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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities
Yemen
ROUSH MARINE PROTECTEDAREA COMMUNITY,SOCOTRA
Empowered live
Resilient nation
Empowered live
Resilient nation
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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES
Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo
or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth
their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition
themselves guiding the narrative.
To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser
that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ
to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models
replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence toThe Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years
the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.
Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.
EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding
Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe
Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,
Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu
DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa
Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.
AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Roush Marine Protected Area, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Wa
Omar Ali Ahmed. All photo credits courtesy o Roush Marine Protected Area. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.
Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Roush Marine Protected Area Community, Socotra. Equator Initiative Case Study Ser
New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ROUSH PROTECTED AREA COMMUNITY, Yemen
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PROJECT SUMMARYRoush Protected Area Community, Socotra, is located onekilometer north o Socotra, an island o the coast o Yemen.The marine protected area belongs to the communitieso Sacra and Diherhom villages, and was developed inresponse to an observed decline in marine resources andsh populations. A conservation area and eco-campsitewere established, and the initiative was later broadened toinclude conservation activities more generally.
The campsite has created local jobs and benets areshared equitably amongst participating communities. The
initiative ollows principles o environmental responsibility,using solar panels or energy and undertaking sustainablemanagement o water. In addition to the benets oecotourism revenues, Sacra and Diherhom villages havebenetted rom increased stocks o sh and other marineresources.
KEY FACTS
EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2010
FOUNDED: 2000
LOCATION: Socotra Archipelago, Gulf of Aden
BENEFICIARIES: Sacra and Diherhom villages
BIODIVERSIT Y: Socotra Archipelago, World Heritage Site
3
ROUSH MARINE PROTECTED AREACOMMUNITY, SOCOTRAYemen
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background and Context 4
Key Activities and Innovations 6
Biodiversity Impacts 7
Socioeconomic Impacts 7
Policy Impacts 8
Sustainability 9
Replication 9
Partners 9
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4
The island ecology o Socotraocotra is the largest o our islands that make up the Socotra
Archipelago. It is situated in the mouth o the Gul o Aden in the
orthwest Indian Ocean and o the coast o Yemen. The archipelago
as been called the Galapagos o the Indian Ocean or its exceptional
iodiversity and species endemism. It has also been classied as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Similar to the Galapagos, Socotra is
n the desert and xeric shrublands biome and contains diverse and
nique plant lie. Socotra is home to 825 plant species, 157 o which
re classied as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable,
ncluding eight species o rankincense, dragon trees, and cucumber
rees. More than 300 plant species are ound nowhere else in the
world.
he islands are home to 192 bird species, seven o which are endemic.
he archipelago contains 22 areas which have been classied as
globally important bird areas by Birdlie International. Over 1,000
ndangered Egyptian vultures live on Socotra, as well as six endemic
pecies and 10 endemic subspecies o birds. O 34 reptile species
n the island, 90 percent are endemic, including six species o
nakes, 15 geckoes, two skinks, two lizards, and one chameleon. The
sland also contains a labyrinthine subterranean cave system, which
as not been ully explored and which likely contains additional
ndocumented ora and auna.
Marine lie in and around the Socotra Archipelago is a unique
o species rom the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, East A
and the wider Indo-Pacic. The coastal waters contain 253 sp
o ree-building corals, 730 species o sh, and 300 species o
lobster, and shrimp. Importantly, two globally threatened spec
sea turtles green and loggerhead nest on the beaches o Soc
Because the marine environment and ree systems surroun
Socotra are less degraded than much o the rest o the Indian Oc
they serve as a signicant source o replenishment and dispers
surrounding areas.
