. Jay Carpio

Session 2 Panel Members


SESSION 2 Protection of the Marine EnvironmentCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Engaging local communities in designing natural resource management methods and solutions as well as implementation which makes the management of resources more effective and relevant to local context

2. Focusing on listening to local needs in working with communities3. Creating a network of communities which allows them to strengthen

their voice, learn from each other, and address resource management issues faster than can be done alone.


Lack of legislation to recognize rights of communities to manage marine resources; poor access to markets, getting and sustaining political will that supports cooperative planning and decision-making, and lack of long-term sustainable funding for implementing plans were highlighted as the common barriers in relation to protecting the marine environment at local level. It was also identified that literacy rates are low in some communities and this has a direct impact on natural resource management. Also, technical capacity for management is often lacking. All speakers of this session agreed that the power of peer to peer learning and the importance of empowering community members through networks have both been proven, and that what is needed now is enduring organizations that can facilitate and coordinate these groups over time. In many instances, legal recognition and sustainable financing mechanisms are also needed to support these backbone organizations and enable community action plans.



Session 3: Science for Decision MakingThis third session under the theme of Managing Our Oceans was facilitated by Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. She opened the session by noting that scientific research and disseminating timely and relevant scientific information is essential for poverty reduction, human development, conservation, and addressing the multiple impacts of climate change.

First, Dr. Robert Brumbaugh, Senior Scientist, The Nature Conservancy presented the Oyster Goals Project from the USA. He demonstrated that shellfish reefs are at risk globally. The project helped answer questions such as “how much restoration is enough?” or “how much money is needed for oyster restoration?” by developing mathematical models and tools that tell decision makers how much oyster reef restoration is needed to achieve certain goals (e.g. water quality improvement or fish production) to enable local communities to benefit. The project had over a hundred projects all around the USA and school children and community members took part in collecting scientific data. The data collected by each community project was then gathered to develop models and tools for sustainable management. Dr. Brumbaugh highlighted that it is important to ask the right scientific question but not targeted at scientists; this is necessary to bring a wide range of stakeholders together around oyster restoration. He also stressed the importance of having patience and a long-term view in science and commented that “it takes 10 years to see how big a 10-year old fish is.”

Dr. Robert Brumbaugh

Mr. Muhammad Mahmudur Rahman

Mr. Muhammad Mahmudur Rahman, Marine Scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society in Bangladesh, then talked about the Citizen Science Fishermen Network and marine megafauna conservation. This project provides a GPS device to local gillnet fishermen to complement traditional fishing knowledge and to collect data from fishermen on bycatch of dolphins, turtles, rays, and sharks. The collected data is reflected on a map and shared with the local government to fill the government’s data gaps. It also conducted an extensive educational program on protecting marine megafauna targeting families. The project also had added safety benefits to the fishermen. He described how after a severe storm event, one of the fishing boat captains who was part of the project led the search and rescue operation using the project GPS and rescued 22 fishermen. Mr. Rahman commented that because of this event the level of support from local fishermen to the project and use of GPS device for conservation increased. He noted that one of the challenges faced by the project is the low literacy rate among the fishermen which has also contributed to resolving technical difficulties in maintaining the GPS devices. There are also significant safety concerns including pirates attacking fishermen to take the GPS devices.


Mr. Héctor Hernán Samillan, representative of the Ancon’s Fishers’ Association in Peru then presented the work of the Divers Association of Ancon. The Association in collaboration with TNC conducted capacity building activities for the local fishers to better understand the situation around depleting fishing resources in Ancon. Capacity building activities were combined with temporary fishery closures which produced positive results. Encouraged by this result, the fishers started scientific monitoring (such as measuring finfish, observing levels of maturity of the fish, and studying biology of octopus and scallops) and learned about how to interpret data. It resulted in discussions and the establishment of new local fishing rules such as catch and size limits, species bans, and spatial restrictions, and allowed the local fishers to verify control measures. Mr Samillan noted that scientific information has also helped fishers become more time- efficient, which has strengthened participation in other community activities. He also highlighted the importance of moving stage by stage and not rushing to produce results. He commented that the local government sometimes likes to pursue short-term results and interferes through regulations that are not based on scientific data. He noted that having agreements about how to share information among fishers as well as with other communities, NGOs, and all levels of government is also important.

After the three presentations, Dr. Melchior Mataki, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology, Solomon Islands, summarized the session and commented that science for decision making doesn’t have to be done by scientists alone. It can, and should, be done by a broad group of people including children, elders, and local government officials, and the results can be more acceptable and useful to decision makers if a wide range of groups are involved in the science. He also highlighted that reciprocity is important in working with communities: science needs to be adapted to the local context so that the community can see benefits out of the scientific project or collaboration (noting the example from Bangladesh where GPS technology is used to save human lives as well as biodiversity). Dr. Mataki also highlighted that a long-term approach is important, but getting better at communicating uncertainty to decision makers is equally important as they often need to make a decision in a short timeframe. Finally, he noted that “political commitments are a renewable resource” and pointed out the importance of regaining political commitments over time.


