Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

The Global Conservation Program Achievements and lessons learned from 10 years of support for threats-based conservation at a landscape and seascape scale

Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement LAG-A-00-99-00048-00 SSO 1 (934-001-01)

World Wildlife Fund

SULU SULAWESI MARINE ECOREGION

Final Closeout Report October 1, 1999 – September 30, 2004 Date Submitted: December 28, 2009 Submitted by: Judy Oglethorpe

This publication is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the conditions of the Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement No. LAG-A-00-99-00048-00 SSO 1 (934-001-01). The contents are the responsibility of the World Wildlife Fund and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Table of Contents Acronyms and abbreviations...... 3 Key achievements, impacts and lessons learned attained with GCP funding...... 4 GCP program background ...... 10 Location, global importance and key threats to this landscape/seascape ...... 10 GCP partner historic and current roles in this landscape...... 11 GCP partner approach to threats based conservation at a landscape scale...... 12 Implementing conservation at a landscape or regional scale: overcoming challenges, grasping opportunities and managing adaptively ...... 17 Sustainability...... 37 Measures of success...... 38 Value of the GCP program ...... 43 References...... 44

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Acronyms and abbreviations

ERBC – Ecoregion Based Conservation MAC – Marine Aquarium Council MPA – Marine Protected Area SPAGS – Spawning Aggregation Sites SSME – Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion TRNMP – Tubbataha National Marine Park

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Key achievements, impacts and lessons learned attained with GCP funding

GCP funds enabled WWF to move toward its long-term goal of conserving the globally significant biodiversity of the Sulu Sulawesi Seas by protecting networks of critical sites and magnifying action to protect priority seascapes representative of the biodiversity of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion. The principal achievements attained with GCP funding were: A. Immediate threats reduced and sustainable management initiated in 5 critical sites, through empowerment and strengthening of stakeholder partnerships; B. Effective protection of 3 critical anchor sites and documentation of successful approaches for replication across broader seascapes; C. Expansion of the successful anchor site approaches to 3 broader seascapes, one in each of the three countries (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia), of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion; D. Development of strategies addressing broader scale threats to the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion. Highlights of these achievements and lessons learned are detailed below.

A. Immediate threats reduced and sustainable management initiated in 5 Critical Sites, through empowerment and strengthening of stakeholder partnerships

1. Tubbataha National Marine Park, Philippines o Stakeholder representatives trained and deputized as fish wardens and fish examiners (enabling them to arrest violators of fishing regulations) and patrol efforts scaled up, resulting in apprehension and arrests of illegal fishers. o Quarterly biological monitoring trips were initiated to track changes in reef conditions o Survey of dive tourists’ willingness to pay for conservation at the park was completed, and a financing scheme initiated to support recurring costs of conservation through the collection of dive tourism conservation fees. o Patrols, awareness and enforcement activities virtually eliminated destructive fishing. o Ongoing biological monitoring indicated fish biomass increased significantly and live coral cover was on the increase. o Dive tourism fees collected during the spring 2000 dive season generated nearly US$40,000 to be used in the management of the marine protected area and to develop an endowment to support management over the long term. o Adjacent communities requested WWF assistance in setting up similar protection programs.

2. Anilao Municipal Marine Protected Area, Balayan Bay, Philippines o Stakeholder representatives were trained and deputized as fish wardens and fish examiners (enabling them to arrest violators of fishing regulations) and patrol efforts scaled up, resulting in apprehension and arrests of illegal fishers. o Patrols, awareness and enforcement activities virtually eliminated destructive fishing. o Local people are monitoring changes in reef conditions and fish biomass. o A composite team including local communities, local government, and NGOs was organized to institutionalize patrolling and enforcement activities and a review conducted of existing policies of the municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy pertaining to fisheries, tourism, permitting, environment and other aspects of MPA management. o Observations indicated improving ecosystem condition. o Adjacent communities requested WWF assistance in setting up similar protection programs. Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 4

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

3. Semporna Islands, Malaysia o Environmental education program increased community support for protection activities o Capacity built for community–based implementation of the management plan.

4. Bunaken National Park, Indonesia o Coelacanth, an endangered fish, proved to be a powerful flagship species, helping mobilize initial support for conservation from a wide range of community stakeholders. o Greater participation of park users, including the dive industry, in partnerships to support park conservation. o A youth Community Reef Watchers Team (Tim Raja Laut) formed its own NGO, focusing on marine conservation issues and conservation in Bunaken National Park. This group later carried out a fisheries socio-economic and market survey as well as a local knowledge inventory on fish spawning aggregations, both of which contributed to the scientific-basis for management decisions. o An effective partnership/co-management regime for park management and resource conservation – the multi- stakeholder Bunaken Management Board – was established and effectively managed patrolling and the recently instituted user fee. o Regular patrols covering nearly the entire park and community outreach enforcing regulations and explaining the function mandate, and regulations of the parks – resulted in elimination of destructive fishing, including the use of compressors and cyanide for capture of live reef fish and blast fishing. o Strong cooperation with provincial and district fisheries offices resulted in reissue of all existing fishing licenses with specific written exception for Bunaken National Park. o Improved skills of co-management group to use marine science in park management decisions. o A scientific monitoring program was established to measure the success of management efforts at protecting, restoring, and sustaining reef community health, focusing on corals and benthic organisms as well as fish stocks (an indicator of interest to communities which can help to justify strengthened park protection efforts). For example, confirmation of a significant fish spawning aggregation site with large numbers of groupers present led several dive operators to adopt this and other potential sites for regular monitoring. One of the spawning aggregation sites identified was proposed for closure to fishing, and local communities supported this management regulation. o Improved understanding of location and function of ecologically critical areas within and adjacent to the parks. o Ongoing information on park ecological status generated from a continual monitoring program. For example a coral reef survey showed that in 2003 the coral cover in Bunaken National Park increased about 11.28% as compared to the coral cover in 2001 – an indicator of successful patrol activities. o Greater capacity within the Ministry of Marine Exploration and Fisheries and the relevant provincial planning boards to participate effectively in partnerships to conduct conservation and management activities in the parks. o Through a public-private partnership, the North Sulawesi Watersports Association, Bunaken Park, and the North Sulawesi Government set up in 2001 a sustainable financing mechanism (dive fee system) for the park. Implementation and enforcement of this ground-breaking park entrance fee system succeeded in collecting over a 12-month period in 2003 US$188,279,

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

capturing revenues from approximately 8,262 foreign tourists from 45 countries and over 17,431 local visitors. 5. Bali Barat National Park, Indonesia o WWF hosted and facilitated workshops and meetings to help stakeholders resolve issues of conflict and develop a roadmap to achieve a common vision for Bali Barat that included cooperative management, an effective enforcement mechanism, and an adaptive management framework. This process resulted in the design of a five-year Conservation Strategic Plan for the park, including a participatory patrol system for destructive fishing practices, a Code of Conduct for reef management, a sustainable financing scheme, and greater focus on coral reef ecosystems. o Lessons learned regarding the technical aspects, legal foundation, and management approaches of the patrol system in Bunaken were used as a basis to develop a patrol system adapted to local values and traditions in Bali Barat. The park, which had no patrolling of the marine area beforehand, is implementing a joint public-private law enforcement initiative to protect and monitor the integrity of the reef from destructive fishing practices. Patrol activities are carried out twice a week, involving 6 personnel from different sectors in each patrol: 2 police agencies, 2 park authority staff, and 2 local communities. o Hosted and facilitated meetings that helped establish an effective dive operators association. o A Code of Conduct containing ten commands of best practices in environmentally friendly dive tourism for the park was established and agreed through a multi-stakeholder process involving dive operators, resorts, police, park authority, local fishers, and government. The Code of Conduct was officially legalized and announced in May 2002. o Bali Barat park officials and Bali-based dive operators were trained in Reef Check (a volunteer monitoring effort coordinated in Indonesia by WWF) methods to be able to conduct simple assessments of the coral reefs and associated reef fish in the park and thus be more proactive in management decision making. o Through consultations, meetings, and training, the park officials and stakeholders better understood marine resources and the park’s function. Most staff recognized that the park zoning should be reviewed and adjusted if it was to support long-term conservation of the park. o A suitability study of the area for coral reef rehabilitation and a coral farming project were completed. o Through intensive training, officials, local NGOs, and students increased their knowledge of fisheries monitoring, management, and socio-economic aspects in the park. This included knowledge of fish spawning aggregation sites, improving participants understanding of the most effective zoning. o GIS and Mapping training carried out in the park enabled participants to use GIS-based mapping and analysis to strengthen conservation management, particularly in reviewing the zoning scheme of the park.

B & C. Effective protection of 3 critical anchor sites and documentation of successful approaches for replication across 3 broader seascapes, one in each of the three countries (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia), of the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion 1. Bunaken National Park approaches, replication across North Sulawesi seascape, Indonesia o The MOU with Bunaken Management Board was expanded to cover a larger patrol area including areas surrounding the park, such as Bangka Island and Talise Island. o The experience in Bunaken contributed to the development and implementation of patrols in Bali Barat National Park as part of the co-management of the area. Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 6

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

o Bunaken Park Management Board shared their experience in conservation management, offering valuable inputs for constructing a rational and realistic management plan for the Derawan Isles, another critical area in the SSME, slated to become a protected area. o Bunaken co-management stakeholders and Bali Barat co-management stakeholders each made a site visit to share their knowledge and experience to help the Derawan Islands community develop patrol/enforcement and co-management activities. o The co-management program developed in several key sites including Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks was communicated to policy makers through a workshop held by TNC and NRM in Jakarta in February 2002. This was a first step in the national adoption of co-management by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, as well as the Ministry of Forestry. As a result of the decentralization in Indonesia and consistent WWF lobbying, decision-makers became increasingly open to multi-stakeholder partnerships in management. o Bunaken National Park and Bali Barat National Park are widely recognized as co-management models for Indonesian Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). o Three additional MPAs/MMAs (Marine Management Areas) expressed to WWF an interest in adapting and adopting the Bunaken co-management approach: Gilis Islands (Nusa Tenggara Barat province); 3 Nusa (Bali province), and Waka Tobi (Sulawesi Tanggara province). o In an April 2003 Nusa Tenggara Barat province workshop on co-management workshop, government and other stakeholders selected WWF to lead the facilitation of co-management development in the province. o An Indonesia national workshop was held (with cooperation from WWF, NRM, TNC and the Forestry Department) in Jakarta in February 2003 to profile and socialize co-management in protected areas yielded three important results: . Formal recognition of the importance of co-management for protected areas at many sites in Indonesia; . Joint agreement to conduct a review of legislation needed to accommodate co- management as a tool for protected areas . Development of general guidelines for implementation of co-management. o Development and lobbying for co-management at the national level in Indonesia continued to meet with success and endorsement. Beginning with a small network of early adopters, it expanded into a wide range of sites and partners with growing examples of success stories of co- management implementation.

2. El Nido approaches, replication across Northern Palawan seascape, Philippines o A stakeholder-adopted plan was developed and implemented to institutionalize the existing El Nido marine enforcement program. Steps completed included: 1) institutional diagnosis – Weaknesses identified were: coordination and communication; surveillance and intelligence, equipment procurement and usage, business development, and monitoring and evaluation. 2) result validation - Stakeholders identified the lack of an adequate system for implementation as the most significant issue affecting the existing protection initiative in El Nido. 3) adaptation of the existing enforcement plan to fill gaps – An enhanced 3-year protection plan expanded enforcement efforts to include the entire municipality of El Nido. 4) legal adoption of the enhanced protection plan – Since the new plan exceeded the jurisdiction of the park, it was presented to and endorsed by the El Nido Municipal Council, leading to the local government playing a more active role in the protection activities and their sustainability.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

5) systems setting and manual – Stakeholders developed an enforcement manual, based on their existing practices, but adapted to the new institutional set-up, outlining procedures and standards to be followed in the implementation of multi-sectoral environmental law enforcement activities. 6) supporting legislation and institutional policies – Policy frameworks were developed to support the plans and systems developed. 7) operationalizing – The Marine Enforcement Plan mobilized the organization and functioning of cluster patrol teams according to the enforcement capacities of local stakeholders and their areas of responsibility; the entire El Nido marine environment was divided into seven clusters designed to pool resources at the Barangay (smallest local government unit in the Philippines) level. The cluster patrol team headed by the Protected Area Office conducted in 2004 a total of 57 patrols inside the El Nido Taytay Managed Resources Protected Area, resulting in 4 apprehensions with the violators paying fines and the confiscation of their fishing equipment. A criminal case was filed against violators apprehended for the use of cyanide. The local government, the protected area office, and WWF-Philippines allocated funds, logistics, and personnel for the operations. The Local Government Unit and local El Nido stakeholders provided counterpart funds, personnel, equipment, fuel, technical expertise, integration with other initiatives, monitoring and adaptation. The Local Government Unit and WWF-Philippines conducted training for a total of 57 volunteer law enforcers representing the 18 barangays and partner agencies. Sixty-eight percent (38) of the trainees passed the qualifying exam and were deputized as fish wardens, thus giving them the authority to file cases in court against violators of existing fisheries laws. The Local Government Unit appointed the remaining 32%, who did not pass the exam, as community volunteers thus legitimizing their work as environmental enforcers within El Nido. 8) monitoring and evaluation – Collection of baseline data on fisheries dynamics and stock were completed. An assessment of stakeholder interests validated that the proposed plan allowed activities that captured stakeholders’ learning interest. A newsletter and weekly radio broadcast were launched to update stakeholders on progress, thus meeting their need for feedback and transparency o Through the end of the GCP support, WWF focused on replicating the marine protection and enforcement program in El Nido to other municipalities in Northern Palawan. WWF began efforts to establish a second anchor site in Taytay and develop a cooperative mechanism for a broader marine protection and enforcement program similar to El Nido’s marine protection program.