Economic isolation
The same geographic isolation that has let Socotras m
ecosystems and unique biodiversity relatively untarnished
let the island population economically isolated and margina
Socotra is among the poorest regions o Yemen. A majority o
population lives below the absolute poverty line with limited ac
to sae drinking water, to basic education, or to health services.
livelihoods revolve around livestock rearing, date palm plantat
small-scale trade, household gardens, semi-nomadic pastora
and, in coastal areas, shing. Shark, king sh, and tuna are
staples o those on the island and the mainland, while lobster
Background and Context
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55
ee sh are generally sold to shing vessels rom other countries.
ocal shermen tend to be disempowered, lack agency and have
elatively little control over the sh market, as commercial traders
etermine the price, quantity, and type o catch they collect rom
oastal villages. Because these villages tend to lack adequate
torage and processing acilities, the bargaining position o local
shermen is compromised and weak, leaving them no choice but
o accept whatever price is oered to them. Above and beyond
ts marine resources, the local population o Socotra relies on itserrestrial orests or livelihood, ood security, nutrition, cooking uel,
onstruction material and heating needs. Growing pressure to meet
hese needs has increased the elling o trees (rather than just using
ead timber) and is threatening endemic species such as Maerua
ngolensis and Metaporana obtusa.
Roush Marine Protected Area
oush is a marine protected area located roughly one kilometer
the northern coast o Socotra. The waters traditionally belong
o the Sacra and Diherhom villages, which have a combined 800
nhabitants. Environmental conservation and ecological restoration
nitiatives began in the early 1990s, in large part a response to
ecreased productivity in local sheries. Communities in the
egion began implementing strict rules on resource access based
on traditional knowledge and locally adapted community-b
natural resource management arrangements. Restrictions
placed on the use o certain types o (damaging and high-im
shing equipment, closed (or rest) periods and seasonal no-
zones were introduced, bans were imposed on shing vulner
species, and traditional shing technologies were promoted a
alternative to bottom nets. In 2000, Roush gained ofcial legal s
as a marine sanctuary, a designation which completely proh
shing in the area. The community monitors and guards the arensure enorcement o prevailing rules.
In 2008, a local resident announced plans to sell a strategi
important parcel o coastal land to an investor who in turn
plans to develop a large resort. The community intervened to r
control o the marine protected area. The landowner was convi
instead to participate in the establishment o an eco-campsite w
would generate income or the entire community, and which w
operate with the interests and needs o the marine protected
as its central preoccupation. With a start-up grant rom the U
implemented GEF-Small Grants Programme, and with de
support rom the Socotra Zoning Plan, the community laun
the campsite in 2009. The ecotourism enterprise oers visitors
accommodations, ood, souvenirs, and scuba-diving services, a
which emphasize environmentally sustainable approaches.
Everything we have comes from nature. In Yemen, as in other parts of the world, we tend to ca
too much about building and modernization. But nature is where it all comes from. We would b
wise to remember this fact every day, and at every new step in human development..
Wagdi Omar Ali Ahmed, Roush Community
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Key Activities and Innovationshe Roush community carries out a number o activities to ensure
he conservation o its marine protected area, the smooth operation
o the Roush eco-campsite, and the provision o alternative and
ustainable livelihood options or members o the local community.
n all o its activities, the community emphasizes participatory
ecision-making processes and operates according to benet-
haring principles which ensure the inclusion o all community
members in project design and implementation.
Conservation and monitoring
eore the marine protected area ofcially came into existence, and
beore the sanctuary status was legally codied in 2000, the Roush
ommunity implemented a customary resource management
ystem which adhered to strict restrictions on shing in the
oastal waters. Because modern shing methods, equipment and
echnologies were proving harmul to the overall sh supply, theommunity decided to reintroduce traditional, ancestral shing
ules which were originally developed so that the geographically
solated island population could be sel-sufcient and meet all o its
primary needs on a sustainable basis. These customary regulations
ncluded bans on nets that do not distinguish between mature and
nderdeveloped sh, on shing with nets during moon nights,
nd on harvesting sea cucumbers (as they are instrumental to
maintaining coral health). This community-based management
ystem was invaluable in allowing marine lie to regenerate, even
prior to the ban on shing in the sanctuary area. Today, community
members use boats to monitor and guard the marine protected
rea. Particular energy is invested in monitoring outside shing
essels and oreign shermen, specically during the sea cucumberarvesting season.
