Caribbean Natural Resources Institute
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Caribbean Natural Resources Institute Citation: Fardin, F., Andrews, M. & Phillips, T. 2018. Summary report: Institutional assessments of climate change adaptation readiness in the Anguilla and Montserrat fisheries sectors. Port of Spain: CANARI. i Acknowledgements: This assessment report is an output of the Climate change adaptation in the fisheries of Anguilla and Montserrat project which is being implemented by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources - Anguilla, Fisheries and Ocean Resources Unit - Montserrat and the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies of the University of the West Indies (UWI-CERMES). The project is funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through the Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund under the Darwin Initiative. Disclaimer: This publication has been produced by CANARI as an output of the Climate change adaptation in the fisheries of Anguilla and Montserrat project. However, the views expressed herein are those of the authors, and can therefore in no way be taken to reflect the official opinions of Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources of Anguilla, the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, Lands, Housing and the Environment of Montserrat and the Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund under the Darwin Initiative. ii Table of contents 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 1 3 Importance and vulnerability of Anguilla’s and Montserrat’s fisheries sectors ................................... 2 4 Summary of findings and recommendations from the rapid institutional assessments ...................... 3 5 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 4 6 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 5 ANNEX 1: Climate change adaptation of the fisheries sector in Anguilla: Institutional Assessment ANNEX 2: Climate change adaptation of the fisheries sector in Montserrat: Institutional Assessment iii 1 Introduction The two Caribbean overseas territories of the United Kingdom (UKOTs), Anguilla and Montserrat, have fisheries sectors that contribute to livelihoods and national food security. In both UKOTs, the fisheries sectors are vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change. Increased sea surface temperatures, more intense storms and rising sea levels are expected to trigger a complex series of biophysical and socioeconomic impacts on fisheries. Mainstreaming climate change adaptation (CCA) in their fisheries sector is therefore crucial. Needs assessments led by the United Kingdom Department for International Development in 2012 (DFID, 2012) 1 have highlighted weak planning and low adaptive capacity for both islands. The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) in partnership with the Fisheries and Ocean Resources Unit – Montserrat, Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources - Anguilla, and the Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies of the University of the West Indies (UWI- CERMES) is implementing a Darwin Plus: Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund three-year (2017-2020) project- Climate change adaptation in the fisheries of Anguilla and Montserrat. It will contribute to building the capacity of these two OTs to mainstream CCA into fisheries governance and management, using an ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF). This will deliver enhanced stewardship of the resource and livelihood benefits. The project aims to assess vulnerabilities and potential adaptation actions for the fisheries sectors by identifying and analysing local and scientific knowledge. One of the key activities under the project is to conduct an assessment of institutional readiness for climate change adaptation in the fisheries sector of Anguilla and Montserrat. This report provides a summary of the findings of the institutional assessments that were conducted for Anguilla and Montserrat, between December 2017 to March 2018, with the detailed reports for each OT included as Annex 1 and 2, respectively. 2 Methodology A rapid assessment of institutional readiness for climate change adaptation in the fisheries sectors of was conducted for Anguilla and Montserrat from December- February 2018. The assessment utilised the World Resources Institute’s Adaptation: Rapid Institutional Analysis (ARIA) toolkit to assess the quality of five critical functions for institutional readiness: 1) assessment, 2) prioritisation, 3) coordination, 4) information management, and 5) mainstreaming. Each function is defined by a set of indicators which gauge the existence of an institution or process. Each indicator is further defined by a set of qualities which describes key aspects of the institution or process that are likely to lead to better climate change adaptation governance. Qualities are grouped under the following categories: capacity, transparency and participation, accountability and enforcement, and comprehensiveness. The assessment method included desk reviews and in-country interviews with key stakeholders. Desk reviews were conducted to inform the conduct of in-country interviews as well as to validate in-country interview findings. 1 Department for International Development (DFID). (2012). Addressing Climate Change by Promoting Low Carbon Climate Resilient Development in the UK Overseas Territories, Needs Assessment: Anguilla. Department for International Development (DFID). (2012). Addressing Climate Change by Promoting Low Carbon Climate Resilient Development in the UK Overseas Territories, Needs Assessment: Montserrat. 1 In-country interviews were conducted on February 5th and 6th, 2018 in Montserrat, and February 20th and 21st, 2018 in Anguilla by CANARI. These were done in collaboration with the Fisheries and Ocean Resources Unit (Montserrat) and Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources (Anguilla), with representatives from key agencies responsible for the environment, including coastal and marine management, agriculture, fisheries, disaster management, physical planning, land and surveys as well as fisherfolks and civil society organisations. 3 Importance and vulnerability of Anguilla’s and Montserrat’s fisheries sectors Fishing in Montserrat and Anguilla contributes to income, employment and food security. In Montserrat, fishing is mainly small-scale and harvesting activities occur primarily in the subsistence and commercial capture fisheries. A 2017 National Ecosystem Assessment of Montserrat, commissioned by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)2, reported that approximately 75 metric tonnes of fish are landed annually in Montserrat at a value of EC$1.81 million (approximately US$ 0.67 million). The economic contribution of fishing to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been steadily increasing over the past few years in Montserrat, with estimates for 2010 being 0.26% of GDP and 2014, 0.36% (CRFM, 2014). Approximately 2.5% of Montserrat’s labour force, including about 101 fishers operating 37 fishing vessels, are employed in the marine capture fisheries (CRFM, 2014). With an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 85,800 km2, fish production in Anguilla was estimated at 438.31 metric tonnes (mt), valued at EC 15614179.14, in 2014 (DFMR, 2018). Like Montserrat, fishing in Anguilla is small scale with most of the vessels being small boats (5 to 15 m). There are 68 licensed vessels and 92 licensed fishers, 4 of which are women, employed in direct production in the marine commercial capture fisheries in Anguilla. Four hundred and ninety-two persons are involved in other fisheries-dependent activities which make a total of 656 persons employed by the fishing sector. This represents approximately 10 per cent of the labour force. The economic contribution of the fisheries sector to Gross Domestic Product for Anguilla in 2014 was 1.96 % (CFRM, 2015). The two islands are vulnerable to natural disasters including those induced by climate variability and change, and have been impacted by several major storms and other natural disasters in the last decades, which badly affected their fisheries sector, including marine ecosystems and fishing infrastructure. In Montserrat, hurricane Hugo struck in 1989, resulting in eroded shorelines, damaged coral reefs and destruction to the island’s fishing fleet. Hugo caused an estimated EC$5.5 million (approximately US$2 million) to Montserrat’s fisheries sector, including damage to boats, buildings and fish pots. Following Hugo, several other tropical storms and hurricanes (including Hurricanes Luis in 1995, Georges in 1998, Lenny in 1999, Earl in 2010 and Maria in 2017) also occurred, contributing to the damage. The vulnerability of Montserrat’s fisheries sector to climate related impacts is further exacerbated by the island’s vulnerability to volcanic hazards. In 1995, the Soufriere Hills volcano, located to the south of the island, became active and erupted causing wide-spread destruction. The eruptions caused significant impacts to the island’s wetlands and coral reefs. The long-term impacts of the eruption have placed increased pressure