3. Semporna Islands approaches, replication across the East Coast of Sabah seascape, Malaysia o Building on its success in the Semporna Islands where the local community was one of the stakeholder groups advocating park establishment, WWF continued supporting the gazettement process with on-site activities, enhancement of community awareness and participation in park management, and identification of complementary economic opportunities. These efforts were documented for magnification and replication in the proposed Marudu Bay Marine Park, Kudat- Banggi. o In Malaysia, many marine protected areas had been established, but few were in Sabah where marine resources were richest. Therefore WWF identified sites for the creation of new protected or well-managed areas, and advocated for their establishment. Site identification was done primarily through analysis of sites important for the conservation of marine mammals, whale sharks, and turtles, since at the time data on those marine species was more limited than data on

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

coral reefs. WWF completed a reconnaissance survey and mapping of the target species distribution and movements and developed a long-term conservation strategy and action plan based on the anchor sites and incorporating the needs of the target species. WWF also replicated advocacy efforts on marine protected area establishment in new sites in East Coast Sabah.

D. Development of strategies addressing broader scale threats to the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion.

o Improved awareness, understanding, and participation in Marine Conservation in critical sites of the SSME (focus on Palawan seascape, Philippines) through stakeholders meetings and training of community trainers to use Marine Conservation Awareness Kits. o Increased understanding of critical marine resources and threats across North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan upon which to base the ERBC conservation strategy development. Assessments of coral reefs, mangroves, sea turtle habitats, threats and conservation needs completed for these least understood areas of the SSME, were critical to the collaborative development of the SSME Ecoregion Conservation Plan to guide targeted actions by all stakeholders. o Using market forces to support coral reef conservation – transforming the marine ornamentals industry in the Philippines and Indonesia into one based on quality and sustainable use of coral reefs by developing a third party certification system. o A tri-national strategy to protect marine turtles and their habitats formulated as a first step to creating a tri-national ecologically representative network of MPAs across the SSME. A consensus building workshop with 62 participants representing government agencies, non- government organizations, and academic institutions from the three countries (Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia) culminated from a series of consultations and trainings in sea turtle conservation. The workshop produced an agreement on the need for a tri-national conservation program for sea turtles. Participants recommended 62 actions clustered under 7 issues, among them the proposal to expand the Philippine – Malaysia Turtle Islands Heritage protected Area to include the Derawan Islands of Indonesia. o Enhanced sustainability of conservation action by creating and expanding long-term financing mechanisms at three critical sites – two in the Philippines and one in Indonesia Though regular dialog with divers associations and local government officials, WWF reviewed legislation to identify obstacles and opportunities for conservation finance; developed a “willingness to pay” survey and administered it at three project sites; estimated user fees and investigated other innovative revenue generation schemes; identified the best institutional regimes for collecting and disbursing funds. In one site in the Philippines (Balayan Bay, Municipality of Mabini), a major output was the Mabini Municipal Divers Fee Ordinance, approved by the Provincial Council in 2003. A Coastal Resources Management Board was created, composed of five representatives from the municipal local government unit and six private sector representatives. Draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Mabini Divers Fee Ordinance were presented to the local Chief Executive for review and preparation of the Executive Order to legalize implementation of the fee. The IRR provides the divers’ fee rates and institutional regime for collecting and disbursing funds. This is the first Municipal Ordinance to have an IRR.

Major Lessons Learned o Development of multi-sector stakeholder partnerships requires a long-term time investment, but these partnerships are effective mechanisms for sustainable management of critical areas for marine biodiversity and natural resources at local and landscape scales.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

o Monitoring and communicating the success of management schemes in terms of stakeholder interests is an effective strategy to build support for multiplying these schemes. GCP program background The Eastern Indonesian and Sulu Sulawesi Seas harbor the most biologically diverse assemblage of marine life known anywhere on Earth. The ecoregion hosts over 80 coral genera and more than 450 species of coral, whereas the entire Caribbean Sea harbors only 50 species. This rich resource base also provides a livelihood for over 50 million people and is a major economic engine of the regional economy. Tragically, this flourishing of life is under siege from human population growth, destructive fishing practices, poorly planned development, over-consumption, pollution, and insufficient conservation resources and capacity. The recent economic and social strife in Indonesia has exacerbated regional marine resource degradation as economic urgencies force people into unsustainable exploitation. However, with a major portion of its economy based on marine products, long-term sustainability of these resources is a key to the economic recovery of Indonesia. In the face of urgent conservation and economic sustainability priorities, existing management efforts are not sufficient to protect priority marine resources across this vast area. As a result, WWF multiplied its collaborative conservation action in the region with a focus on key sites and strengthening economic incentives for conservation. The long-term conservation imperative was to create both models and mechanisms to enhance the spread of conservation management across key priority areas such that the ecological and economic integrity of these globally outstanding marine ecoregions is maintained in perpetuity. Location, global importance and key threats to this landscape/seascape

Description of Landscape The Eastern Indonesian and Sulu-Sulawesi Seas -- surrounded by Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines – harbor the most biologically diverse assemblage of marine life known anywhere on Earth. The ecoregion hosts over 80 coral genera and over 450 species of coral (whereas the entire Caribbean Sea harbors only 50 species), a spectacular array of reef fish, and 22 species of marine mammals. In recognition of its biological significance, WWF identified the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea as a Global 200 ecoregion. The marine resources of the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea are critical to regional commercial fisheries and to the livelihoods of over 50 million coastal people. These seas also host significant populations of commercially important species including shrimp, tuna, and numerous species of reef fish. Collectively the marine resources of the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea Ecoregion support multi-billion dollar fishing industries and subsistence livelihood for millions of people. A biological prioritization (Biological Vision Workshop) conducted in 2001 for the entire Sulu-Sulawesi, reaffirmed the global importance of the SSME, by identifying over 40 High Priority Conservation Areas. This analysis was the first step to creating a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas to conserve a representative set of the important biota, habitats, species, and ecosystem processes of the SSME.

Tragically, these marine ecosystems and the natural resource base they support are under siege as human population growth, over-consumption, destructive fishing practices, poorly planned development, pollution, and insufficient conservation resources take their toll. The recent social strife in Indonesia exacerbated regional marine resource degradation as economic urgencies forced people into unsustainable exploitation. With a major portion of its economy based on marine products, long-term sustainability of these resources is a key to the economic recovery of Indonesia. In the face of urgent conservation priorities existing management efforts are not sufficient to protect priority marine resources. To respond to the severe and widespread threats facing the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas, WWF developed a comprehensive collaborative conservation strategy to protect an ecologically representative network of sites.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Threats Direct threats to the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas include: Fisheries Issues:  Overfishing; the majority of dermersal and other near shore stocks are fully exploited or over exploited.  Destructive fishing: including the use of cyanide, blast fishing, muriami, and other destructive techniques. Development Issues:  Sedimentation from forestry and agriculture is one of the single greatest threats to coastal reefs.  Unsustainable clearing of mangroves for coastal aquaculture and fuel wood.  Harvesting of coral for construction and building materials.  Unsustainable coastal infrastructure development. Capacity Issues:  Limited capacity to manage marine systems: national and local level government as well as local people and NGOs have limited capacity to manage marine systems.  Limited capacity for enforcement, which enables violations of regulations to continue. Political Will and Local Support:  Limited political will, resulting in a limited support for marine management.  Limited local community and support for marine conservation.

GCP partner historic and current roles in this landscape

Using the Ecoregion Conservation approach in the SSME, WWF’s role has primarily been that of creating the framework and capacity for conservation at the ecoregion scale. Partnership building has been a key feature of all this work. WWF worked with experts to prioritize which areas and natural resources are most critical to the overall biological character of the ecoregion and then mobilized, facilitated, and built the support and capacity of multi-stakeholder groups to develop, implement, and sustain strategic action plans to pursue the conservation of these high priority places and resources. WWF pursued these actions with partners at multiple scales – primarily marine protected areas and larger seascapes through networks of marine protected areas in each of the three countries of the ecoregion, but also collaboration where needed across national and local political boundaries. The development and implementation of such plans requires the formation of strategic networks of partnerships, and greatly increased action by global bodies, regional bodies, governments, industry, the private sector, NGOs, local communities, and individuals. WWF has spearheaded the development and demonstration of strategies at key sites, and supported partners in the multiplication of these efforts in other priority sites, while laying the groundwork for the international cooperation needed for an SSME-wide network of marine protected areas. More recently WWF has spearheaded and facilitated international cooperation at an even broader scale – the Coral Triangle Initiative.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

GCP partner approach to threats based conservation at a landscape scale

The WWF Approach to Large-scale Conservation

The World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) approach to large-scale conservation began in the late 1990s with the development of the Global 200, a biodiversity priority setting exercise that used a representative approach to select 238 of the earth’s most outstanding terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems (Olson & Dinerstein, 1998). Subsequently, WWF embarked on ecoregion-based conservation planning in which spatial priorities were identified in many of the Global 200 regions. Ecoregions are defined by WWF to be relatively large units of land containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species, with boundaries that approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land-use change (Olson et al., 2001). Ecoregions are often larger than landscapes but not always. In essence, WWF realized that only at relatively large scales (generally greater than single protected areas) could conservation planning and implementation adequately understand and preserve habitats and ecological processes. Since the first ecoregion-based conservation planning workshop was held in 1997, for the Chihuahuan Desert, there have been more than 30 ecoregion (or ecoregion complex) analyses. Across all these planning analyses priority areas for conservation implementation were identified based predominantly on biological characteristics. Priority areas within ecoregions (or ecoregion complexes), while varying greatly in size depending on the specific region and set of local circumstances, form the basis for WWF’s landscape-scale conservation planning and implementation. However, in some cases, landscape-scale conservation planning has been performed for entire small ecoregions. The same large-scale planning needs concerns (representation of habitats and species in protected areas, incorporation of ecological processes in spatial plans) are believed to be applicable at both ecoregional and landscape scales. However, only at the small-ecoregion and landscape scales does planning address the spatially explicit decisions required to make a conservation plan practically implementable.

There are two important aspects of WWF’s approach to spatial landscape planning. Firstly, strategic planning for conservation action is a critical complement to spatial planning. WWF uses a best practice strategic planning framework called the WWF Program Standards (WWF, 2005), which is similar to The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Action Planning and is derived from the Conservation Measures Partnership’s Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (Conservation Measures Partnership, 2007) which with GCP support evolved among partner organizations (see Global Learning Closeout Report). Ideally, spatial planning and strategic planning are seamlessly integrated.

Secondly, WWF is a network of semi-independent country organizations (often referred to as the WWF Network), and there are no mandated approaches to conservation planning at the ecoregion or landscape scale. Consequently, there is a wide variety of approaches used in different countries and under different situations that have to do with data availability, conservation targets, and opportunities to coordinate with partners. Furthermore, WWF’s approach to ecoregion and landscape-scale conservation planning has continued to evolve, especially as systematic conservation planning software and other tools have became increasingly available and user-friendly over the past decade.

WWF’s landscape level conservation planning approach aims to address the goals of: (1) Representing all distinct natural communities within conservation landscapes and protected area networks. (2) Maintaining ecological and evolutionary processes that create and sustain biodiversity. (3) Maintaining viable populations of species. (4) Conserving blocks of natural habitat that are large enough to be resilient to large-scale stochastic and deterministic disturbances as well as to long-term changes (Dinerstein et al., 2000, modified from Noss, 1992).

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

Knight et al. (2006a,b) divided conservation planning into conservation assessment and implementation. Conservation assessment methods used in the WWF Network vary considerably, even within a single region. Some are strictly stakeholder-based workshops whereas others involve planning software (with or without stakeholders). The systematic rigor of conservation assessments has varied considerably within WWF, but implementation has always been of paramount interest because of a traditional low tolerance for planning (what Knight calls “assessment”). We define implementation as the extent to which areas identified as priorities have been turned into protected areas, are being managed explicitly in such a way as to preserve critical ecosystem function, or are incorporated into government planning. The level of implementation is generally believed to be a function of a high level of expert, local, and government support, which are in turn interrelated. The support has been achieved through early and prolonged staff engagement of the various stakeholders, including their active participation in the assessment results. Costs (either threat costs or actual monetary costs) have been considered in some cases, and this probably increased the likelihood of implementation because, to the extent possible, priority areas were selected where costs were lower. The extent to which cost considerations will affect eventual implementation is unknown but it is among an array of political and cultural factors that will affect the final outcome. However, the completion of a conservation assessment will not necessarily result in the implementation of the plan. Although the ideal scenario is that WWF hands over a conservation assessment to government organizations to implement, more often WWF maintains ongoing engagement with relevant stakeholders to monitor the process of implementation (e.g. establishing protected areas and improving management). This process often takes years. WWF's initial efforts at large-scale planning were heavily skewed towards expert-driven workshops involving many experts and stakeholders but less repeatability (Mittermeier et al., 1994). More recently, many of WWF’s ecoregion and landscape conservation planning efforts have involved more systematic approaches. These systemic conservation planning efforts have involved varying levels and formats of expert and stakeholder input. This reflects a shift towards greater rigor as systematic conservation planning tools have become more prevalent, user-friendly and documented in the scientific literature. The advantages of entertaining a variety of approaches are many. Each landscape has its own unique combination of culture, capacity, data, resources and geography. Providing for a variety of methods that can be chosen and mixed depending on the specific situation provides maximum flexibility to a diverse organization. In general, the variety of assessment approaches within WWF reflects differing time and budget constraints, the amount and quality of data available, perceived stakeholder capacity, WWF technical staff capacity, and the technical interest of WWF country programs.

Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Strategic Goals and Objectives

Through an ERBC approach, the SSME Conservation Program began in FY2000 to develop an Ecoregional Conservation Plan while simultaneously strengthening protection at critical sites. While the development of the Ecoregional Conservation Plan was underway, key actions were needed to support long-term conservation, both in broad-scale policy and specifically at sites already known as priority areas. As a result, WWF launched several efforts to increase conservation action to protect key priority sites including Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park and Anilao Marine Protected Area in the Philippines, Bunaken National Marine Park in Indonesia, and Semporna Island in Malaysia. In addition, WWF also worked to multiply its collaborative conservation action in additional sites as well as by strengthening initiatives to finance long-term conservation through the use of diver fees and other mechanisms as well as economic incentives for conservation. The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) was an important part of this work as it strived to create economic incentives to support Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 13

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

environmental responsibility in the marine ornamentals industry. These site-based and policy efforts were designed to limit ecosystem destruction while planning for long-term conservation took place.