Mr. Héctor Hernán Samillan (right) with Mr. Fernando Ghersi ( left) translating



SESSION 3 Science for Decision MakingCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Recognizing that with the right training, everyone can be a scientist. Citizen scientists have useful knowledge that can and should be used by decision makers

2. Combining local and traditional knowledge with science which can enhance information and engagement from broad stakeholders

3. Making information relevant to people who need it whether community members or government representatives

4. Addressing and communicating uncertainty effectively recognizing that science requires a long-term approach, while decision makers often need to make a decision in a short timeframe. At the same time, it is also important not to have uncertainty keep us from taking action

5. Providing benefits for community members. Projects need a ‘give and take’ – local communities or stakeholders involved in the collection of scientific information also need to get benefits in return


Some of the barriers and challenges commonly mentioned by the session speakers include the need to build more capacity or ability to interpret the citizen science data and incorporate it into regulatory decisions, the need to re-distribute and re-engage with politicians when there are political changes, and the need to have a long-term approach to science. The speakers also noted that the low literacy rate in some communities and security threats (such as piracy) are significant additional barriers in capacity building.



Session 4: Building Resilience to Climate ChangeThis Session was moderated by Mr. Jesse Gerstin, Senior Policy Manager, Clinton Climate Initiative. He opened the session by describing the inextricable connections between oceans and our climate. Oceans regulate global weather patterns, absorb 25% of carbon emissions globally, and produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Climate change is impacting our oceans and coasts in many ways, such as rising sea levels, warmer waters, and changing weather patterns. The session focused on some ways that communities are working to find practical ways to adapt and increase their resilience to some of these impacts.

Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, CEO of the Seychelles Islands Foundation, presented the Seychelles Marine Spatial Planning Initiative. This is an initial 6-year process focused on planning for sustainable use of Seychelles’ EEZ to increase the ability to adapt along the coastline. It aims to develop a marine spatial plan which identifies areas to meet a 30% marine protection goal for the EEZ by 2020. Dr. Fleischer-Dogley commented that the coral bleaching event in 1998 was thought to be the worst case in Seychelles, but the bleaching event in 2016 is worse than the 1998 event and highlighted that climate change is an increasingly significant threat to livelihoods in Seychelles. She described the marine spatial plan in Seychelles as the “seat belt” for the country to adapt to climate change, funded through an innovative national debt restructure. She noted that using rigorous science and building partnerships across sectors within and external to Seychelles are crucial to the success of spatial planning for resilience. She called for the need for partnerships to go from SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely) to “SMARTer”.

Dr. Terry Charles, Director General of the Grenada Red Cross, then presented At the Water’s Edge project which works with four communities in the Grenville Bay area in Grenada. This project aims to increase their capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change and increase resilience of communities to absorb shocks. The project has successfully developed a vulnerability assessment report, developed an online platform for sharing GIS data from the project, and installed a reef-structure for coastline protection and food security which seems to be contributing to an increasing abundance of coral and fish.

Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley

Dr. Terry Charles

Dr. Charles noted that doing the project with and not for communities, having sustained engagement with them, and listening and taking ideas from them are essential in success in increasing community resilience to climate change. He also noted that tools such as a 3-dimentional map to visualize the local environment and trainings for community members and fishermen on disaster risk reduction and mangrove restoration were also useful in capacity building. At the same time, he highlighted that sustaining community interest throughout the project, balancing community needs with project objectives, and securing long-term funding are the main challenges remaining.


Finally, Mrs. Ulu Hansel, a member of the Council of Chiefs of the Mwanus Endras Tribal Network, Papua New Guinea, presented the work of the Network on adapting to climate change impacts. It is a network of chiefs from eight tribes who share a common history and language that aims to collaborate effectively to share resources. Mrs. Hansel said the livelihoods of the tribes are heavily dependent on the ocean and stressed the importance of having a proper management plan on resource use. The network has conducted marine spatial planning and community-led activities on food security and adaptation. She noted that having regular meetings of tribal leaders after which each participant took what they learned back to their own communities was central to the success in sharing information and capacity building. She also mentioned that having technical support from external partner organizations was important. Some of the challenges now faced by the network include the lack of an ocean policy at the provincial level, open access in the 3-mile zones from the shore, as well as population increase and subsequent increased pressure on fish stocks.

Following the three presentations, Dr. Yukio Masumoto, Professor at the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, summarized the session by commenting that building climate change models is complicated. In addition to temperature change, taking variability in ocean conditions into consideration such as El Nino events is hugely important. He also noted that local knowledge must be recognized in building the models as well as the importance of having communications of the models across various levels of the society.


Mrs. Ulu Hansel



SESSION 4 Science for Decision MakingCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Having good information that combines science with local and traditional knowledge

2. Having bottom-up process together with some level of communications across different levels (e.g. local communities, local and regional government)

3. Maintaining community interest and involvement in both structural and non-structural phases of adaptation efforts

4. Having support from external partners and having them engage in solutions with the community and local leaders


There remain uncertainties and variability in our understanding of climate change impacts: particularly when it comes to understanding impacts at regional or local scale as the current models are best at global scale. It is this uncertainty that requires 'translation' of scientific language into something that can be understood by local communities. This is a big challenge all the time, but for this purpose, we need to develop a stronger link between local communities and scientific communities, including capturing more community knowledge in national and global climate models. It is also challenging for communities to deal with severe impacts of climate change that are beyond their ability to address.


