Monitoring

In this article, I explore the knowledge and values that allowed the people of Oceania to develop sustainable use of their marine resources, followed by the demise of these systems after western colonization and the breakdown of traditional societies. The current renaissance of customary stewardship has resulted in not only more effective management, but also a cultural reawakening in many of these island nations. The integration of customary and contemporary management regimes holds great promise for reducing reliance on foreign goods and services, while also improving social cohesion.

Palau has a rich heritage of conservation that has evolved from the traditional moratoria on fishing, or “bul”, to more western Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), while still retaining elements of customary management and tenure. In 2003, the Palau Protected Areas Network (PAN) was created to conserve Palau’s unique biodiversity and culture, and is the country’s mechanism for achieving the goals of the Micronesia Challenge (MC), an initiative to conserve 30% of near-shore marine resources within the region by 2020.

METT Handbook: A guide to using the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT)

Foreward

The METT was developed as part of the WWF-World Bank Forest Alliance programme and the first version was field tested in 2001. Since then it has been adopted and adapted by the Global Environment Facility and many other countries, organisations and projects, as outlined in this publication.

A Global Register of Competences for Protected Area Practitioners

As the global coverage of protected areas approaches 20% of the land surface and 10% of the sea surface, more and more individuals, agencies and communities are responsible for safeguarding the planet’s natural and associated cultural heritage. Managing protected areas is becoming more demanding and more diverse. Today’s managers, staff and stewards are expected to:

IUCN Green List of Well Managed Protected Areas

http://www.iucngreenlist.org/

Guide for Improving Marine Protected Area Management Effectiveness in Indonesia

Management effectiveness evaluation in protected areas – a global study 

Evaluating Effectiveness: a framework for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas

This document is an important tool for promoting action. It highlights the importance of culturally‐responsive capacity development, with Pacific Islanders defining the most appropriate approaches to be used. This requires partnerships, programs, and processes that work closely with existing contexts and conditions, understand and reflect values and cultures, and help build on existing knowledge and the great strength of the region – community‐based management.  That is the purpose of this framework.

Global Fishing Watch is the product of a technology partnership between SkyTruth, Oceana, and Google that is designed to show all of the trackable fishing activity in the ocean. This interactive web tool – currently in prototype stage – is being built to enable anyone to visualize the global fishing fleet in space and time.