Specific Goal and Objectives for the GCP-supported Program As conservation planning progressed and more information and implementation experience were gained, the ultimate goal of the marine conservation program in the Sulu Sulawesi Seas was adapted:

. Enhance the long-term ecological and economic sustainability of the natural resources and biological diversity of the SSME (FY01).

. To scale up conservation activity to protect an ecological viable complement of the SSME’s outstanding biodiversity and natural resources thus maintaining the long-term integrity and economic sustainability of the SSME.(FY02).

. To conserve the globally significant biodiversity of the Sulu Sulawesi Seas by protecting networks of critical sites and magnifying conservation action in priority conservation seascapes. (FY03). Priority seascapes for protecting the representative biodiversity of the SSME were identified at the 2001 WWF-sponsored Biodiversity Vision workshop. These areas of focus were selected on the basis of conservation priority and the existence of anchor sites – a park or series of sites where there is conservation potential and where WWF was currently achieving conservation and management success. These areas were:

o Northern Palawan in the Philippines (El Nido anchor site),

o North Sulawesi in Indonesia (Bunaken National Park anchor site),

o East Coast of Sabah in Malaysia (Semporna anchor site).

The ultimate goal of WWF’s conservation program in the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion was to be accomplished by working with local stakeholders to conserve a representative set of important biota, habitats, ecosystem processes, and natural resources that characterize the outstanding biological nature of this marine ecoregions. This required significant scaling up from the historical level of conservation activity. Using the Ecoregion Conservation Approach, WWF strived to create the framework for conservation of large ecosystems. It did so by working with experts to prioritize which areas and natural resources are most critical to the overall biological character of the ecoregion and then developing strategic action plans to pursue the conservation of these high priority places and resources. The development and implementation of such a plan requires the formation of strategic networks of partnerships, and greatly increased action by global bodies, regional bodies, governments, industry, the private sector, NGOs, local communities, and individuals. As a result, partnership building is a key feature of Ecoregion Conservation.

In 2001, WWF facilitated a group of over 80 regional scientists and conservation managers who articulated a biodiversity vision statement for the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion: “A marine ecoregion that remains a globally unique center of biodiversity, with vibrant ecological integrity, including all species, assemblages, communities, habitats, and ecological processes; a highly productive ecoregion that sustainably and equitably provides for the socioeconomic and cultural needs of the human Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 14

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

communities dependent on it; an ecoregion where biodiversity and productivity are sustained through the generations by participatory and collaboration management across all political and cultural boundaries.”

To help achieve this vision, WWF developed a network of conservation efforts in priority areas across the Sulu- Sulawesi and Banda-Flores Seas. WWF used conservation programs at anchor sites such as Bali Barat and Bunaken Parks as a launching pad for the expansion of conservation effort both across a network of sites in the marine ecoregions and in areas adjacent to these high priority sites. By establishing a strong model for multi- stakeholder conservation at Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks, WWF helped to demonstrate which approaches can be successful, thus setting the foundation for expansion to adjacent and other priority areas of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME) and Eastern Indonesian Seas. WWF spearheaded this expansion while working with numerous partners to help support their efforts to expand conservation. WWF also worked in other priority areas throughout the Philippines and Malaysia, such as Balayan Bay, Northeastern Sabah, Northern Palawan, the Cagayan Ridge, and others. In addition, WWF worked with TNC and others toward expansion of conservation efforts into the Sangihe Talau Islands in Northern Sulawesi and set up programs in Bali to generate funding to help support conservation both throughout Bali and Eastern Indonesia.

WWF’s long-term goal is to create an ecoregion-wide network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), but international tensions between the SSME countries made this difficult. To lay the groundwork for the international cooperation necessary for such a network, however, WWF worked to develop a conservation strategy to protect marine turtles, a priority species for conservation in SSME. Success on this more discrete initiative served to build trust between the three countries. Malaysia and the Philippines were already cooperating on the protection of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), making the addition of Indonesia a relatively short step. Tri-national management of this species is crucial as Indonesia is home to the largest turtle nesting area in the three countries and is also a major user of marine turtles. The initiative emphasized expanding the existing marine turtle strategy for the TIHPA to the much larger area between Sabah, Malaysia, the Sulu Archipelago, the Philippines, and East Kalimantan, Indonesia (referred to as the Tri-National Area.). Once the tri-national area for turtle conservation was established, the multi-country cooperation could be expanded to cover other priority conservation concerns in the ecoregion.

Economic Incentives for long-term conservation are a critical element of the Ecoregion Conservation approach and were pursued both at individual sites and across entire sectors. For example, WWF’s consistent support for Marine Aquarium Council certification was a key to setting up long-term economic incentives for sustainable management. The approach promoted by the MAC has great potential to transform an entire resource sector to sustainability. This approach can expand into areas that are not formally protected and have a significant benefit to natural resources management. Other similar approaches to economic incentives that support sustainability in resource sectors in the matrix between protected areas are a critical component of the Ecoregion Conservation approach (e.g. such as support for community-based food fish sustainability and aquaculture.)

USAID GCP Program support contributed to a larger effort to mobilize conservation action at the scale of the SSME. In FY2000, the majority of the GCP efforts were pursued in the Philippines; however, interventions in Indonesia increased over time, and initiatives in Malaysia were also strengthened. WWF-Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia all participated in a SSME coordinating committee and collaborated on ERBC planning. Additionally, WWF offices worked together on implementation on issues such as fisheries management that specifically required transborder cooperation. Given the complexity of this Ecoregion-based conservation effort, WWF programmed USAID funds each year where they were most needed and would be most effective. As a result, the activities outlined in the Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 15

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

implementation plans for USAID funding should be considered in the context of the entire SSME Program comprised of ten major components: 1. Assessment and strategic planning at the scale of the ecoregion to collaboratively prioritize conservation interventions. 2. Establishment of regional management regimes and strengthening of institutions for management of fisheries, threatened species, and pollution. 3. Cooperation with the private sector to create sustainable investment portfolios for the region. 4. Strengthening and integrating a network of marine protected areas to prevent destructive resource use, while simultaneously operationalizing an effective protection and law enforcement system for priority areas. 5. Establishment of innovative sustainable marine and coastal livelihood systems in priority areas. 6. Acquisition and dissemination of sufficient scientific knowledge of the ecoregion to enable ecosystem monitoring, informed decision making, and adaptive management. 7. Increasing awareness among stakeholders regarding the importance of marine and coastal conservation. 8. Building of capacity for resource management among stakeholder groups including Government, local communities, and people’s organizations. 9. Development of a financing strategy to ensure long-term financing of sustainable development efforts in the ecoregion. 10. Increasing sustainability through effective policy research and advocacy.

Within the context of the above SSME Program, USAID funding was programmed to support the following site-specific objectives:

I. Enhance Conservation Action, reducing immediate threats at Critical Sites within the SSME (FY2000, FY2001, FY2002).  Tubbataha National Marine Park, Philippines (FY2000);  Anilao Municipal Marine Protected Area, Balayan Bay, The Philippines (FY2000);  Semporna Islands, Malaysia (FY2000);  Bunaken National Park, Indonesia (FY2000, FY2001, 2002).  Bali Barat National Park, Indonesia (FY2001, FY2002, FY2003). II. Later, as they were identified, achieving effective conservation of critical anchor sites, documenting successful approaches for replication across broader seascapes(FY2003, FY2004): . Bunaken National Park, Indonesia (FY2003, FY2004), documenting successful approaches for replication across North Sulawesi Seascape, Indonesia . El Nido, Philippines (FY2003, FY2004), documenting successful approaches for replication across Northern Palawan Seascape, Philippines; . Semporna Islands, Malaysia (FY2003, 2004), documenting successful approaches for replication across The East Coast of Sabah Seascape, Malaysia. III. Magnifying successful conservation action from anchor sites to broader conservation seascapes (FY2003, FY2004): . North Sulawesi, Indonesia, from Bunaken National Park anchor site (FY2003, FY2004) . Northern Palawan Seascape, Philippines, from El Nido anchor site (FY2003, FY2004)); . East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia, from Semporna Islands anchor site (FY2003, FY2004)

At the same time, the SSME Project pursued major objectives to reduce threats at broader scales:

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IV. Improve Awareness and Understanding of the Importance of Marine Conservation in Critical Sites in the SSME (focus on Palawan, Philippines) (FY2000). V. Increase Understanding of Conservation Priorities and Needs across North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan as part of the ERBC Planning Process (FY2000). VI. Use market forces to transform the marine ornamentals industry in the Philippines and Indonesia into one based on quality and sustainable use of coral reefs, by developing a third party certification system (FY2000, FY2001). VII. Formulate a tri-national strategy to protect marine turtles and their habitats as a first step to creating a tri-national ecologically representative network of MPAs across the SSME (FY2002). VIII. Enhance the sustainability of conservation action by creating and expanding long-term financing mechanisms. (FY2002, FY2003).

Implementing conservation at a landscape or regional scale: overcoming challenges, grasping opportunities and managing adaptively

A critical component of creating successful networks of protection is establishing effective conservation programs at key sites, or anchor sites that can become learning and demonstration areas for broader marine conservation seascapes. This project aimed at immediately enhancing protection to address threats at critical sites, then increasing efforts to effectively protect 3 critical anchor sites by developing successful models of multi-stakeholder participation in protection efforts and then expanding the models to broader seascapes in each of the three countries of the SSME.

I. Enhancing conservation action at critical sites within the SSME.

Most, if not all, marine protected areas in the Sulu-Sulawesi Seas were insufficiently well managed to ensure the long-term persistence of their critical marine resources and their ecological integrity. There were too few trained individuals able to apply marine science and management skills, too little awareness of both the biological and economic importance of the parks, too little support for conservation action over exploitative uses, and too few financial and human resources to handle management needs. Even in cases where there was outside technical and financial support, there was generally no clear plan to ensure sustainability of conservation action at critical sites. GCP funds thus initially focused on enhancing conservation at sites which were urgent conservation priorities. At Tubbataha and Anilao (Philippines) conservation was pursued through an Enforcement Campaign. In Bunaken and Bali Barat (Indonesia) and Semporna Islands (Malaysia), conservation was pursued through support to Marine Protected Area projects. This initiative was originally called Partners for Parks, but the name was later changed the name to Friends of the Reef. GCP funds enabled WWF to partner with several stakeholders in the project sites and to secure co-financing from other donors.

I.1 Enforcement Campaign in Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park and Anilao Municipal Marine Protected Area - Balayan Bay, Philippines (FY2000)

Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park is the Philippines’ only marine World Heritage Site and is a critical marine protected area with over 11,000 hectares of reef within its 32,000-hectare border. Anilao Municipal Marine Protected Area, the most popular dive site in the Philippines, is situated within the biologically outstanding Balayan Bay. Anilao is only a four-hour drive from Metro Manila and is therefore an excellent venue to demonstrate marine protection to decision-makers. The focus of activities at Anilao was with the municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy. Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 17

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

In January of 1999, WWF-Philippines launched the SSME Marine Enforcement Campaign, endorsed by six members of the Philippine Cabinet, to immediately halt marine resource destruction at critical sites across the SSME. Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park and Anilao Municipal Marine Protected Area were two initial Enforcement Campaign sites. The Campaign increased the number of patrols at Marine Protected Areas, trained resource agencies in enforcement and para-legal techniques, built institutional capacity to take on enforcement actions, and undertook biological monitoring to understand resource conditions and changes. In Tubbataha, MPA enforcement was undertaken by a field team including representatives of several stakeholder groups (The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Defense, local NGOs, WWF, and Local Government). WWF was concerned that enforcement efforts be strengthened but at the same time designed to be sustainable. Patrolling and enforcement would be required into perpetuity to ensure the protection of priority marine protected areas. WWF thus used GCP funds beginning in FY2000 to support daily patrols while simultaneously facilitating sustainable financing strategies, such as a user fee system and endowment for the park to support recurring conservation costs. In Anilao, MPA enforcement was undertaken by a Multisectoral Group comprised of community members, representatives of local government units, and WWF staff. GCP funds there supported: daily patrols; workshops to train the Multisectoral Group in regulation enforcement techniques, conservation management, and organizational management; and a community grant to support development.

By the end of 2000, stakeholder representatives had been trained and deputized as fish wardens and fish examiners (enabling them to arrest violators of fishing regulations) in both Tubbataha and Anilao, and patrol efforts were scaled up to almost daily patrols. In Tubbataha, illegal fishers were apprehended and complaints filed against these fishers for violations including fishing without permits, unlicensed boats, illegal possession of live groupers, fish caught using cyanide. Arrest warrants were issued for two groups of these illegal fishers, but the other five cases were still pending municipal court rulings. Boats anchored within the TRNMP were apprehended and formal complaints filed in Municipal Court. A Taiwanese boat fishing illegally in Tubbataha waters was apprehended and confiscated, and the crew was deported. An illegal shipment of fish caught by the use of dynamite was apprehended and confiscated on a road in Palawan. Quarterly biological monitoring trips were also conducted to track changes in reef condition. A survey of dive tourists was conducted to determine their willingness to pay for conservation at TRNMP and a financing scheme was initiated to support the recurring cost of conservation at TRNMP through the collection of dive tourism conservation fees. Each foreign diver at TRNMP was to pay a conservation fee of US$50, while Filipino divers would pay US$25. In Anilao, a composite team including local communities, local government, and NGOs was organized to institutionalize patrolling and enforcement activities and a review conducted of existing policies of the municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy pertaining to fisheries, tourism, permitting, environment and other aspects of MPA management. A GIS analysis delineated the municipal boundaries of Balayan Bay and its protected areas.

The GCP-supported patrols, awareness and enforcement activities virtually eliminated destructive fishing between June – October 2000 in both Tubbataha and Anilao. Ongoing biological monitoring indicated that in that year at Tubbataha, fish biomass increased significantly and live coral cover was on the increase after a 1998 bleaching event. Dive tourism fees collected at Tubbataha during the spring 2000 dive season generated nearly US$40,000 to be used in the management of the marine protected area and to develop an endowment to support management over the long term. With WWF-assistance the TRNMP was successfully protecting this high priority marine area and raising sustainable finance to help. WWF believed Tubbataha was a model for effective protection of remote reefs and began replicating the successful multi-stakeholder techniques used in this area to other sites around the SSME. In Anilao, local people were monitoring, but had not yet confirmed

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such increases in fish biomass as in TRNMP, but observations were indicating improving ecosystem condition. Adjacent communities requested WWF assistance in setting up similar protection programs in their municipalities.