THEME 2

Educating and ConnectingThe second day of the Symposium focused on the theme of Educating and Connecting. The theme had three sessions: Youth and Community Programs, Cross-Sectoral Education and Training, and Global & Regional Multi-stakeholder Engagement, and discussed successes and challenges in capacity building for oceans through formal and informal educational programs. At the beginning of this theme, The Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean, U.S Department of State and Distinguished Professor, Oregon State University, highlighted in her video message the power of good science, collaboration, and working together to find innovative solutions to solve complicated problems. She noted that “it is possible to recover the bounty of the ocean if we are smart about how we do it” and that investing in nature is the smart way to invest in people and our future.

THE

NAT

URE

CO

NSE

RVA

NCY

/MA

RTH

EN W

ELLY


THEME 2: EDUCATING AND CONNECTING

Session 5: Youth and Community ProgramsThe first session under this theme was moderated by Dr. Jamison Ervin, Senior Policy Advisor, Global Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme, UN Development Programme. Dr. Ervin noted the importance of global initiatives to highlight how communities are engaging in sustainable development for future generations. She cited the Equator Initiative as a global partnership which increases networks amongst communities and uses a global platform to “shine a spotlight” on a range of initiatives that bridge conservation, education and social development.

First, Dr. Masaru Kanda, Director of the Kuroshio Jikkan Center, Visiting Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Kuroshio Science of Kochi University, presented the educational programs of the Kuroshio Jikkan Center. This is an organization actively working to create a model for a “sustainable satoumi” through a range of activities. The Center has facilitated joint educational activities for recreational divers, fishermen, and local children including a creation of artificial spawning beds for big fin reef squid using thinned branches from forest management. The Center has been successful in repairing conflicts between different sectors in the community who benefit from the ocean in different ways and has improved ocean health. This approach received significant media attention, and has been replicated in other parts of Japan. Dr. Kanda commented that creating a sense of ownership of the local environment is important for making a behavioral change for a long time. He noted that a significant challenge is the insufficient level of investment in environmental education in general by the government. Currently, much environmental education in Japan is done by NGOs and they also suffer from a low level of support for their activities and operation.

Mr. Budi Setiawan, founder of the Kelompok Peduli Lingkungan Belitung (KPLB) Coastal Community Group, Indonesia, then presented KPLB’s activities on community education. KPLB engages local youth in a wide range of environmental education programs and has established alternative livelihoods for local communities by creating synergy between conservation, education and ecotourism.

KPLB manages a community-based sea turtle hatchery and a tarsier monkey (smallest monkey in the world) breeding facility. Approximately 20% of the revenue from ecotourism using these facilities are used for educational programs for youth which aim to show them practical examples of how natural resources can be effectively managed to create positive economic and social outcomes. Mr. Setiawan noted that listening to the interests of stakeholders and finding solutions together, rather than interfering with community interests is the key for success. He commented that the tin mining industry in the area is degrading coral reefs with sediments from mine sites, and oil palm expansion is also a threat. He also pointed out that communities are dependent on mining for income and it creates a difficult situation for conservation organizations to effectively engage with communities in a way that enables holistic management and ensures livelihoods. He stressed that we all need to be working to “give our kids beautiful ‘real things,’ not just a beautiful story of what once was.”

Mr. Budi Setiawan

Dr. Masaru Kanda



Lastly, Mr. Justin Kenga, from the Watamu Marine Association, Kenya, presented the local solid waste management program which has created local solid waste management enterprises to address the threats to marine environment from marine debris. Their program started with recycling old flip flops into souvenirs – now they have established recycling centers which attract academic interests as well as tourists, created new jobs and incomes to 25 communities, and reduced pollution on the beach which is key to local tourism. They have facilitated community action and been cleaning beaches once a week for the last 6 years. He described how youth from local communities are involved, with these activities and the suite of educational programs provided to hundreds of children and adolescents. Mr. Kenga noted that the government supported the cross-sectoral benefits of this work: the fact that the youth were involved, jobs were created, and services were established that protected tourism and fisheries industries. He highlighted that having government support for the program was important, and commented that one of the challenges for the program was to secure land and infrastructure to start recycling facilities.

Following the three presentations, Ms. Margaret Spring, Vice President of Conservation and Science and Chief Conservation Officer at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, summarized the session. She noted that the commonality in the three stories is using a community approach involving education and market based and livelihood incentives. Creative and long-term leadership by a community leader or organization which created a safe place for conversations as well as having a specific place, facility, or land dedicated to relevant activities were essential in order to create tangible results. She further noted that the common challenges faced by these communities are continued, sustainable, and long-term funding and ongoing support from external partners to maintain capacity amongst community members.

Mr. Justin Kenga



SESSION 5 Youth and Community ProgramsCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Having a specific place, facility, or land to undertake activities that are tangible

2. Long-term actions that went beyond normal project life span,3. Having creative local leaders4. High level of media and other exposure to and recognition by

the outside world5. Having cultural values associated with leaving the beautiful local

environment for future generations


It was also found that there are relatively low levels of investment by governments in environmental education in general, and other reliable long-term sources of funding for community education efforts are lacking. There is concern over sustainability of project interventions that are started with external funding, because of the long-term nature of creating social change.



Session 6: Cross-Sectoral Education and TrainingThe next session focused on capacity building activities and educational programs for oceans across different sectors. It was facilitated by Mr. Kristian Teleki, Senior Marine Advisor, Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit and Director of Engagement, Ocean Unite. He discussed the importance of building capacity through educational programs that draw from, and appeal to, stakeholders from a range of interests. He noted that different types of skills within a community are essential for sustainable ocean management, and that the public, private and civil society sectors need to work together to set, and achieve, common goals.