Operation o the eco-campsite
The community oversees the maintenance and manageme
the Roush eco-campsite and protection o the surrounding
The eco-campsite uses sustainable technologies that are in
with industry standards and makes use o traditional buil
techniques, using natural, locally-available materials. The struct
o the site are built in traditional stone and palm lea style to
Socotran environment. The campsite is powered by solar en
Rather than a conventional drainage system, water rom the
campsite runs into a system that irrigates a local orest area.
site also uses a sustainable waste management system to mini
negative impacts on the environment. The community h
regular meetings to evaluate the eco-campsites perormance
to engender a sense o shared ownership o the enterprise
community members engage with the business in some way, s
or orm some through direct employment, others by provisupplies, and others still by way o community benet sharing.
Community beneft sharing
In all o its activities, the community ollows a benet sharing prin
which dictates that both decision-making or and benets accr
rom the marine protected area belong to the entire community
benet-sharing principle is a guide or the community to distri
monetary and material benets rom their activities as equi
as possible. When divers hire the boats o local sherman, the
a community system in place to ensure this happens on a rota
basis or equal opportunity. Local goods and services prov
that ll eco-campsite needs are also sourced on a rotating bRevenues generated rom the eco-tourism venture are reinve
into community works projects, which have to date included w
pipes, a community reezer (to store sh), and conservation p
needs. Any revenues remaining ater investments are made
community inrastructure needs are distributed among comm
members according to amily size.
All male members o the community participate in decision-ma
or the marine protected area. Decisions are taken both by conse
and majority. Social and religious norms on Socotra tend to exc
women rom participation in public lie. However, the R
committee has incorporated women into community activ
and small-scale business development opportunities. Womenparticipate in trainings, awareness campaigns on conserva
and management discussions when the projects in question
seen to directly relate to womens domains. This can also hap
on a demand-driven basis rom local women. For example, a
widows group put in a request to the Roush committee or sup
opening a vegetable arm to produce ood or the eco-campsite
the market in Hadibo (Socotras capital). The arm is now a prior
the village development plan.
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7
Impacts
BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS
ocal residents and shermen note an increase in sh variety
nd abundance since the area was declared a marine sanctuary.
pecically, the area now contains larger populations o grouper
nd white sh, lobster, sea cucumber, and sharks. The nal report
o the Marine Habitat, Biodiversity and Fisheries Surveys rom 2002
eports 250 species o sh in the sanctuary. Eleven o these 250
pecies are buttery sh, which are considered indicator species o
healthy coral rees. Local shermen also note an increase in daily
atch size in waters outside the protected area.
The eco-campsite plays an important role in protecting marinebiodiversity, giving visitors a place to stay as they bring non-
shing income into the community. This enterprise reminds
ommunity members o the economic benets associated with
heir conservation eorts. The community has also constructed a
unique system or recycling water used in the campsite, which then
rrigates local orests (or tree stands). This system supports the
growth oAdenium socotranum andJatropha trees, both o which are
endemic to Socotra. The roots o the Adenium Socotranum protect
gainst soil erosion and its trunk oten houses shellsh. Revenues
rom the ecotourism enterprise also allow the community to pursue
expanded conservation activities, including most recently special
protections or lobster habitats and construction o a jetty which
llows boats to anchor without damaging coral rees or vulnerablehoreline areas.
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
The island archipelago is home to 44,000 people, most living on
ocotra near the capital Hadibu and the town o Qalansya in the
east. As the capital city, Hadibu is the commercial center o Socotra
nd where local shermen sell their products. The villages o Sacra
nd Diherhom have been the principle drivers o the initiative.