I.2 Enhancing conservation action at Semporna Islands, Malaysia (FY2000) The Semporna Islands Project was a three-year collaborative venture between the Marine Conservation Society, Sabah Parks, WWF Malaysia and Nature Link. Semporna is recognized as important and unique. A wide range of marine and terrestrial ecosystems are represented, including forest, mangroves, sand and rocky shorelines, and coral reefs. Several of the islands are inhabited, and the waters and reefs are an important resource for the local community. Biodiversity is very high both on land and in the sea, and there is great potential for ecotourism development. The park was gazetted as a Marine Park in April 2000.

GCP-supported efforts at Semporna Island began in FY2000 with: an environmental education effort to increase community support for protection activities by raising awareness regarding conservation and resource sustainability; and community-based implementation of the management plan. Education activities included workshops for teachers, local government, the tourism industry, and park residents and users. Marine information kits were prepared and disseminated among the local community. Biological field surveys to identify and map the marine environment and the ornithological, mammalian, and entomological importance of the island as well as fisheries resources were carried out, as well as an assessment of the current economic value of the islands and surroundings and the needs and impact of tourism. A Resource Atlas incorporating this information was produced. WWF staff informally trained park staff as they worked together on village visits, biological surveys, and other activities.

I.3. Enhancing conservation action at Bunaken National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia (FY2000) Bunaken National Park has long been well known for its outstanding coral reefs, characterized by coral caves and drop-offs. A rapid assessment survey of the SSME in 1999 and the 2001SSME Biological Vision Workshop showed Bunaken National Park islands and the adjacent mainland in North Sulawesi, to harbor outstanding biodiversity features; thus this site is a clear regional conservation priority. Fortunately the reefs and fish stocks of Bunaken have suffered relatively little degradation by destructive and over-exploitative fishing practices. Given the heavy impacts observed elsewhere, Bunaken may be the main future source of recruits of certain key fish species for much of the surrounding area reinforcing the urgent need to focus significant resources on effective protection.

Bunaken is now famous for being one of only two sites in the world with an extant population of coelacanth. Thought to be extinct for 60 million years, coelacanths were discovered off the coast of the Comoro Islands in East Africa in the 1930s. In 1997, Dr. Mark Erdmann, a researcher working in Bunaken discovered a coelacanth in a fish market. Since that time several specimens have been found with local fishermen. Only in November 1999, live coelacanths were observed by submersible in their natural habitat in the southern Sulawesi Sea near Toli Toli. Initial GCP support assisted WWF and Dr. Erdman to organize local people to protect the park by observing and reporting violations and raise awareness about the park’s conservation importance. Additionally GCP-supported alternative livelihood activities were highly successful in helping to improve local income and with appropriate outreach and education can be harnessed to decrease pressure from fishing and shell and coral collecting.

FY2000 efforts included: an assessment of information and capacity needs; studies to assess the impact of dermersal and shark fisheries on the marine ecosystem and strategies to mitigate impacts; surveys to monitor coelacanth at other sites in Indonesia, attempting to identify other populations; monitoring of coelacanth, sea

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

turtle, dugong, and shark catches; training local reef watchers to monitor and dissuade illegal wildlife captures within the park; and development of a successful alternative livelihood strategy focusing on craft production for tourists. A Community Reef Watchers Team (Tim Raja Laut) formed its own NGO, focusing on marine conservation issues and conservation in Bunaken National Park. All Coelacanth species were placed under protection of the CITES I category in 2000, and several film crews visited Bunaken to film the story. The coelacanth proved to be a powerful flagship species, helping mobilize support for conservation from a wide range of community stakeholders in and around Bunaken National Park.

I.4 Enhancing conservation action at Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks, Indonesia (FY2001, FY2002) Indonesia has an extensive network of priority marine protected areas. However, management at these sites was either lacking or ineffective. To restore healthy marine systems and ensure long-term protection, WWF focused on partnerships, empowerment, shared responsibility and magnification. Strengthening stakeholder partnerships was a key aspect of democratization in Indonesia’s rapidly changing political climate. The initial WWF sites for this initiative were Bali Barat and Bunaken National Parks. In Bunaken, WWF collaborated with the ongoing USAID NRM II project, which had developed and was implementing a management plan and had started private sector partnerships to support the park. The NRM II Project was pleased about WWF involvement, particularly since WWF was committed to spending several years strengthening management and partnerships in the park. WWF worked closely with park management staff in all aspects of the Partners for Parks Program (name later changed to Friends of the Reef). Additionally, WWF-Indonesia partnered with the U.S. Department of Interior, which provided resource management training at key locations. To address the insufficiencies in management at Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks, with USAID support, WWF worked with numerous partners to undertake targeted conservation and management activities (detailed below) to achieve the following results: 1) An effective partnership/co-management regime for park management and resource conservation at Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks. 2) Regular patrols and community outreach enforcing regulations and explaining the function mandate, and regulations of the parks. 3) Ever decreasing numbers of violations of park regulations including prohibitions of destructive fishing practices. 4) Improved skills of co-management group to use marine science in park management decisions. 5) Improved understanding of location and function of ecologically critical areas within and adjacent to the parks. 6) Greater awareness among decision makers and public of the importance of the park 7) Greater participation of park users including the dive industry in partnerships to support park conservation. 8) Ongoing information on park ecological status generated from a continual monitoring program. 9) Greater capacity within the Ministry of Marine Exploration and Fisheries and the relevant provincial planning boards to participate in partnerships to conduct conservation and management activities in the parks. 10) Sustainable financing mechanisms for each park in place.

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

I.4.1 Monitoring and Enforcement. For Bunaken, in FY2001, WWF drew on its skills to facilitate community involvement and strengthen existing patrolling efforts by members of the North Sulawesi Water Sports Association (NSWA). In partnership with park authorities, NRM II, WWF Coelacanth researcher and scientific advisor Dr. Mark Erdman, dive operators, local NGOs and communities, WWF: . Supported a field officer to coordinate activities in North Sulawesi. . hosted and facilitated workshops and meetings to help park management, dive operators and key stakeholders develop a common vision for Bunaken National Park that included cooperative management, an effective enforcement mechanism, and an adaptive management framework. . Supported cross-visits to parks within the region where co-management efforts were successful. . Established an “activity and use” monitoring framework for the park that involved a wide range of stakeholders and used this framework to foster a sense of pride and responsibility. . Reviewed management plans with respect to enforcement issues and provided feedback based on stakeholder consultation and regional experience. . Communicated model results to other parks and the tourism sector in Indonesia and regionally. Results: . The establishment of the Bunaken Management Board and the increased involvement of the local community in patrols resulted in a partnership for effective management of the park. The Management Board will eventually take over the responsibility for management of the recently instituted visitor fee. . WWF and the Bunaken Park Management Board signed an MOU for the enhancement of patrol activities within the park and adjacent areas. The supported patrols caught eight destructive fishers (bombers) and began prosecution. The success of the patrols resulted in a decrease in destructive fishing practices in the park as bomb/cyanide fishers became increasing afraid of being caught. Although patrols were increased, no destructive fishers were observed or caught.

In 2002, WWF intensified support for community involvement in monitoring and enforcement work, adding the newly formed Bunaken Park Management Board to the partners. Priority was given to strengthening and broadening existing partnerships, eliciting stakeholder interest in conservation management, building capacity for effective marine management, and setting a long-term conservation financing scheme through dive fees. The Bunaken Park Management Board and the increased involvement of the local community in patrols significantly increased the management effectiveness: . Patrol activity covering almost the entire Bunaken National Park was implemented regularly. These patrols resulted in the capture of a group of destructive fishermen who were sentenced to six months in jail. . Joint undercover operations and related arrests as well as the subsequent implementation of southern section joint village patrol system resulted in the complete cessation of blast-fishing in the dynamite- plagued southern section of Bunaken. . After five major arrests and publicized court processing, there was a significant reduction in the use of compressors and cyanide for capture of live reef fish. . There was a significant decrease in zoning violations, especially with regard to spear fishing and gill netting in tourism and strict conservation zones as well as unregulated collection of live corals and beach sand for village construction. Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 21

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

. Strong cooperation with provincial and district fisheries offices clarified that commercial fishing is not allowed anywhere in the park. This included re-issue of all existing fishing licenses with specific written exception for Bunaken National Park. . Illegal mangrove cutting operations were apprehended and processed, including probation and confiscation of chainsaws and illegally harvested wood. . Implementation and enforcement of a ground-breaking park entrance fee system succeeded in collecting over US$41,000 in nine months, capturing revenues from approximately 5,000 foreign tourists from 39 countries and over 9,000 local visitors. . Thirty village conservation information signboards installed around the park informed villagers of conservation news, patrol activities, protected species, and new zoning rules. . With support from The Nature Conservancy and other national NGOs, the experience at Bunaken was magnified into the Derawan Isles, another biodiversity-rich area within the SSME ecoregion that was slated to become a marine protected area. In addition to introducing the patrol system, the Bunaken Park Management Board shared their experience in conservation management, offering valuable inputs for constructing a rational and realistic management plan for the Derawan Isles. In Bali Barat where there were fewer existing partnerships within the various stakeholder sectors and a number of recent changes in park management, WWF helped open dialog between the various stakeholder groups, promote partnerships, and assist with key management issues such as enforcement and monitoring. In partnership with local communities, local NGOs, park staff, dive operators and other private sector stakeholders, WWF: . Hosted and facilitated workshops and meetings to help stakeholders resolve issues of conflict and develop a roadmap to achieve a common vision for Bali Barat that included cooperative management, an effective enforcement mechanism, and an adaptive management framework. . Hosted and facilitated meetings to help establish an effective dive operators association and worked with dive operators to develop a code of conduct for operators and divers that included best practices endorsed by the park. . Assisted stakeholders with developing a sustainable financing mechanism to support management efforts, especially enforcement, by providing information about available options. . Reviewed management plans with respect to enforcement and provided feedback based on stakeholder participation and regional experience. . Communicated model results to other parks and the tourism sector in Indonesia and regionally. In FY2002, priority was given to: . developing a multi-stakeholder patrol system, through a series of stakeholder meetings to develop patrol guidelines and procedures, establish a task force, and to provide training. . developing a Code of Conduct for divers visiting the area. Results: . The involvement of key persons of the Bunaken program and NRMII in the Friends of the Reef workshop in Bali resulted in an excellent exchange of knowledge and experiences, thus increasing Bali- based stakeholders’ knowledge of collaborative park management.

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. A common vision for Bali Barat National Park was developed through a multi-stakeholder Friends of the Reef workshop in January 2001. . A Code of Conduct containing ten commands of best practices in environmentally friendly dive tourism for the park was established and agreed through a multi-stakeholder process involving dive operators, resorts, police, park authority, local fishers, and government. . Lessons learned regarding the technical aspects, legal foundation, and management approaches of the patrol system in Bunaken were used as a basis to develop a patrol system adapted to local values and traditions in Bali Barat. . A five-year Conservation Strategic Plan for the park was designed, adopting the major elements of the Friends of the Reefs approach, including a participatory patrol system for destructive fishing practices, a Code of Conduct for reef management, a sustainable financing scheme, and greater focus on coral reef ecosystems. . By February 2002, the park, which had no patrolling of the marine area beforehand, was implementing a joint public-private law enforcement initiative to protect and monitor the integrity of the reef from destructive fishing practices. Patrol activities are carried out twice a week, involving 6 personnel from different sectors in each patrol: 2 police agencies, 2 park authority staff, and 2 local communities. Evaluation is conducted monthly. I.4.2. Encouraging environmentally-sound science-based management. Park managers and regional planners often issue policy on resource-use patterns and development opportunities without adequate support of scientific-based data. As a result many management plans based on such policies are not effective in the long term. WWF is committed to help park managers and regional planners to improve their abilities to achieve environmentally-sound conservation management, which will achieve lasting results.

In Fy2001, Bunaken Park established a scientific monitoring program to measure the success of management efforts at protecting, restoring, and sustaining reef community health, focusing on corals and benthic organisms. While these organisms are important indicators of reef condition, they are only one aspect of a healthy reef community and do not directly provide significant goods and services to local community members. It is also important to monitor the reef fish community, since improved fish stocks can be a critical and extremely tangible indicator of the benefits of effective management to local communities. Understanding changes in financially valuable species such as fish can help to justify expanded and strengthened protection in and around the park. A significant and increasing body of evidence indicates that increased protection at MPAs results in increases in fish biomass and fish catch. While, we cannot guarantee such positive benefits, we believe they are very likely to occur and it is critical that we understand change over time both in fish stocks and in the economic benefits of these stocks. In all MPAs, it is very important to be able to definitively state the benefits that resulted directly from protection. As part of the SSME Program, WWF worked to quantify the benefits of marine protected areas in all sites where we work. WWF planned to apply this data to campaigns not only to strengthen protection of particularly MPAs but also to show adjacent communities the benefits of MPAs and hopefully fuel a demand for MPAs across major portions of the SSME.