Ms. Fatou Janha Mboob, founder of the TRY Oyster Women’s Association in The Gambia, explained that female oyster harvesters are a marginalized population in The Gambia. They have worked to build up their membership, learn financial and project management skills, and therefore position themselves as community leaders mandated to make decisions over their own resources. Specifically, they have developed co-management plans for cockle and oysters with the local government starting by revegetating mangroves and recovering the oyster population. They have been given exclusive use rights to the cockle and oyster fishery in the Tanbi Wetlands National Park, the first such case in sub-Saharan Africa. The group has also developed a micro finance program for the women and as a result of pulling environmental, financial and social sectors together, they have been able to set a higher oyster price which has improved the women’s livelihoods. Ms. Mboob noted that listening, sharing and building trust with the communities by addressing inter-connected needs was important. Challenges facing the group include the fact that the women oyster harvesters are not taken into consideration by relevant fisheries agencies; rural communities are isolated and therefore networking is difficult; and external support for the fisheries sector in a developing country where the industry is not a major revenue source is not reliable.


Ms. Fatou Janha Mboob


Mr. Yabanex Batista, CEO of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), then presented how the CBF works across sectors, especially bridging environmental and development planning with sustainable finance across public and private sectors. Mr. Batista noted that the economy in the Caribbean is dependent on natural resources, but they are threatened and degraded. Trust funds can play an important role in developing national conservation plans, building the capacity of civil society, and supporting government initiatives. The CBF has successfully raised $42 million in an endowment to support 9 countries to achieve a collective “20 by 20 goal” (20% of marine and coastal environment to be protected by 2020) which has resulted in creating a new resource of $4 million per year. The CBF has an independent governance structure, but works in partnership with governments in the Caribbean to complement and support their conservation initiatives through funding for community initiatives. Mr. Batista commented on the challenges facing conservation trust funds including; receiving a false perception that they are trying to exclude government from financing conservation while they are actually bringing stakeholders together across sectors; the low level of priority for environment; and the lack of capacity for finance and project management, as well as the lack of infrastructure and system capacities. He also stressed that we “can and must learn from each other, but there is no cookie cutter approach.”

Ms. Maria Jose Mesen, Coordinator for the Pescadero Program, Mexico’s Northwestern Fund (FONNOR), then presented the collaborative work of the Pescadero Program. It is a program in which various NGOs and funders in the country (28 in total) came together to build a coherent conservation ethic across sectors. Through the progress of the program, the members together recognized that capacity building is crucial to maintain sustainable resource management. The program’s theory of change is that making NGOs stronger by building institutional and technical capacities will lead to better projects and programs, which in turn will result in greater conservation impacts. Based on this theory, it provides a number of capacity building programs to its members, drawing from training on leadership, administration and governance, communication and strategic planning and fundraising. Ms. Mesen noted that having passionate and committed leaders, one-on-one consultations to complement workshops (workshops only is not enough), and exchange of knowledge and building community among NGOs have contributed to the program’s success.

She also commented on the challenges experienced by the program such as some resistance to leadership training, measuring impact of capacity building, and motivating and expanding new leadership.

Dr. Gregory Stone, Executive Vice President, Chief Scientist for Oceans, Conservation International, was the panel discussant for this session. He noted that the types of connections each of the speakers discussed is extremely important for ensuring that the latest information is shared among many different stakeholders. He discussed the importance of sharing information across sectors in order to leverage experiences and financial resources, and to build a sense of shared stewardship over marine and coastal resources. He drew upon the lessons from the speakers in noting that partnerships which are diverse may be a challenge initially as different sectors learn more about one another’s perspective, but that over time this understanding can lead to more enduring initiatives and secure resources.


Mr. Yabanex Batista

Ms. Maria Jose Mesen


SESSION 6 Cross-Sectoral Education and TrainingCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Listening and taking early actions to build trust and confidence within a group

2. Recognizing that many conservation problems are interconnected with a wide range of societal problems and that solutions need take these social issues into account

3. Adopting approaches and solutions that are tailored to local context 4. Enabling and empowering the voice of communities and small NGOs,

independent yet in partnership with the government5. Ability to building on experience of other trust funds including

incorporating “good practice” standards 6. Supporting civil society to have strong and enduring leaders 7. Providing training in operational issues like strategic planning,

personnel management, grant writing, financial management, and leadership development contribute to creating greater conservation impacts

8. Recognizing that trust funds are also a well-developed approach to sustainable financing with good practices codified, and the use of this mechanism can be expanded.


There was a common recognition among the speakers that sustaining efforts is important. There is a tendency to look for something new or innovative which could distract from building and strengthening existing efforts. It is often difficult initially to have representatives from different sectors focus on the same set of issues and agree on a common goal; they need to see benefits for their particular set of interests. While innovation is important, sustaining and supporting growing what works is essential to successful capacity building.