The socioeconomic benets resulting rom their action, how
have extended well beyond these locales. Greater sh stocks
resource abundance have translated to improved livelihood
local shermen and ood security or the entire local popula
Operation o the marine protected area has created a conserva
economy, where new jobs and alternative livelihoods come
restoring local biodiversity and ecosystems rather than
exploiting them. The socioeconomic benets resulting rom
project have also been equally distributed amongst the
population through the application o a benet-sharing princip
The best illustration o the conservation economy in practi
community operation o the eco-campsite. In its rst year alone
eco-campsite brought in 1.5 million rial (equivalent to USD 7,
The ecotourism enterprise has created jobs and income-gener
opportunities or a population with ew alternative livelih
options. The eco-campsite directly employs ten members ocommunity on a ull-time basis. The business also sources its
materials and services rom the local community, which has cre
indirect employment and income-generating opportunities.
On a rotating basis, individuals and suppliers rom the local vil
provide sh, meat, vegetables, artisanal handicrats, gu
services, boat rentals and more to the eco-campsite. Local wo
also produce traditional souvenirs such as woven belts (hab
hand-made carpets, blankets, and rankincense in palm lea b
which are all sold at the campsite. One popular item amongst vis
tourists is the so-called dragons blood: a bright red resin colle
rom the Dracaena cinnabaritree, which is endemic to Socotra
resin was a valuable trade product in ancient times and was both as a dye and or its medicinal properties.
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We are grateful on Socotra to have the support of our government. Having supportive polici
in place that are responsive to our needs makes all the difference in the world for our capaci
to conserve biodiversity.
Wagdi Omar Ali Ahmed, Roush Community
Two thirds o revenues rom the eco-campsite have been reinvested
nto the enterprise to enhance its services and to und community
works projects, including a water pipe system, purchasing a
communal reezer or shermen to store their products, and
construction o a sae anchoring spot or boats (to limit damage
o local coral rees). As one example o how these seemingly small
nterventions can be transormative, by purchasing a communal
reezer, local shermen are now in a much stronger bargaining
position with traders and middlemen and have managed to even theplaying eld or what was an asymmetrical power relationship. With
no storage and reezer or sh and marine resources, community
shermen were disproportionately dependent on middlemen
o purchase their catch; they did not have the luxury o time to
negotiate better prices or their products. These same shermen
can now store their products and demand more equitable prices or
heir catch. Ecotourism revenues have also been reinvested in local
conservation eorts, such as the restoration o lobster habitats.
Roush community marine conservation initiatives have also provided
he local population with access to training and workshops, which
have built local capacity and transerred new skills to economically
marginalized villages. Trainings have been oered in protectedarea management, eco-tourism, ood preparation and catering,
computer literacy and English language instruction.
POLICY IMPACTS
The Roush community experience in marine protected
management has had a number o policy impacts, with implica
or resource management and conservation not only in Socotra
across Yemen. Both the Environment Protection Authority (EPA)
the Ministry o Water and Environment have expressed intere
using the project as a model or replication and best practice tran
The community has also assumed a leadership role in pushinstricter regulations over marine resource access and extraction
one example, shermen in Roush agreed to a ban on line shing
diving or sea cucumbers within the marine protected area.
community action and leadership resulted in the ormal adop
(and subsequent regulation) o this ban by the EPA. Similarly
Roush community successully lobbied the EPA to outlaw
chewing o qat in the marine protected area; a regulation w
has been adopted by all protected areas in Yemen. Quat leav
legal and commonly-used narcotic stimulant in Yemen, are sold
distributed in plastic bags which were being discarded and cau
problems or marine biodiversity.