In FY2002, WWF expanded the ongoing identification of fish spawning aggregations in Bunaken to also include regular monitoring of reef fish stocks, particularly of flagship species, at a series of monitoring stations in different management zones around the park, and to train park staff in the collection and interpretation of fisheries data. The WWF fisheries program began surveys of flagship fisheries species

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Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

. Reviewed management history of the park with emphasis on basis for original establishment of zoning schemes and subsequent changes in zoning, regulation and guidelines for development. Assessed the degree to which these changes were scientifically merited and suggested ways to improve the amendment and review process. . Worked with park staff to develop and implement a scientific monitoring strategy for the park. . Provided training in scientific-based management tools to evaluate the environmental and ecological consequences of resource-use options and establish a monitoring framework to assess reef resources. . Liaised with WWF-Philippines resource management trainings to learn and apply lessons in Indonesia. . Developed best and worst case scenario models for impacts on reef health and economic impacts of different management options e.g. different locations of proposed developments. . Initiated a collaborative research program to identify key fish spawning sites within and adjacent to the park, as potential no-take or seasonally closed areas. . Reviewed fish stock distribution patterns and fisheries utilization patterns. . Initiated a collaborative research program to identify important recruitment processes for the reef community such as timing and extent of coral spawning events and degree to which reef communities on Bunaken are self-seeding or are dependent on an upstream source of larvae. . Initiated a collaborative research program to identify impact of climate change on reef communities and coastal fisheries in Bunaken region and design a mitigation strategy

Results: . (FY2001) Local knowledge interviews with fishers and diver operators identified locations and information on fish spawning aggregation sites. . (FY2002) Fifteen representatives of the Bunaken Management Board, the park authority, NSWA and other stakeholders were trained to identify the spawning aggregation sites (SPAGS) of groupers as well as the spawning behavior of the grouper and Napoleon wrasses. A SPAGS monitoring team was established and began to conduct monitoring in the Bunaken Park. . (FY2002) A fisheries socio-economic and market survey was carried out in Sangie Talaud of North Sulawesi by Tim Raja Laut – the community youth group that was one of WWF’s early partners. . (FY2002) A survey on the characteristics of fishes obtained by blast fishing provided new insight for the effort to increase public awareness of the effect of destructive fishing practices. These practices produce low quality fish yields that are susceptible to potential pathogens that may be hazardous to humans.

In Bali Barat: . Reviewed management history of the park with emphasis on basis for original establishment of zoning schemes and subsequent changes in zoning, regulation and guidelines for development. Assessed the degree to which these changes were scientifically merited and suggest ways to improve the amendment and review process. . Developed and implemented a scientific monitoring strategy for the park. . Provided training in scientific-based management tools to evaluate the environmental and ecological consequences of resource-use options and establish a monitoring framework to assess reef resources. . Liaised with WWF-Philippines resource management trainings to learn and apply lessons in Indonesia.

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Results FY2001- FY2002: . Bali Barat park officials and Bali-based dive operators were trained in Reef Check methods to be able to conduct simple assessments of the coral reefs and associated reef fish in the park and thus be more proactive in management decision making. . Through consultations, meetings, and training, the park officials and stakeholders better understood marine resources and the park’s function. Most staff recognized that the park zoning should be reviewed and adjusted if it was to support long-term conservation of the park. . A suitability study of the area for coral reef rehabilitation and a coral farming project were completed. . Through intensive training, officials, local NGOs, and students increased their knowledge of fisheries monitoring, management, and socio-economic aspects in the park. This included knowledge of fish spawning aggregation sites, improving participants understanding of the most effective zoning. . GIS and Mapping training carried out in the park enabled participants to use GIS-based mapping and analysis to strengthen conservation management, particularly in reviewing the zoning scheme of the park. I.4.3 Partnerships and flagships. To enhance stakeholder involvement in park protection in both Bunaken and Bali Barat, WWF: . Worked with dive operators to develop a code of conduct for operators and divers that included best practices. . Worked with the park and dive operator association to have the code of practice endorsed by the park, and formulated a monitoring strategy to ensure compliance and to assess park recreational use impacts. . Assisted park and private sector stakeholders develop sustainable financing mechanisms to support management efforts, with an emphasis on ensuring enforcement needs are covered. . Launched “Friends of the Park” programs with members of the local tourism/diving sector who have an active interest in the well-being of the parks and encourage them to sponsor conservation activities such as beach clean-up, underwater clean-up, and “Reefcheck” (a volunteer monitoring effort coordinated in Indonesia by WWF). In addition, for Bunaken, WWF: . Compiled a portfolio of case studies on sustainable financing options that were being implemented within the region e.g. trust fund, voluntary fee, sponsorship, tourism tax. . Organized cross-visits to sustainable financing example projects in the region . Reviewed impacts of the coelacanth conservation program and expanded ‘community youth group’ monitoring programs of a flagship species to promote regional pride in Bunaken National Park. Results: . Through a public-private partnership, the North Sulawesi Watersports Association, Bunaken Park, and the North Sulawesi Government set up a sustainable financing mechanism (dive fee system) for the park. Bali Barat stakeholders proposed to develop a similar financing mechanism that covered not only the park, but all of Bali, an area with 27,000 divers per year. . Outreach activities by WWF and other organizations enhanced private sector (dive and tour operator) and government interest in park management. Their active participation in the volunteer Reef Check program is an indicator of their enthusiasm and interest in partnerships to support marine resource conservation in the parks.

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. The community youth group in Bunaken increased its capacity and carried out the local knowledge inventory on fish spawning aggregations. This successful village initiative was expanded to adjacent islands. . The co-management program developed in several key sites including Bunaken and Bali Barat National Parks was communicated to policy makers through a workshop held by TNC and NRM in Jakarta in February 2002. This was a first step in the national adoption of co-management by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, as well as the Ministry of Forestry. . The Code of Conduct for divers visiting Bali Barat National Park was officially legalized and announced in May 2002. Similar to the patrolling system, this was accomplished though a series of meetings with stakeholders , in particular with local dive operators. I.4.4. Communication, Magnification, and Capacity Building. WWF provided a platform to build capacity and communicate successful tools to improve marine resource management especially in the arena of multi- stakeholder marine protected area management. WWF shared its success stories to various multi-stakeholder marine management units with the hope that these groups would want to replicate and magnify this approach in other areas. WWF particularly encouraged this replication in the priority areas of the SSME identified in the 2001 Biodiversity Conservation Vision Workshop. By targeting key actors ranging from national government and industries with a regional impact, to local park managers, communities and operators, the ultimate goal was widespread magnification of this approach to other priority marine parks in the ecoregion.

In order to build full support of the government and have regulatory instruments and incentives in place to further encourage co-management and partnerships, a significant effort focused on capacity building within the new Ministry of Maritime Affairs and relevant provincial planning boards. This was to ensure that an effective network of marine protected areas was seen as a priority, and to expose planners and decision-makers to new approaches for managing marine and coastal resources. WWF had already been invited to participate in training efforts by an International Maritime Organization-funded ICM project in Bali. This provided an opportunity to influence provincial planners to move beyond ‘business as usual’ through incorporation of new approaches for managing coastal zone issues such as tourism, pollution, and watershed management. Results: . Leaflets and brochures on the Friends of the Reefs program were printed and circulated during the International Coral Reef Symposium in Bali, October 2000. The program was covered by local, national, and international media. . Media coverage for Bali Reef Check included the printing and circulation of Reef Check protocols and reports. . The report on the Friends of the Reef Workshop in Bali was printed and circulated to stakeholders, including key government officials. . As a result of the decentralization in Indonesia and consistent WWF lobbying, decision-makers became increasingly open to multi-stakeholder partnerships in management. . Production of several environmental education materials for public awareness, followed by public dissemination through various media, such as radio, local television, school classrooms, and Garuda in- flight magazine.

II. Achieving effective conservation of critical anchor sites, documenting successful approaches for replication across broader seascapes (FY2003, FY2004) Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 26

Global Conservation Program Final Close-Out Report for WWF Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion

II.1 Effective management of Bunaken Park, as measured by the IUCN MPA management effectiveness guidelines, and document successful approaches for replication across the North Sulawesi seascape, Indonesia (FY2003, FY2004)

In FY2000, WWF-Indonesia initiated conservation work in North Sulawesi focusing on protecting the high biodiversity reefs of Bunaken National Marine Park. WWF used a number of approaches including facilitating co-management arrangements with local park staff, strengthening patrols and enforcement of laws against destructive fishing practices, and building capacity in monitoring resources. By the end of FY2002 WWF had worked with the Bunaken Park Management Board to enhance patrols in Bunaken and beyond. Collaborative management was enhanced trough multi-stakeholder meetings on enforcement and conservation finance management, and local capacity built through support to a youth group (Tim Raja Laut) that successfully achieved NGO status.

In FY2003 and FY2004, the focus of effort in Indonesia was to extend the successful efforts in Bunaken to other areas of North Sulawesi, but WWF also continued to support intensification of efforts by local constituencies in Bunaken itself. Some of the notable accomplishments include: . The Bunaken entrance fee system, begun in 2001, resulted in the collection of over $188,279 in 12 months, capturing revenues from approximately 8,262 foreign tourists from 45 countries and over 17,431 local visitors (FY2003). . Significant reduction in the use of compressors and cyanide for capture of live reef fish and blast fishing around Bunaken and Manado Tua Islands (FY2003). . A coral reef survey showed that the coral cover in Bunaken National Park increased about 11.28% as compared to the coral cover in 2001 – an indicator of successful patrol activities. (FY2003) . Monitoring of fish spawning aggregation sites. Confirmation of a significant fish spawning aggregation site with large numbers of groups present led several dive operators to adopt this and other potential sites for regular monitoring. One of the spawning aggregation sites identified was proposed for closure to fishing, and local communities supported this management regulation (FY2004). . Alignment of fish monitoring with monitoring of habitat for climate change (FY2004). A global protocol for monitoring the impacts of coral bleaching on reef habitats, developed by the WWF Indonesia climate change team in collaboration with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and WorldFish Center, will be implemented in Bunaken in close alignment with regular fish monitoring. The information will inform adaptive management.

Contributions to replication of successful approaches: . WWF expanded the MOU with Bunaken Management Board to cover a larger patrol area including areas surrounding the park, such as Bangka Island and Talise Island.(FY2003) . WWF contributed to the development and implementation of patrols in Bali Barat National Park as part of the co-management of the area. (FY2003) . Bunaken co-management stakeholders and Bali Barat co-management stakeholders each made a site visit to the Derawan Islands community to share their knowledge and experience with patrol/enforcement and co-management activities (FY2003). . Bunaken National Park and Bali Barat National Park are widely recognized as co-management models for Indonesian MPAs. A technical policy paper was developed with these parks as a model case study (FY2003).

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. Three additional MPAs/MMAs (Marine Management Areas) expressed to WWF an interest in adapting and adopting the Bunaken co-management approach: Gilis Islands (Nusa Tenggara Barat province); 3 Nusa (Bali province), and Waka Tobi (Sulawesi Tanggara province) (FY2003). . In an April 2003 Nusa Tenggara Barat province workshop on co-management workshop, government and other stakeholders selected WWF to lead the facilitation of co-management development in the province. . An Indonesia national workshop was held (with cooperation from WWF, NRM, TNC< and the Forestry Department) in Jakarta in February 2003 to profile and socialize co-management in protected areas. Three important results: o Formal recognition of the importance of co-management for protected areas at many sites in Indonesia; o Joint agreement to conduct a review of legislation needed to accommodate co-management as a tool for protected areas o Development of general guidelines for implementation of co-management. . Development and lobbying for co-management at the national level in Indonesia continued to meet with success and endorsement. Beginning with a small network of early adopters, it expanded into a wide range of sites and partners with growing examples of success stories of co-management implementation.

II.2. Effective conservation of critical anchor site El Nido, Philippines, significantly reducing destructive activities and serving as a model for replication across the Northern Palawan Seascape (FY2003, FY2004)

A pressing need in El Nido was strengthened protection of marine areas from destructive fishing practices (cyanide and dynamite) and intrusion of commercial fishers into municipal waters. In April 2001 a community- based patrolling plan for El Nido had been drafted with multi-sector support. The plan’s objectives were to protect the marine biodiversity and resources from destructive activity and support sustainable development of El Nido and adjacent areas. With GCP funds, WWF supported the implementation and institutionalization of the community-based Patrol Plan with the active participation of responsible agencies. By the end of FY2004, this anchor site was well on its way to totally eliminating destructive fishing practices through the development and implementation of this plan. Together with the Municipal Government and Protected Area Management Board, WWF facilitated the development of a stakeholder-adopted plan to institutionalize the marine enforcement program initiated in 2001 in El Nido. By the end of this project, advances were made in implementation of most of the steps of the adopted process: o Institutional diagnosis o Result validation and issue identification o Plan formulation o Legal adoption of the plan o Systems setting and manual formulation o Legislation of support policies o Integration of plan in other plans o Operation and fine tuning o Monitoring and evaluation

Institutional diagnosis. Major stakeholders of the community-based enforcement program started in 2001 identified weaknesses in five major areas of concern: coordination and communication; surveillance and intelligence; equipment procurement and usage; business development; and monitoring and evaluation.

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Result validation and issue identification. An enforcement strengthening action workshop involving stakeholders served to validate the results of the institutional diagnosis as well as to identify and develop institutional accountability for the area’s resources. The stakeholders identified the lack of an adequate system for implementation as the most significant issue affecting the existing protection initiative in El Nido.

Plan formulation. Building on the 2001 plan, to address the gaps identified, an enhanced 3-year marine protection/enforcement plan was developed to cover not just the marine protected area, but the entire municipal waters of El Nido. The Marine Enforcement Core Team - composed of the Philippine National Police, Protected Area Office, Joint Task Force Malampaya, Kbang Kalikasan g Pilipinas Inc. (WWF-Philippines), Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff, and the Local Government Unit of El Nido - organized during the workshop was responsible for supervising the implementation of the plan.

Legal adoption of the plan. Since the plan focused on the municipal waters of El Nido, exceeding the jurisdiction of the protected area, it was presented to the El Nido Municipal Council for endorsement. This endorsement led to a gradual shift of the enforcement work from the Protected Area Office to the Local Government Unit, with the local government playing a more active role in the protection activities and their sustainability.

Systems setting and manual formulation. The municipal government’s legal mandate over the protected area for environmental management was clear, but they needed stakeholder support to meet the management challenges. The formulation of the enforcement plan by the stakeholders indicated their common demand for sustainable management. The stakeholders developed an enforcement manual, based on their existing practices but adapted to the new institutional set-up, outlining procedures and standards to be followed in the implementation of multi-sectoral enforcement activities for environmental laws.

Institutional, legal, and support policies. Previously, WWF-Philippines provided technical assistance in finalizing the Municipal Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan and review of the Municipal Environmental Code frameworks. The project continued after the USAID funding to develop policy frameworks to support the plans and systems developed.