He commented that many MPA managers in the Western Indian Ocean region are required to undertake duties that go beyond what they were initially trained to do and that they are therefore poorly equipped to do their job when they first start as an MPA manager. WIO-COMPAS strengthens career paths for MPA managers, and encourages MPA managing bodies to recruit and train their MPA managers based on the WIO-COMPAS competency standards. The program also helps address the issue of management effectiveness of MPAs in the region. Mr. Tuda noted that government agencies are in support of the program and are interested in integrating the WIO-COMPAS standards into their staff performance review processes – this is an important step for the sustainability of the WIO-COMPAS which is currently a voluntary program.

Session 7: Global & Regional Multi-stakeholder EngagementThe final session focused on successes and challenges of capacity building across geographies as well as common stewardship and interests. The session was facilitated by Dr. Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank. Dr. Hickey noted that capacity to bring people together to learn from one another, within and across communities, is essential to build and maintain a healthy blue economy. She noted that economic growth depends on sustainable management and that professional skills need to reinforce community needs. She stressed that poverty reduction is connected with livelihoods of coastal communities and that only through strong networks and partnerships can lessons be replicated across regions and globally.

Ms. Petra MacGowan, Program Manager of the Coral Reef Partnership, The Nature Conservancy, presented the Reef Resilience Network. It is a network of 7 organizations and has a 10-year history in delivering capacity building support to coral reef managers and practitioners globally. It provides online courses and resources tailored to reef managers, followed by in-person training, and further followed by seed funding ($95,000 over 10 years) to apply capacity. It has reached 1200 coral reef professionals and 75% of countries with coral reefs creating a cadre of reef managers who are connected and support each other. Ms. MacGowan commented that having collaboration with regional networks, creating a website with journal summaries and useful tools, and providing seed funding and technical support immediately after trainings contributed to the success of the network. She also highlighted the importance of in-person connections in addition to online forums because it leads to longer and deeper exchanges and connection, and the need to have recurring trainings as one-time training is not sufficient. The challenges that are faced by this network include whether to provide less support to each manager and reach more people, or to intensify support to existing members, as well as measuring the global impacts of the network.

Mr. Arthur Omondi Tuda, Assistant Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Coast Conservation Area, Kenya, then presented the Western Indian Ocean Certification of Marine Protected Area Professionals (WIO-COMPAS) program. It is a unique professional certification program that assesses the competencies of MPA managers and certifies those who meet the standards set by WIO-COMPAS which are internationally recognized. It is supported by NGOs, universities and governments of the region, and Mr. Tuda himself has benefitted from the program.


Ms. Petra MacGowan

Mr. Arthur Omondi Tuda


Ms. Roziah Jalalid, Chair of the Women’s Association of Omadal Island (WAPO) in Sabah, Malaysia, followed and presented the work of the Women Leaders’ Forum (WLF) of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF). The WLF was established to highlight the role of women leaders in each of the 6 member countries of the CTI-CFF. It has facilitated learning exchange programs across the CTI region to build leadership skills of women leaders and inspire them to learn from each other. Ms. Jalalid spoke about her experience in participating in the WLF activities and highlighted that sharing experiences and learning from both women leaders from other CTI countries and communities in her country had given her ideas for improving activities in her own communities. She commented that one of the challenges that are faced by women conservation leaders is to continue certain types of activities such as turtle nesting beach patrol due to security concerns. At the community level, she also noted that managing the expectations of community members is sometimes challenging. At the regional CTI program level, events and activities have been funded in an ad hoc way, and gaining more programmatic funding is also a challenge.

Following the three presentations, Mr. Taholo Kami, Oceania Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), summarized the session. He commented that many tools and capacity building programs are developed and improved continually and there is an ongoing challenge to maintain connections among networks for individuals to have updated skills and knowledge. He also noted that a focus on leadership for ocean sustainability is increasingly, but we need more training and support in this area. He noted that engaging non-traditional partners and strengthening partnerships within and outside regions is essential in sharing lessons and scaling up initiatives that are working.


Ms. Roziah Jalalid



SESSION 7 Global and Regional Multi-stakeholder EngagementCOMMON ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS

1. Having a partnership of credible organizations that connected and supported practitioners on the ground.

2. Having a narrow and specific set of roles for the partnership (i.e. not trying to do too much)

3. Designing the partnership so that it responds to the interests and needs of the practitioners they were serving

4. Having a clearly defined benefits associated with involvement in the programs for the practitioners


While networks of practitioners are useful, it was also found that there is a dilemma for such networks: whether to try and reach more people by reducing the intensity of engagement with individuals, or to increase the intensity of the engagement with individuals. In the case of the CTI Women Leaders’ Forum, the costs of events and activities have been funded in an ad hoc way, and finding longer-term programmatic funding has been found challenging.


Ted-Talk Style PresentationsIn addition to the speakers in the seven sessions within both themes, the Symposium also invited two presenters who shared their unique experiences of capacity building for oceans in TED-talk style presentations.

Mr. Eric Co, Crew Member of the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage (aboard Hōkūleʻa) and Senior Program Officer for the Marine Conservation, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, captivated the audience with a presentation about the worldwide voyage of the Hōkūleʻa and its mission. It aims to revive the lost Polynesian navigation techniques and the legacy of the seafarers who first explored pacific islands while delivering the message of “caring for our Earth” and connecting people globally.

Ms. Tuhiira Tucki Huke, International liaison officer for the Kakaka Here Henua Ecologica Maori Rapa Nui, which is a local organization in Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is raising awareness on coastal environment protection. She introduced the work of this organization highlighting that ocean debris originating all around the world, especially from fisheries, is creating threats to the environment of this very iconic place. She leads a local initiative to clean up the beaches of Rapa Nui and recycle the plastic debris, and provide environmental education programs to the local youth.