8
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Sustainability and ReplicationSUSTAINABILITY
he Roush marine protected area, along with the community initiative
which brought it into being, is designed to be environmentally,
ocially, and nancially sustainable.
he approach taken to construction and operation o the eco-
ampsite make it sel-sufcient and sel-sustaining rom the
est o the island. Solar panels, waste water systems, and waste
management procedures have all been put in place to ensure
ong-term sustainability and as little impact on the surrounding
nvironment as possible. With uture revenues rom the ecotourism
enture, the community has ambitions to extend renewable energy
ervice to the villages as well.
n terms o social sustainability, the initiative has succeeded (and
will hopeully do so into the uture) as a result o communitywnership o and participation in project activities, decision-making
nd strategic planning processes. Social solidarity underpins the
apacity o the community to take collective strides towards a
ommon vision. This solidarity and local commitment has been
einorced and incentivized through a benet-sharing principle. By
eaping the economic, social and environmental benets that result
rom equitable benet-sharing, community members are motivated
o conserve biodiversity instead o exploiting it in destructive ways
or personal and short-term benet. This is true at the level o the
ndividual and at that o the village. Benet-sharing has created
reater income or individuals, but has also resulted in the channeling
revenues into village inrastructure and service provision (as in the
ducation and health sectors).
he nancial sustainability o the project is closely tied to
nvironmental sustainability in the region, and in particular the
ngoing protection and restoration eorts being undertaken
n the marine protected area. The sanctuary is among the most
valued scuba-diving sites in the region, and will continue to at
tourists who have an interest in experiencing and seeing its un
biodiversity rst hand. Tourist dollars will continue to come
the community, so long as ecosystem integrity and biodive
richness is maintained. The business model is sound; ater only
year, the eco-campsite has achieved operational sustainability.
community also has plans to expand the enterprise to provid
even wider range o services.
REPLICATION
The Roush community initiative has actively reached ou
neighboring communities who hold similar conservation, m
resource management and sustainable livelihoods goals but
have not yet set up initiatives o their own. Two communit
Agales and Timre have created marine protected areas in the m
and image o the Roush model. Knowledge exchange and peepeer site visits have been critical in the transer o good prac
know-how and lessons learned. This has also resulted in impr
overow capacity or handling scuba-diver tourists; when Rou
overwhelmed with more than ve scuba-divers (this is the maxim
limit in the marine protected area), they send overow to Timr
this way, neighboring communities are proting rom ecotou
and seeing rst-hand the benets that come rom conserva
This has spawned ve other protected are campsites on Soc
including Wadi Ayhat near Hadibo.
PARTNERS
The UNDP implemented GEF-Small Grant Programme in Yemenprovided technical and nancial support to the community, and
particularly helpul during construction o the eco-campsite
with lobster habitat conservation projects.
The Environment Protection Authority o Socotra and the Min
o Water and Environment have provided workshops and lect
or members o the community. They also provided legal
administrative support in creating the protected area and
campsite, and were instrumental in codiying a number o bans
regulations, including diving or the collection o sea cucum
in the marine protected areas, net-shing, and chewing o
in the protected area. The Ministry o Tourism in Socotra was
cooperative in setting up the qat-chewing ban, and has also provadvice and cooperation in eco-tourism issues generally.
UNDP-bilateral donors, including Socotra Conservation
Development Program (SCDP), supported the Roush initi
rom 2003 until 2009, when the UNDP-GEF Socotra Govern
and Biodiversity Project became involved. In 2008, SCDP don
unding toward the construction o the eco-campsite. UNDP
Socotra Governance and Biodiversity Project has played an adv
role in Roush. They have assessed and enhanced managem
capacity in the protected area.
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FURTHER REFERENCE
Video: Concern as Yemen ecotourism grows, 2010 (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18OUnhB9wwo
Roush Protected Area Community Photo Story (Vimeo) http://vimeo.com/15748106
Socotra Governance & Biodiversity Project website http://www.socotraproject.org/
Equator Initiative
Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 646 781-4023
www.equatorinitiative.org
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change and
necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.
The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati
o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.
2012 by Equator Initiative
All rights reserved
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