Operation and Fine Tuning. The Marine Enforcement Plan mobilized the organization of cluster patrol teams according to the enforcement capacities of local stakeholders and their areas of responsibility. The entire El Nido marine environment was divided into seven clusters, designed to pool resources at the barangay (smallest local government unit in the Philippines) level. Cluster patrol teams, composed of the barangay officials, patrols, and fish wardens, are responsible to conduct regular patrols in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The cluster patrol team headed by the Protected Area Office conducted in FY2004 a total of 57 patrols inside the El Nido Taytay Managed Resources Protected Area, resulting in 4 apprehensions with the violators paying fines and the confiscation of their fishing equipment. A criminal case was filed against violators apprehended for the use of cyanide. The local government, the protected area office, and WWF-Philippines allocated funds, logistics, and personnel for the operations. The Local Government Unit and local El Nido stakeholders provided counterpart funds, personnel, equipment, fuel, technical expertise.

The Local Government Unit and WWF-Philippines conducted training for a total of 57 volunteer law enforcers representing the 18 barangays and partner agencies. Sixty-eight percent (38) of the trainees passed the qualifying exam and were deputized as fish wardens, thus giving them the authority to file cases in court against violators of existing fisheries laws. The Local Government Unit appointed the remaining 32%, who did not

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pass the exam, as community volunteers thus legitimizing their work as environmental enforcers within El Nido.

Monitoring and Evaluation. . Baseline data on fisheries dynamic and stock completed. The data served to enhance marine environment management strategies and policy development by local authorities. In addition, the data served as a baseline against which data from monitoring and future research can be compared. Local youth leaders and other stakeholder volunteers were trained and involved in the data collection, thus building local capacity to sustain the monitoring and increasing their responsibility for the protection of their marine resources. . Assessment of stakeholder interests completed. Key informant interviews were conducted to determine stakeholder interests in relation to marine conservation and protection. Respondents included individuals (fishers, traders, farmers, youth, and women) as well as institutions (Department of Education, Protected Area Office, and the Local Government Unit). The results validated the proposed project activities, allowing the development of marine conservation and protection activities that captured stakeholder learning interest. . Stakeholder feedback mechanism developed. The assessment validated the need to establish an information and education system to update stakeholders on the progress of the program. Providing feedback and transparency to stakeholders and the public are very important to ensure success and sustainability of the marine protection initiative. The community needs to know what is being done, what needs to be done, and how they can help to achieve the objectives. A newsletter and weekly radio broadcast were launched to meet these needs.

II.3. Semporna Islands gazetted as a marine park and serving as a model of conservation action for the East Coast of Sabah seascape, Malaysia (FY2003, FY2004)

The East Coast of Sabah has a total area of 23,262km2 of the state’s coastal zone and is home to 54% of the state’s total population. Sabah’s largest areas of coral reefs are here, marine mammals and whale sharks are known to use the channel, and green and hawksbill turtles are abundant over much of the area. WWF Malaysia initiated a foundation for long-term marine conservation efforts in Sabah through its Marine Education and Awareness Program that focused on fostering better understanding of marine biodiversity protection, increasing participation and cooperation among stakeholders in the conservation and advocating for the creation of more marine protected areas. These strategies were in line with the Sabah state government Biodiversity Conservation Master Plan and Ecotourism Master Plan. Building on its success in the Semporna Islands where the local community was one of the stakeholder groups advocating park establishment, WWF continued supporting the gazettement process with on-site activities, enhancement of community awareness and participation in park management, and identification of complementary economic opportunities. These efforts were documented for magnification and replication in the proposed Marudu Bay Marine Park, Kudat-Banggi. Accomplishments include: o Documents from the Semporna Islands Project Phases I and II were compiled for advocating the gazettement of Tun Sakaran Marine Park (FY2004), to serve as a model for conservation action for the East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia . A proposal to establish a reef monitoring program was drafted and potential partners in the tourism sector in Semporna identified (FY2004). . To establish a better working relationship with the private sector, WWF made a presentation on the SSME Program, focusing on the Marine Protected Area Networking Initiative and the role of the diving industry in coral reef conservation, at a Coral Reef Conservation Workshop organized by UNEP and the

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Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). The presentation created interest from PADI in becoming involved in coral reef conservation in Sabah (FY2004).

III. Magnifying successful conservation action from anchor sites to broader Priority Conservation Areas (Seascapes)

III.1. Magnify successful conservation action from Bunaken anchor site to a broader conservation strategy (including integration of tourism development plans and testing of sustainable financing mechanisms) for North Sulawesi seascape, Indonesia.

Following the WWF-sponsored Biodiversity Vision workshop in March 2001, the government of Indonesia requested WWF to facilitate regional conservation planning for both North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan priority seascapes, to integrate conservation considerations into anticipated development in the region. In FY2003 WWF facilitated development of a regional conservation strategy for North Sulawesi. A major focus was consideration of how the benefits of expanded tourism may be tapped without negative impacts to the marine environment. This process included a North Sulawesi Province Conservation Planning Workshop with multi-sector stakeholder participation including the Bunaken Management Board and other stakeholders involved in the successful efforts (co-management, law enforcement to stop illegal fishing, entrance fee, etc.) in the Bunaken National Park anchor site. Various meetings and workshops and media efforts were used to disseminate the successes at Bunaken and build wider support for regional conservation action.

In FY2004, WWF completed the transition from a Bunaken National Park Project to management of coastal resources for the North Sulawesi seascape: . Support for Bunaken stakeholder education and awareness activities during Earth Day raised the profile of WWF Indonesia in and around Bunaken NP and resulted in opportunities for WWF to collaborate with the park management board, and park authorities to plan the final phase of the initiative to develop self-sufficient and effective management of the Bunaken NP and smooth the transition to a Coastal Resources Management Project. . The invitation by a local NGO to collaborate on communications for natural resource management in North Sulawesi, resulted in the development of a joint project proposal to the Canadian International Development Agency. . Bunaken stakeholders exchanged lessons learned about collaborative management and other issues related to effective MPA management.

III.2. Magnify successful conservation action from El Nido anchor site to broader conservation seascapes in Northern Palawan, Philippines (FY2003-FY2004).

In the Philippines, WWF focused on replicating the marine protection and enforcement program in El Nido to other municipalities in Northern Palawan. WWF began efforts to establish a second anchor site in Taytay and develop a cooperative mechanism for a broader marine protection and enforcement program similar to El Nido’s marine protection program. Accomplishments included: . WWF Philippines signed agreements providing a legal basis for implementation of the marine enforcement program in collaboration with the government institutions at the two anchor sites, El Nido and Taytay. The parties agreed to: implement the patrol plan; train the patrol team; conduct surveillance; conduct education and communication.

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. A workshop for implementation of common environmental law enforcement strengthened the conviction of the participating municipalities - San Vicente, Taytay and El Nido – to unify their efforts for protection and management of their resources. The three municipalities signed an agreement for a joint enforcement program for the terrestrial and marine environments and created a task force to develop follow-through on the agreed activities.

. WWF-Philippines provided technical assistance to the Local Government Units to finalize the Municipal Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan and review the Municipal Environmental Code and Municipal Fisheries Ordinance, documents needed to establish the enforcement agenda.

3.3. Identify a network of critical conservation sites in the East Coast of Sabah, Malaysia, and conduct measures to create and support new protected areas (FY2003, FY2004) In Malaysia, many marine protected areas had been established, but few were in Sabah where marine resources were richest. Therefore in FY2003 WWF identified sites for the creation of new protected or well-managed areas, and advocated for their establishment. Site identification was done primarily through analysis of sites important for the conservation of marine mammals, whale sharks, and turtles, since data on those marine species were more limited than data on coral reefs at the time. WWF undertook a reconnaissance survey and mapping of the target species distribution and movements and developed a long-term conservation strategy and action plan based on the anchor sites and incorporating the needs of the target species. WWF also replicated advocacy efforts on marine protected area establishment in new sites in East Coast Sabah, through production of communications materials and participation in planning meetings.

By the end of this project in FY2004, an education and awareness campaign had made progress toward establishing a second anchor site in Kudat. . An assessment of the educational initiatives in Kudat-Bangii Priority Conservation Area (Tun Mustapha Park) was completed. . Volume 1 of the Live Food Fish Trade newsletter completed, explaining the trade and the species targeted by consumers, how fishing is done and the impacts on the fishers and on the marine environment. . Banggi Environmental Awareness Center completed – a display center open to the public also serving as a place for interactive environmental awareness activities for school children and local communities . Discussions with the University Malaysia Sabah were initiated to develop a proposal for a workshop to identify the research and management agenda for Tun Mustapha Park.

IV. Improve awareness and understanding of the importance of and participation in Marine Conservation in Critical Sites in the SSME - focus on Palawan, Philippines (FY2000) Throughout the SSME, resource conservation was confounded by a lack of understanding of and participation in conservation activities by local stakeholder groups. Drawing on the significant efforts that had already taken place in the region and the Philippines, in the first year of GCP support for the SSME project WWF initiated education and awareness work in 5 municipalities in Palawan (Philippines) where marine resource exploitation was threatening important systems and species such as dugong and their habitats. WWF had ongoing conservation projects (including community patrolling and alternative livelihood schemes to reduce the threat of destructive and illegal resource exploitation such as overfishing and cyanide and dynamite fishing) in each of these municipalities and hoped to increase community participation in these projects through the formation and strengthening of local community conservation groups. The awareness and education work targeted the people of coastal barangays and was intended to increase awareness of the benefits the conservation projects and create

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enthusiasm for participation. WWF hoped to increase awareness of recent legislation in the Philippines that enabled coastal communities to establish marine protected areas and to set the foundation for expansion of the community-based marine protected area system by first exposing communities to environmental messages and concepts. Activities included: the production and distribution of Marine Conservation Awareness Kits; community workshops; slide show and video presentations; radio plugs; formation and strengthening of community-based conservation groups, working with the strong NGO and CBO network in Palawan through a training of trainers programs. Since many communities of the Philippines were concerned with improving their economic condition, the main message of this initiative was the economic importance of marine resources, demonstrating the linkage between resource conservation and economic stability.

The Marine Conservation Awareness Kit was written in Filipino, with the title meaning in English One Super and Great Guardian of the Sea. A version for trainers contained a primer with practical information about marine ecosystems and the need to conserve marine resources, flyer, poster showing the major marine ecosystems: mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs, 5 animation videos focusing on various environmental issues, 2 audio tapes with stories about the sea and public service announcements by local actors, and a trainers guide. A total of 120 copies of the trainer’s kit were distributed to trainers from Palawan through a series of training workshops/meetings. A total of 5,000 copies of the trainee’s kit containing the primer, sticker, poster, and bag, were distributed by the trained trainers during community presentations throughout Palawan in September- October 2000.

WWF also conducted a stakeholders’ meeting/forum in Palawan province that successfully expanded support for the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion Program. The meeting involved stakeholders from government, communities, NGOs, and others to discuss the SSME Program and to invite their involvement. As a result many organizations committed to participation, and similar stakeholder workshops were planned for other provinces.

V. Increase understanding of critical marine resources and threats across North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan upon which to base the ERBC conservation strategy development (FY2000) Of all areas of the SSME, North Sulawesi and East Kalimantan were the least understood in terms of their important marine resources and threats to these resources. Thus, in the first year of this project WWF used GCP funds to undertake assessments of coral reefs, mangroves, and sea turtle habitats as well as threats and conservation needs in these areas. These assessments were critical to the collaborative development (through the ecoregion-based approach including biological and socioeconomic assessments, workshops to develop a biological vision and conservation action plan) of the SSME Ecoregion Conservation Plan to guide targeted conservation action of all stakeholders. These assessments included literature reviews, consultation with experts, and site visits to priority areas.

During September – December 1999, the following reports on Northern Sulawesi and Eastern Kalimantan were prepared and submitted to the SSME Coordinating Committee: . A Biophysical Assessment, focused on summarizing available data on habitats and species, including lists of perceived priority conservation/biodiversity features and research needs; . A Socio-Economic Assessment, the goal of which was to gain a broad understanding of human – environment interactions including trying to identify the causal connections between human actions and threats to marine biodiversity in the Ecoregion. . A Coastal and Watershed Review examining land use patterns in the coastal zone and catchment areas and, where possible, identifying activities, issues, or installments that could be considered to be a threat to marine or coastal ecosystem health or integrity, either at present or in the future.

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During the period February-April 2000, a series of field visits were carried out to meet stakeholders and address knowledge gaps. Large areas of the Sulawesi coast are still unexplored and represent a significant knowledge gap in planning for conservation of the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea. The conservation context in East Kalimantan is extremely complex with many issues revolving around the sale of concessions for turtle egg harvesting.

In November 2000, WWF carried out initial stakeholder consultations in East Kalimantan and North Sulawesi, primarily to introduce WWF to key stakeholders and to socialize the idea of a regional approach to planning conservation priorities in Sulawesi Sea. SSME coordination and planning meetings were held in June and November to prepare for a Biovisioning workshop in March 2001.

WWF used the International Coral Reef Symposium (Bali, October 2000) as an opportunity to raise awareness, solicit new partnerships and disseminate lessons learned from its experiences in ecoregion conservation planning and in conservation projects in the region.

VI. Use market forces to support coral reef conservation – transform the marine ornamentals industry in the Philippines and Indonesia into one based on quality and sustainable use of coral reefs by developing a third party certification system (FY2000, FY2001). Coral reefs are critical habitat for an unparalleled diversity of marine life that provides important resources for local sustenance, commerce in aquarium organisms, and many other benefits. The marine aquarium industry exports reef organisms from most coral reef areas, particularly the W. Pacific. Indonesia and the Philippines supply 85% of the marine ornamental fish imported into the US, and Indonesia supplies much of the world’s live coral. Collecting marine aquarium organisms provides one of the few sustainable local industries in low- income coastal areas that have limited resources and few options for generating income. Unfortunately, unsustainable collecting practices and/or poor husbandry of aquarium organisms affect the potential for achieving a balance between reef health, aquarium animal collection, and community and national benefits. However, it is possible to have a trade in marine aquarium organisms that is environmentally sound. Many in the industry and hobby supported this, but there was no system to identify and reward quality products and sustainable practices. To achieve market-driven quality and sustainability in the marine aquarium industry, a comprehensive approach by an independent, multi-stakeholder institution is required to develop international standards, certify compliance, label the outputs, and raise awareness, demand, and confidence among all parties. The Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) was created to bring together for this purpose: the aquarium industry, conservation organizations, public aquariums, hobbyists, scientists, government agencies and other stakeholders.