Mr. Eric Co (top) and Ms. Tuhiira Tucki Huke ( bottom)


Dr. Ota summarized the key points from the Symposium including the importance of understanding the science of oceans better and connecting science and policy in a more effective way; linking governments with communities to make community initiatives more sustainable (such as having proper legislation to recognize LMMAs); considering socio-economic issues and people in managing oceans; capacity building is not only for communities, but for everyone; and having a long-term view to project future as well as solving issues at present.

Dr. Hickey also highlighted the key take-away messages including the importance of oceans to all levels and for achieving the SDGs; self-determination is the key for enduring initiatives; listening to the needs of communities and local organizations is at the core of capacity building; education and campaigning is essential in teaching our kids who are tomorrow’s leaders; need to connect oceans issues and solutions with social issues such as poverty alleviation, food security; and the critical need for long-term funding and potential for blended financing of capacity building by private and public sectors.

Mr. Bedford commented that this Symposium was unique in that it turned around the traditional conference by having representatives from nternational institutions listening from the floor and facilitating, with community representatives presenting from the stage. He also highlighted the importance of a cross-sectoral and inclusive approach to caring for oceans by commenting that “fishermen need to become scientists, scientists need to become anthropologists, and anthropologists need to become decision makers.”

Final Outcomes SessionFollowing the seven sessions over two days, Dr. Yoshitaka Ota and Dr. Valerie Hickey represented the moderators from Themes 1 and 2 respectively in a final session to identify common success factors and remaining gaps in capacity building for sustainable management of oceans. The session was moderated by Dr. Francois Bailet, Senior Legal Officer, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, and Mr. Charles Bedford, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, The Nature Conservancy was the commentator on the panel, summarizing the key messages from this Symposium.

Dr. Bailet commented that this Symposium had been illuminating in that community leaders had offered very practical approaches and challenges to achiev-ing their objectives. This was timely given all of the preparations for international policy dialogues to come, especially over the following year. He thanked the Nippon Foundation in particular for creating such a safe and welcoming environment such that all of the participants were able to connect with, and learn from, each other. He noted that Japan, as a leading maritime nation, was again playing a leading role in facilitating this discussion. Throughout the time for discussions between the panelists and the audience members, many noted that these 2 days had created another new global network which was already proving to be very valuable.

Final Outcomes Panel Members


Closing RemarksThe Symposium closed with keynote speeches from representatives of countries and international organizations actively working on capacity building and conservation of oceans. H.E. Jan Olsson, Ambassador for Environment and Oceans from Sweden, reflected on the Symposium and said that it strengthened his sense of optimism and that “it should not be impossible to come to grips with the problems we have, with all these dedicated and gifted people on the job.” He reiterated the opportunity for the UN conference on promoting the implementation of the SDG Goal 14, co-hosted by the governments of Sweden and Fiji in June 2017, to include the importance of partnerships and building capacity as highlighted in this Symposium.

Mr. Stefaan Depypere, Director for International Affairs and Markets from the European Commission, highlighted the importance of capacity building by noting that working with existing organizations and achieving inclusiveness is an essence needed in ocean governance and that “inclusiveness will only be achieved if the various players reach a sufficient level of technical expertise to participate meaningfully in the processes.” He also noted that money is only a part of the solution, and expertise must be contributed by an array of stakeholders: for example, he said, in the fisheries sector in EU, “we find that direct transfer of knowhow between people of a same activity” and provision of basic trainings and on-the-job trainings are often most useful.

H.E. Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change and Small Island Developing States issues from Seychelles, reiterated the message from speakers in the Symposium that “large ocean states” are essential partners in achieving ocean health. He offered that islands are critically dependent on their marine and coastal resources, and that island states stand ready to share experiences, and work with a range of partners to find practical solutions to threats from overfishing, climate change and pollution. He stressed the importance of having community engagement in developing national policies and global initiatives. He also noted that this initiative by the Nippon Foundation to focus on capacity building is underpinned by their commitment to “share the pain, share the hope, share the future” and will contribute to delivering hopes for sustainable oceans and education for future generations.

H.E. Jan Olsson

H.E. Ronald Jumeau


Closing Speech from the Host Finally, Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director from the Nippon Foundation, concluded the Symposium. He said that he was “inspired by the diverse set of values and experiences” shared by the speakers of the Symposium and realized the diversity of approaches and contexts that organizations and communities work in. He also noted that the Nippon Foundation has been involved in many capacity building initiatives and programs and that their global fellowship program continues to grow. He further commented that the Foundation plans to “create capacity building programs that go beyond our current initiatives as an output of this meeting.” Reiterating the remark made by President Remengesau of Palau that the ocean does not divide us, but rather it unites us, he closed the Symposium by emphasizing the importance of working and learning together for passing on a healthy ocean to future generations.

Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno


What is Needed?Through the Symposium, it was found that achieving ocean health requires creative actions from a range of stakeholders to build capacity at different levels. These include:

Capacity building programs for achieving healthy oceans need to address social and sustainable livelihoods issues: Achieving sustainable oceans is closely interlinked with socio-economic and cultural issues, and investing in the essential well-being and sustainable livelihoods of communities is a key part of the solution. Literacy was highlight-ed as a fundamental issue in achieving success in capacity building, and this is a major challenge to any societal change in behavior. Otherwise, investment in improved datasets, maps and signs are meaningless.