VI.1 Establish MAC Coordinator and Office for Indonesia WWF worked together with the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) and the rapidly expanding network of MAC partners in the Philippines and Indonesia to establish the capacity and network for marine aquarium species certification in those two countries. This required focusing on training, informational exchange, and efforts to increase understanding of certification among collectors and industry. USAID support played an important role in, helping MAC to hire an Indonesian consultant to strengthen the country program and to review standards and guidelines for certification.

In the process of establishing a full-time in-country presence through a MAC Coordinator and office in Indonesia, MAC tried to balance the urgent need for a full time coordinator and the need to have a well- qualified candidate. MAC was unable to find a full time coordinator, and thus recruited a well-qualified consultant to develop MAC coordination in Indonesia. The consultant was successful in assisting MAC in data

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collection and network development activities, including compiling policy and legal/regulatory documents relevant to marine ornamental trade, identifying data sources, developing a profile of the industry, expanding existing MAC network of individual companies, government agencies and NGOs, and communicating MAC Standards and certification processes. However, the consultant left the position in November 2001, and MAC had to begin once again the search for a full-time coordination capacity in Indonesia.

At the same time MAC Global Coordinators were working with country coordinators to develop the certification system, finalizing and testing the standards of best practice for marine ornamentals collection and trade in 2001.

VI.2. Test standards and certification system for marine ornamentals collection and export. . The first review of MAC Core Standards was completed by the Standards Advisory Group (SAG) and a public review. The MAC Core Standards would be finalized by mid 2001 after a second SAG review. Indonesia represented 17% (13 members) of total SAG membership. . MAC decided to focus certification system testing efforts in the Philippines by conducting a reef-to- export supply feasibility study. There was already a wide network of previously trained collectors in the country providing the critical mass needed to ensure an adequate supply of certifiable organisms. The lessons learned in the Philippines were shared with the stakeholders in Indonesia to inform and jump start certification development in that country. MAC facilitated an exchange visit program for reps of Indonesian industry and conservation NGOs to learn from the MAC Philippines developments.

VI.3 Build capacity of collectors and industry operators to participate in certification. Because certification was new to this industry, documents that clearly explained the standards, documentation system, etc. had to be developed and distributed, e.g. manuals to guide industry participants through self- evaluation procedures, guidelines to explain how to upgrade systems and practices to "certifiable" standards, and training materials for collectors. The Philippine feasibility study produced a series of interpretive manuals for collectors, collection area managers, and exporters that could be modified to the Indonesian conditions.

VII. Formulating a tri-national strategy to protect marine turtles and their habitats as a first step to creating a tri-national ecologically representative network of MPAs across the SSME (FY2002) By the end of FY2001, the SSME Program made great progress in protecting individual sites from destructive activities and in prioritizing critical areas for marine conservation across the entire ecoregion. While these site- specific successes were vital, they were not enough to ensure the comprehensive protection of the SSME. WWF felt it important in FY2002 to move beyond the protection of individual sites to apply successful methodologies across an ecologically representative network of areas in the SSME. However, political tensions between the SSME countries made this a difficult undertaking at that time. WWF felt it must first build relationships between the three countries on more discrete initiatives. Thus WWF decided to test the waters of tri-national cooperation by first focusing on the development of a tri-national conservation strategy to protect marine turtles. Since the Philippines and Malaysia were already cooperating on the protection of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), it was thought that adding Indonesia to the collaboration and expanding the focus to a larger Subregion of the SSME would be a relatively discrete and concrete task. Since Indonesia is home to the largest turtle nesting area in the three countries and was also a major user of marine turtles, Indonesia’s participation was critical to the tri-national management of this species. The tri-national area is particularly important for hawksbill and green turtles. Because of the wide-ranging behavior of marine turtles, it is essential that all three countries cooperate in protection or the population that is protected in one country may simply be depleted in another.

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WWF began the initiative with a series of individual and group consultations with various levels of government agencies and NGOs, to secure their participation and commitment. They also secured an invitation for the Director of Marine Protected Areas of Indonesia to participate as an observer in a meeting of the Joint Management Committee of the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area and to present the status of sea turtles in his country. At that meeting WWF proposed the TIHPA be expanded to include Derawan Islands (Indonesia). WWF was able to harness full support of government agencies, local NGOs and some members of the community in Derawan.

In March 2002, WWF organized the first tri-national training on sea turtle biology and conservation, covering topics on species identification, nesting activities, census techniques, tagging and morphology, nesting beach management, safe turtle egg handing practices, hatchery management, and ecotourism. Twenty-six participants represented government agencies, NGOs, and community organizations of the three countries.

A consensus building workshop with 62 participants representing government agencies, non-government organizations, and academic institutions led to an agreement on the need for a tri-national conservation program for sea turtles. Participants recommended 62 actions clustered under 7 issues, among them the proposal to expand the Philippine – Malaysia TIHPA to include the Derawan Islands of Indonesia. The workshop also tasked WWF with providing an interim coordinating mechanism to move the program forward.

WWF finalized the draft program and worked with governments and other key players to find the means to get the program implemented and coordinate its implementation. But WWF did not have the funds to implement, coordinate, and monitor the tri-national activities in Derawan Islands, 6 hours by plane from its field marine field office. WWF continued to seek an official tri-national agreement for creation of a tri-national MPA network for protection of sea turtle habitat.

VIII. Enhance the sustainability of conservation action by creating and expanding long-term financing mechanisms (FY2002, FY2003)

There are several factors important to sustaining marine conservation activities in the SSME. These include sufficient institutional capacity, skilled staff, strategic decision-making, and sustainable finance. Sustaining the flow of funding for conservation activities depends on at least two key factors: 1) development of sustainable conservation financing mechanisms; and 2) institutionalization of effective management of conservation funds. In June 2002, WWF initiated various project activities in two sites in the Philippines (Balayan Bay/ Municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy, Batangas in Southern Luzon and Puerto Galera in Mindoro) and at one site in Indonesia. These sites were identified as priority conservation areas trough WWF’s Biodiversity Vision Workshop in 2001, and each had both considerable threats and good opportunities to build sustainable financing mechanisms primarily through tourism fees. Puerto Galera is a Man and Biosphere Reserve and also a site of considerable tourism.

Implementation activities included: 1. Review legislation to identify obstacles and opportunities for conservation finance. 2. Develop “willingness to pay” survey and administer at three project sites. 3. Estimate user fees and investigate other innovative revenue generation schemes. 4. Consultative identification of best institutional regimes for collecting and disbursing funds. 5. Development of mechanisms including conservation fees, tourism fees, landing taxes, trust funds, and other mechanisms for the generation and management of conservation funds.

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Puerto Galera WWF contracted two temporary staff to initiate the project in Puerto Galera, and by the end of FY2002 they had held consultation meetings with local government units and business operators (i.e. hotels, tour and dive operators, Yacht Club officers and members, shop owners, press, boat operators, and the officers of the Puerto Galera Tricycle Drivers Association). The local Dive Association provided an office for the duration of the project.

Information-education-communication and rapport-building activities were carried out in various barangays (neighborhoods) identified as important sites for willingness to pay (WTP) surveys. Regular dialog was held with the Puerto Galera Divers Association and local government officials to discuss issues and concerns and to give updates on the progress of the survey. The WTP survey instrument was drafted and pre-tested among both foreign and local divers. A Korean dive master provided pro-bono a Korean translation of the survey instrument. Results of the pre-testing were used to finalize the survey instrument. Application of the actual WTP survey was begun in late November 2002, and by April, 167 of 250 target interviews were completed. The survey interview was enriched with discussions of the conditions of the coral reefs in Puerto Galera. Divers said they appeared to be in good condition

Municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy The WTP survey was completed, and the project assisted in estimating the users’ fee, identifying legal instruments (municipal ordinance), facilitating participatory approaches in obtaining support from key stakeholders, and establishing an institutional regime - a Coastal Resources Management Board. A major output of these activities was a draft municipal ordinance on the divers’ fee. The project facilitated a public hearing by the Mabini government on the ordinance and provided legal assistance to revise the draft ordinance based on the results of the public hearing. The Mabini Municipal Divers Fee Ordinance was approved by the Provincial Council. The project also facilitated dialog and sectoral consultation on the Coastal Resources Management Board. This board was created, composed of five representatives from the municipal local government unit and six private sector representatives. WWF-Philippines is a member of this board. Draft Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the Mabini Divers Fee Ordinance were presented to the local Chief Executive for review and preparation of the Executive Order which will legalize implementation of the fee. The IRR provides the divers’ fee rates and institutional regime for collecting and disbursing funds. This is the first Municipal Ordinance to have an IRR.

A draft Tingloy Municipal Ordinance on the divers’ fee was prepared and presented to the Municipal Council, but political dynamics within the council delayed deliberations.

Sustainability

There are several factors important to sustaining marine conservation activities in the SSME. These include sufficient institutional capacity, skilled staff, strategic decision-making, and sustainable finance. WWF has addressed these goals by developing and institutionalizing multi-stakeholder partnerships for management of key anchor sites and then the broad dissemination of these successful models to multiply these initiatives at multiple scales (marine protected areas, seascapes, and ecoregion-wide) throughout the ecoregion. WWF has been particularly successful in demonstrating the power of stakeholders working together proactively to sustain enforcement and monitoring (see Implementing conservation at a landscape or regional scale section for details), as well as sustainable finance.

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Sustaining the flow of funding for conservation activities depends on at least two key factors: 1) development of sustainable conservation financing mechanisms; and 2) institutionalization of effective management of conservation funds. Users of marine protected areas represent a large potential source for funds for marine management. Users include the recreation sector (consisting primarily of, e.g., scuba divers), tourism establishments, dive tour operators and recreational fishers. However, there is growing recognition that in most countries current user fee schemes are not properly designed and that revenues could have been higher. Fortunately, the Philippines has made some progress in the creation of appropriate user fees at a number of protected areas. Examples include USAID’s assistance to the Philippine Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau that helped build up the Integrated Protected Area Fund. Another is WWF’s work in the Tubbataha Reef Marine National Park where a dive fee is now being collected. In 2000, at Tubbataha about 40,000 USD were collected through boat and visitors’ permits during the diving season. These revenues are accruing to a management fund that is being used for park operating costs and maintenance, helping fund alternative livelihood programs of local communities, and helping create a trust fund to pay the recurring costs of conservation. Beginning in 2002, WWF built on these successful efforts to expand sustainable finance mechanisms and effective finance management systems in additional important SSME sites - 2 sites in the Philippines (Balayan Bay, Municipalities of Mabini and Tingloy, Batangas, in Southern Luzon; Puerto Galera in Mindoro) and 1 in Indonesia (Sangalaki marine protected area) in the SSME through the conduct of several activities: . Reviewing legislation to identify opportunities for conservation finance . Developing and administering “willingness to pay” surveys, with interviews enriched by discussions on the conditions of the coral reefs . Estimating user fees and investigating other innovative revenue generation schemes . Identification of best institutional regimes for collecting and disbursing funds . Development of mechanisms for the generation and management of conservation funds A major output of this work in the Balayan Bay was the 2003 approval of the Mabini Divers’ Fee Ordinance and the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) associated with this ordinance. The IRR provided the divers’ fee rates and institutional regime for collecting and disbursing funds. According to local government units, this was the first ever ordinance having an IRR. The IRR underwent a series of consultations/public hearings and was presented to the Chief Executive Office. With the issuance of the Executive Order the collection of divers’ fees became a legal undertaking

Measures of success

As outlined in previous sections, the GCP-supported program for the Sulu Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion was successful in achieving its main objectives and thus addressing immediate threats and sustaining management efforts to protect critical areas and expanding successful approaches to networks of protected areas in 3 priority seascapes within the ecoregion. Key to all successful approaches was the mobilization, empowerment, and capacity building, and institutionalization of multi-stakeholder participation in management efforts. Communication of these successes led to their replication at additional sites across seascapes and even at the national level. Efforts to encourage transborder cooperation among the three countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines) proved to be more difficult. Although trust was developed, co-management efforts at that scale proved to be beyond the scope of this 5-year project. These efforts did form a foundation on which WWF and partners have been able to build, in more recent years, the Coral Triangle Initiative, with cooperation of these and other countries.

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Evidence of advances in addressing the immediate and long-term threats to critical areas targeted by the GCP SSME program comes largely from the multi-stakeholder monitoring schemes established as a part of the program. o Reduction of overfishing and destructive fishing practices – Ongoing monitoring by multi- stakeholder patrols established in four critical sites (Tubataha and Anilao in the Philippines, Bunaken and Bali Berat in Indonesia) have documented a reduction in illegal fishing violations, and near elimination of destructive fishing practices in each site. Ongoing multi-stakeholder biological monitoring has documented increased fish biomass and live coral cover in each of these sites. o Reduction of unsustainable clearing of mangroves and harvesting of coral – The ongoing multi- stakeholder patrol systems in the four sites also resulted in arrests for mangrove clearing, coral harvesting, and other zoning violations. o Increased capacity for enforcement to reduce violations – Multi-stakeholder patrol systems were institutionalized in four critical sites, with participation and contributions by multi-level government, communities o Increased capacity (national and local level government, local people and NGOs) to manage marine systems – Stakeholders, including park staff, local government, and community participants, are involved in biological monitoring in the four sites in Indonesia and Philippines, resulting in more information for science-based management decisions as well as increased stakeholder support for management initiatives at these sites and at other sites. Sustainable financing schemes implanted at two sites (Tubataha in Philippines and Bunaken in Indonesia) resulted in funds and capacity to administer them to cover significant a significant portion of recurring costs to manage the sites. o Increased political will and local support for marine conservation – Communications, education, and training activities at all five critical sites achieved considerable success in encouraging the government and other community stakeholders to assume greater responsibility and financial commitments for the long term development of marine protected area management. In the Philippines local governments are making greater commitment from their local budgets to marine protected areas. The process of institutionalizing an improved enforcement plan in El Nido led to the official recognition of 57 trained volunteer law enforcers representing 18 neighborhoods and other agencies participating alongside government staff of various jurisdictions in regular patrolling activities. In addition, the participating agencies agreed to joint operating procedures and developed policy frameworks to support the plan’s implementation. In Malaysia two SSME Marine Protected Areas were formally gazetted with local communities advocating the establishment. The co-management experience in Bunaken resulted in requests to expand beyond the park limits to the surrounding area and to establish similar initiatives in other critical areas in the North Sulawesi seascape. The success in Bunaken also led to the recognition at the national level in Indonesia of co-management as a model.

Challenges and Lessons Learned:  Adequate stakeholder consultation is essential. This lesson became extremely apparent in FY2000, when the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board (TPAMB) issued a letter to the dive industry mandating the collection of a dive tourism conservation tax. The diving industry responded with a backlash at the lack of consultation. Although the dive industry had enthusiastically participated in “willingness to pay” surveys, the results of these surveys had not been sufficiently communicated to the industry, and there had not been consultation about what level of fee to set. This consultation was then initiated.  Stakeholder consultation for ERBC planning is essential and should be pursued early on. Developing an SSME Ecoregion Conservation Strategy was a very large effort involving numerous

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stakeholders. In planning for a Biodiversity Visioning workshop in June 2001, WWF-Philippines recognized that stakeholders had not been sufficiently consulted about the SSME ERBC process and were not yet “bought in” to the process. As a result, several stakeholder workshops were planned around the Philippines to encourage stakeholder participation in the design of the ERBC process. The first one, held in Palawan in early February 2000, indicated significant stakeholder interest in this effort.  Tri-national cooperation for ERBC takes time: The process of developing an Ecoregion based Conservation Strategy is challenging due to the complexity of coordinating the interests of stakeholders across country boundaries. For example, just completing bio-assessments from each of the three countries of the SSME in a format that can be integrated into a meaningful Ecoregion-wide assessment was challenging and required time and patience. The main lesson here is that when trying to develop an effort to mobilize and enhance conservation at the scale of a large ecoregion, you must take the time needed to work out the challenges along the way.  Don’t forget immediate protection: Important areas are not conserved in the short-term through prioritization and strategic planning. While we work to develop plans to guide lasting conservation, immediate protection must be a high priority. This is why funding support from the USAID, which was very focused on immediate results, has been so important.  It’s a major challenge to start a new paradigm: A major challenge faced by the Marine Aquarium Council was to consult with and inform stakeholders about the new paradigm (certification) in the marine ornamentals industry while simultaneously building that paradigm. While MAC welcomed opportunities to brief the media and players in coral conservation, this required a great deal of attention and time. Responding to the urgent need to inform and guide the debate on certification while simultaneously developing certification standards and systems was challenging. MAC continued to manage this challenge extremely well and we are ever closer to an environmentally responsible marine ornamentals industry. The role of partnership in helping MAC to manage this challenge has also been key as numerous organizations from industry, Government, and NGOs have been extremely supportive in both developing the system and in consulting with the media, the public, and other stakeholders.  Information and education materials should use the dialect of the target audience. The use of Filipino (Tagalog) in all the materials of the Tropang educational kit was very effective, enabling trainers to also think of innovative ways of presenting the issues and messages on marine conservation more efficiently.  Legal mechanisms supportive to environmental prosecution must be in place for enforcement activities to be effective. In order for enforcement efforts to be effective in the long run, cases filed must be won. WWF Rangers in Tubbataha made eight apprehensions against illegal fishermen in the central and northern Sulu Sea in the first year of this project (FY2000). Of these 8 arrests, one was dismissed and the other cases languished in a very slow justice system. Tougher laws and more stringent penalties must be in place to truly create disincentives against illegal fishing. When cases are mysteriously dismissed or when seized boats slip away, it is very discouraging for the enforcers who see no legal victories for their arrests. WWF thus began a “Prosecuting for the Environment” workshop to encourage local judges to take tougher stands on such cases.  Involving village youth groups and volunteers quickly builds support and local capacity for resource management. In FY2000, Team Raja Laut, did a great job of recording and reporting fisheries catch and violations in Bunaken National Park. Building on these successes they formed their own NGO. Involving local youth is an excellent step to build increased local capacity to carry out resource management, and local volunteer organizations can sustain many natural resource management activities after donor funding ends.  The multi-stakeholders management approach in park management is demanding but seems to be appropriate for most of the marine parks in Indonesia where the recently decentralized Global Conservation Program—World Wildlife Fund 40

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governance system is coming into effect. This approach is challenging and time consuming. It requires careful attention, a great deal of time, and strong facilitation. Intensive stakeholder liaison is needed as many ideas from the grassroots and top layers should be taken into account. Securing sufficient resources, including staff time, is a major constraint that impacts the ultimate sustainability of operations. This challenge can be overcome by working intensely with stakeholders in initial years, to encourage sharing of conservation activities across multiple stakeholders. Through this multi- stakeholder approach to conservation, efforts can create successful partnerships that carry forward on their own after external donor inputs end.  A major challenge to any conservation effort is generating sufficient long-term financing. Conservation efforts are still woefully underfunded given the magnitude of the issues and threats. As a result, efforts to generate sustainable financing both for individual areas and for entire ecoregions are critical. The sustainable financing scheme for Bunaken and Bali Barat based upon the entrance fees infused a great sense of enthusiasm that the successes we were achieving could be sustained. A similar challenge is ensuring that places that do not have tourism can also develop sources of sustainable finance. Many important reef systems are not able to generate sustainable financing. As a result, it is important that well visited areas help to support conservation of remote areas that are not able to raise funds locally. To overcome this challenge, WWF is proposing that a certain percentage of funds locally raised from each park should be allocated to a national trust fund for marine parks to be shared with remote parks that can not raise funds easily.  Institutionalization of sustainable conservation financing mechanism requires efforts on multiple fronts. The lessons learned in this project and other WWF initiatives were included in a conservation finance training manual produced in FY2002. Among the efforts needed are: information-education- communication and rapport-building activities with stakeholders; review of existing legislation to identify obstacles and opportunities for conservation finance; with stakeholders identify innovative revenue generation schemes, consultative identification of best institutional regimes for collecting and disbursing funds; development of mechanisms - including conservation fees, tourism fees, landing taxes, trust funds – for the generation and management of conservation funds; advocacy with the legislative body and stakeholders for passage and implementation of needed legislation.  The importance of long-term foundation work. Largely through the efforts NRM and USAID carried out in North Sulawesi, the local government and communities became aware and supportive of conservation. As a result, WWF was able to partner with these ongoing projects to help enhance conservation outcomes that were based on the foundation they built.  The need to address root causes of threats. While WWF was pleased with the early successes at Bunaken and Bali Barat parks, we have to recognize that the magnitude of threats across the ecoregion vastly outweighs our current capacity to address them. Model projects at key areas can instill motivation in adjacent communities and other priority areas of the ecoregion. Yet, the conservation community will need much enhanced capacity to support these motivated communities and harness this motivation into effective conservation outcome. Some threats are so entrenched in the region, that it will only be possible in the near term to reduce or eliminate them from select priority areas. As these areas are secured, we will need to collectively address root causes including resource poverty, lack of alternatives, limited capacity, limited political will, and many others. To fully address these issues resources including financing, collaborative efforts, and technical capacity will need to be increased by several orders of magnitude.  Developing environmental standards and certification for the marine ornamental trade is more complex and time consuming than envisaged due to the special characteristics of this industry in relation to certification and due to a number of unanticipated externalities.

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o This industry is based on the collection and trade in live animals, engendering a range of health and husbandry issues not required of other environmental certification systems (e.g. forest products, food fish). The MAC certification thus requires standards to maintain health and quality control for the entire “chain of custody” through to retail, and not merely tracking of products that have been certified based on their origin. o Defining the spatial aspect of the resource base is fundamental to certification, and this is complicated in fluid marine environments where boundaries are difficult to delineate. Likewise, defining those who have access to the area and its resources is also fundamental to certification, which is difficult where marine areas are “open access” or “community access.” o The lack of basic information on the local abundance, life histories, and harvest levels of the species involved make it difficult to develop early consensus on what sustainable use levels are. Many marine ornamental fish and corals are not a part of specific “stocks” with a defined geographic range, but are widely distributed, making the marine ornamentals trade a single global fishery that requires a single global set of standards and certification. o To be applicable to the entire global fishery and its market, the standards and certification must take into consideration vast socio-economic, political and cultural differences. o MAC certification will cover the trade in corals and giant clams, requiring understanding and integration of CITES issues and requirements. o Indonesia, as one of the main export countries, is characterized by difficult and rapidly changing political conditions. o The governments of several key import and export countries have given serious consideration to trade bans (notably the US), requiring MAC input to these developments and diverting MAC efforts from certification development. o A critical factor to success is working through a multi-stakeholder consultation process. Although time consuming, face-to-face individual and group meetings are critical for trust building and obtaining buy-in from stakeholders in Indonesia. Environmental certification is a new and complex area for many to understand, regular follow-up communications are essential for concerns and misconceptions to be addressed. o To be more effective in getting MAC message across to stakeholders in Indonesia, it is essential to have MAC materials translated into Bahasa Indonesia. At this point, the only document available in Bahasa Indonesia is the MAC Brochure. Once the Core Standards and other supporting materials are finalized, MAC will have to obtain funds to have key documents translated. o Although the discussion of the implementation of environmental standards and certification for the marine ornamental trade in developing countries like the Philippines and Indonesia is complex and abstract at first glace, more and more stakeholders have come to realize that it is quite possible, and very important, to achieve MAC Certification. The Philippine feasibility study provided concrete examples of how collection areas, collectors, and exporters can become certifiable with some extra investment and efforts. The stories from the field have helped greatly in dispelling the myth surrounding the complexities and difficulties of certification.  Monitoring of fish stocks and economic benefits of these stocks is important to be able to quantify the benefits of protecting an area and fuel a demand for MPAs. A significant and increasing body of

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evidence indicates that increased protection at MPAs results in increases in fish biomass and fish catch. While, we cannot guarantee such positive benefits, we believe they are very likely to occur and it is critical that we understand change over time both in fish stocks and in the economic benefits of these stocks. In all MPAs, it is very important to be able to definitively state the benefits that resulted directly from protection. As part of the SSME Program, WWF is working to quantify the benefits of marine protected areas in all sites where we work. WWF plans to apply this data to campaigns not only to strengthen protection of particularly MPAs but also to show adjacent communities the benefits of MPAs and hopefully fuel a demand for MPAs across major portions of the SSME.  Building strong relationship capital with project partners in the private sector strengthens collaboration to achieve mutual benefits.  Policy advocacy in developing Conservation Finance requires patience and a deep understanding of stakeholders’ interests as well as strong communication skills in working with multi-sectoral groups.  Participatory action research in the economics of resource management builds practical and innovative policies for sustainable financing at the local level.  The payment of a Conservation Fee makes divers real partners in marine conservation. Tangible projects in conservation management and the protection of coastal resources motivate them to continue paying before playing.

Value of the GCP program

 GCP funds enabled WWF to partner with several stakeholders in the SSME and to secure co-financing from other donors including the Packard Foundation, the GEF, the Henry Foundation, and others.  GCP’s focus on Northern Sulawesi set an important foundation for successful conservation work: While it might be perceived that channeling additional funds to this area through USAID could potentially be duplicative, WWF’s experience was quite the opposite. Instead of duplicating activities, GCP funds magnified conservation benefits and were a key to the continued expansion of conservation and sustainable development in the area. Other USAID projects built a strong foundation of awareness and activity with the local community and government. GCP-funded activities built on the foundation USAID established and filled niches that other AID programs had not filled. This was very positive in that the GCP funding was not adequate to cover the high costs of starting up activities in new areas and instead was used to magnify successes and conservation results in a short period of time. For example, while Team Raja Laut was started by other projects, USAID funds were critical to the expansion of its activities and the resulting increases in reports and apprehensions of violators. Likewise, the local government and communities were increasingly supportive of conservation as a result of the work of USAID. This enabled USAID funds to quickly achieve results in the area.  Important areas not conserved in the short-term through prioritization and strategic planning. While we work to develop plans to guide lasting conservation, immediate protection must be a high priority. This is why funding support from the USAID, which is very focused on immediate results, has been so important.  GCP support has helped WWF to lay much of the groundwork that enabled the new broader Coral Triangle Initiative among the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Timor L’Este.

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References

Conservation Measures Partnership (2007) Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. Http://conservationmeasures.org/CMP/Site_Docs/CMP_Open_Standards_Version_2.0.pdf Dinerstein, E., Powell, G., Olson, D., Wikramanayake, E., Abell, R., Loucks, C., Underwood, E., Allnutt, T., Wettengel, W., Ricketts, T., Strand, H., O’Connor, S., & Burgess, N. (2000) A Workbook for Conducting Biological Assessments and Developing Biodiversity Visions for Ecoregion-Based Conservation. Conservation Science Program, WWF-US, Washington, DC, USA. Knight, A.T., Driver, A., Cowling, R.M., Maze, K., Desmet, P.G., Lombard, A.T. et al. (2006a) Designing systematic conservation assessments that promote effective implementation: best practice from South Africa. Conservation Biology, 20, 739–750. Knight, A.T., Cowling, R.M. & Campbell, B.M. (2006b) An operational model for implementing conservation action. Conservation Biology, 20, 408–419. Mittermeier, R.A., Bowles, I.A., Cavalcanti, R.B., Olivieri, S. & da Fonseca, G.A.B. (1994) A Participatory Approach to Biodiversity Conservation: The Regional Priority Setting Workshop. Conservation International, Washington, DC, USA. Noss, R.F. (1992) The Wildlands Project: land conservation strategy. Wild Earth, Special Issue, 10–25. Olson, D. & Dinerstein, E. (1998) The Global 200: a representation approach to conserving the Earth’s most biologically valuable ecoregions. Conservation Biology, 12, 502–515. Olson, D.M., Dinerstein, E., Wikramanayake, E.D., Burgess, N.D., Powell, G.V.N., Underwood, E.C. et al. (2001) Terrestrial ecoregions of the world: a new map of life on Earth. BioScience, 51, 933–938. WWF (2005) WWF Standards of Conservation and Programme Management. http://www.panda.org/what_we_do/how_we_work/conservation/programme_standards/

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