Empowering women and ensuring inclusion of older and younger generations is key to building capacity throughout a community: An increased focus on ensuring women have access to information and authority to make financial decisions is particularly important in improving the sustainability of coastal fisheries, developing effective educational programs, and increasing the resilience of coasts to erosion and pollution.

Citizens should be encouraged to take part in science and scientists should be encouraged to communicate with citizens: It was highlighted that engaging citizens in science and combining local and traditional knowledge with science enhances information useful for decision makers. The challenge for all stakeholders involved in science is to translate the data into easily understandable formats for the people who need it: both community members as well as policy-makers. While technological innovation is important, sustaining, supporting and growing what works through long-term investments is also essential to successful capacity building.


Creating networks of communities, NGOs, practitioners, and experts is an effective and practical way of building capacity: It was noted that the ability to have a consistent and open channel of communication within a community as well as with practitioners across sectors and around the world is key in growing capacity. A number of examples illustrated that peer-to-peer learning and learning exchanges between communities and communities of practice are often most useful in building capacity. The challenge is to build trust among diverse stakeholders which takes time, but is essential for creating successful and sustainable networks.

Project management skills need to be strengthened for producing tangible outcomes and growing organizations and networks: Building skills in project, financial, and staff management was highlighted as a fundamental for achieving tangible outcomes in conservation projects. These skills are also essential in maintaining and growing local organizations and networks. Investing in the professional development of new leaders to equip them with range of skills they need is also important.

Efforts at local level for achieving healthy oceans should be recognized by media and global organizations: It was highlighted that having exposure to media and getting recognition by external global organizations gives confidence to and motivates communities and practitioners to maintain involvement for a long term.

Level of investment by government authorities in environmental education for citizens and youth should be increased: In protecting the marine environment at community level, it is most effective if community members including the youth understand the value of the local environment and have ownership over the resources. However, government support is limited in some places for providing environmental education to citizens.

The rights of local communities in managing natural resources should be recognized: There were many successful cases which showed that co-management of resources and co-enforcement of laws with communities and NGOs and governments can increase effectiveness. However, legal frameworks to formally recognize the right of communities to manage resources are still lacking in many places.

International institutions, governments, and all other funders need to shift from program-based approach to generation-based approach in capacity building: Throughout the Symposium, it was agreed by participants that capacity building is a long-term process. However, many of the participants from international institutions acknowledged that this runs counter to the common perception that short-term funding is sufficient to address specific challenges. Community speakers as well as policy makers at the Symposium agreed that there is a need to shift our collective thinking to a long-term, generation-based approach. This will also mean increasingly bringing non-traditional players such as the private sector into supporting capacity building efforts to complement existing resources.


Appendix


APPENDIX

Hosted by

The Nippon Foundation

The Secretariat of the Headquarters for Ocean Policy, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Government of Japan

In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy

This Symposium will feature communities & organizations from around the world who are increasing skills, learning & cooperation to pass on healthy oceans to future generations.

Tuesday, 19 July 2016 Ballroom “Ho’ oh” – First Floor 9:30-10:00 Symposium Opening

Master of Ceremonies: Mr. Hanson Hosein Director of the Communication Leadership Program, University of Washington Welcome Speeches from the Hosts

Mr. Yohei Sasakawa Chairman of The Nippon Foundation

Mr. Toru Doi (to be confirmed) Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism Government of Japan

Mr. Fumiaki Matsumoto (to be confirmed) State Minister of Cabinet Office

10:00-11:00 Keynote Speeches Video message from HSH Prince Albert II

Principality of Monaco H.E. Tommy Remengesau Jr.

President, Republic of Palau H.E. Anote Tong

Former President, Republic of Kiribati H.E. The Hon Robert Hill, AC

Adjunct Professor, University of Sydney; Former Minister of Environment, Minister of Defence and Ambassador to the UN, Australia; Former Global Ocean Commissioner

Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli Director, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, UN

11:00-11:30 Coffee/Tea break


APPENDIX

2

Global Ocean Capacity Building Practices Theme 1: Managing Our Oceans

11:30-12:30 Video Opening/Transition: Mark Tercek, President & CEO, The Nature Conservancy Session 1: Fisheries Management Moderator: Dr. Yoshitaka Ota, Head of Nereus Program, University of British Columbia

Northern Reef Fisheries Cooperative, Ms. Bridget Adachi, Palau Gökova Bay Community Conservation Project, Mr. Zafer Kizilkaya, Turkey Panabo City Pride Campaign, Dr. Girley S. Gumanao, The Philippines

Panel Discussant: Dr. Arni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

12:30-13:40 Lunch Break TED-Style talk: Mr. Eric Co Crew Member, Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage (aboard Hōkūleʻa) & Senior Program Officer for Marine Conservation, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation

13:45-14:45 Session 2: Protection of the Marine Environment Moderator: Ms. Kate Brown, Executive Director, Global Island Partnership

Marine Plan Partnership for the North Pacific Coast, Mr. Doug Neasloss, Canada

MIHARI Network, Ms. Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy, Madagascar Maui Nui Makai Network, Mr. Jay Carpio, Hawaii, USA

Panel Discussant: Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President, International Policy, Wildlife Conservation Society

14:45-15:00 Coffee/tea break

15:00-16:00 Session 3: Science for Decision Making Moderator: Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, UN

Oyster Goals Project, Dr. Robert Brumbaugh, USA Citizen Science Fishermen Network, Mr. Muhammad Mahmadur Rahman,

Bangladesh Humboldt Current Project, Mr. Héctor Hernán Samillan Paz, Peru

Panel Discussant: Dr. Melchior Mataki, Permanent Secretary, Ministry for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology, Solomon Islands

16:10-17:10 Session 4: Building Resilience to Climate Change Moderator: Mr. Jesse Gerstin, Senior Policy Manager, Clinton Climate Initiative

Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Financing, Dr. Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, Seychelles

At the Water’s Edge Project, Mr. Terry J. Charles, BEM, Grenada Mwanus Endras Asi Resource Development Network, Mrs. Ulu Hansel,

Papua New Guinea Panel Discussant: Dr. Yukio Masumoto, Tokyo University, Japan

17:10-17:20 Day One Closing Master of Ceremonies

18:30-20:00 Official Reception Hosted by the Nippon Foundation and the Government of Japan By invitation only


APPENDIX

3

Wednesday, 20 July 2016 Ballroom “Ho’ oh” – First Floor 9:00-9:30 Opening of Second Day

Master of Ceremonies TED-Style talk: Ms. Tuhiira Tucki Huke Kakaka Here Henua, Rapa-Nui Easter Island, Chile

Global Ocean Capacity Building Practices Theme 2: Educating and Connecting

9:40-10:40 Video Opening/Transition: The Honorable Dr. Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean, U.S Department of State and Distinguished Professor, Oregon State University

Session 5: Youth and Community Programs Moderator: Dr. Jamison Ervin, Senior Policy Advisor, Global Ecosystems and Biodiversity Programme, UN Development Programme

Kuroshio Jikkan Centre, Dr. Masaru Kanda, Japan Kelompok Peduli Lingkungan Belitung Coastal Community Group,

Mr. Budi Setiawan, Indonesia Watamu Marine Association, Mr. Justin Kenga, Kenya

Panel Discussant: Ms. Margaret Spring, Vice President of Conservation and Science, Monterey Bay Aquarium

10:40-11:00 Coffee/tea break

11:00-12:00 Session 6: Cross-Sectoral Education and Training Moderator: Mr. Kristian Teleki, Senior Marine Advisor, Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit & Director of Engagement, Ocean Unite

TRY Oyster Women’s Association, Ms. Fatou Janha Mboob, The Gambia Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, Mr. Yabanex Batista The Pescadero Program, Ms. Maria Jose Mesen, Mexico

Panel Discussant: Dr. Gregory Stone, Executive Vice President, Chief Scientist for Oceans, Conservation International

12:00 – 13:10 Lunch Break

13:15-14:15 Session 7: Global & Regional Multi-stakeholder Engagement Moderator: Dr. Valerie Hickey, Practice Manager, Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, World Bank

Reef Resilience Network, Ms. Petra MacGowan Western Indian Ocean Certification of Marine Protected Area Professionals,

Mr. Arthur Omondi Tuda Coral Triangle Initiative Women Leaders' Forum, Ms. Roziah Jalalid

Panel Discussant: Mr. Taholo Kami, Regional Director, IUCN Oceania


APPENDIX

4

14:20-15:20 Special Panel Discussion: Future Prospect for Ocean Education in Japan Moderator: Mr. Mitsuhisa Hioki, Project Professor of Research Center for Marine Education, The University of Tokyo Panellists:

Mr. Kazunobu Asada, Deputy Director-General, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Ms. Michi Amano, Tokyo Sea Life Park Mr. Yasumi Kudo, President of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association Mr. Fumiya Shinohara, Commentator Mr. Kenji Nagamatsu, Senior Deputy Director-General, Maritime Bureau,

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

15:20-15:40 Coffee/Tea break 15:45-16:30 Final Outcomes

Moderator: Dr. Francois Bailet Senior Legal Officer, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, UN Presenter 1 (from Theme 1 moderator): Dr. Yoshitaka Ota Presenter 2 (from Theme 2 moderator): Dr. Valerie Hickey Commentator: Mr. Charles Bedford Managing Director, Asia Pacific, The Nature Conservancy

Report from session moderators Identification of common success factors and remaining gaps in capacity

building for protecting oceans 16:35-17:30 Closing Remarks

H.E. Jan Olsson Ambassador for Environment and Oceans, Sweden

Mr. Stefaan Depypere Director for International Affairs and Markets, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, European Commission

H.E. Ronald Jumeau Ambassador for Climate Change & Small Island Developing States Issues Republic of Seychelles

Representative from The Nippon Foundation 18:30-20:00 Farewell Reception for Symposium Attendees

Cocktail and stand-up buffet dinner

Get in Touch!For more details on the International Symposium, contact:

Aya Mizumura The Nature Conservancy Policy Associate, External Affairs & Policy, Asia Pacific [email protected] +61 7 3214 6917

Takashi Arikawa The Nippon Foundation Oceans Program Manager [email protected] +81 3 6229 5322

All photos not noted: © Nippon Foundation WOCRD_1723

Date post:	30-May-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	1 times
Download:	0 times

International Symposium on Capacity Building for...

Documents