Tanintharyi Conservation Programme (TCP) SUMMARY REPORT: MARINE PROTECTED AREA TRAINING 13-17th February 2017 PHILIP DEARDEN, PhD MAY 2017 TCP Report No. 47 This is a report of the FFI Myanmar “Tanintharyi Conservation Programme” With funding from: FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme The The Tanintharyi Conservation Programme is an initiative of Fauna & program Flora International (FFI) Myanmar Programme, implemented in collaboration with the Myanmar Forest Department, Fisheries Department and a number of local, national and international collaborators and stakeholders. FFI Myanmar operates the programme under a MoU with the Forest Department and LOA with the Department of Fisheries specifically for marine and terrestrial conservation activities in Tanintharyi Region. Funding This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Commission, Helmsley Charitable Trust, and Segre Foundation. Dearden, P. (2016). Summary Report: Marine Protected Area Suggested Training 13-17th February 2017. Report No.47 of the Tanintharyi citation Conservation Programme, a joint initiative of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Myanmar Department of Fisheries and the Myanmar Forest Department. FFI, Yangon Author Philip Dearden is Leader of the Marine Protected Area Research details Group at the University of Victoria, Canada and has extensive international experience in MPA planning and management Copyright Reproduction of this report in full or in part is granted for the purposes of education, research or awareness, with the sole provision that the authors and authoring organisations be properly credited. Cover Front: Class Photo. © Myeik University/FFI images Rear: Coral reef, Myeik Archipelago. © Michelangelo Pignani/FFI Disclaimer The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Fauna & Flora International and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union or other donors. Page 2 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 1. BACKGROUND AND PURPO SE OF TRAINING 4 2. INSTRUCTORS AND FACI LITATORS 5 3. COURSE CONTENTS 6 4. OUTCOMES 8 5. APPENDICES 13 Appendix I Course Participants 13 Appendix II PowerPoint Presentations 14 Appendix III Priority Sites 15 Appendix IV MPA Establishment Process Draft 16 A p p e n d i x VI Participant Worksheets on Myeik Marine Resources and Affected Stakeholder 22 Appendix VII Participant Assessment of Stakeholde r Position on Interest and Influence Axes 24 Appendix VIII Draft Table Contents For an MPA Proposal 25 Appendix IX Selected Photographic Record 26 Page 3 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 1. BACKGROUND AND PURPO SE OF TRAINING Myanmar is a place of exceptional significance for its potential contribution to marine biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation. However, over recent times, impacts from human activities such as overfishing, dynamite fishing, land conversion, and pollution have had rapid and widespread negative impacts on marine ecosystems. This is especially true in the Myeik Archipelago (MA), where more than 800 islands are recognized as a Key Biodiversity Area of global importance. There is urgent need to curtail these threats and at the same time move quickly to protect sites of high ecological value. Establishing an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management and developing a network of marine protected areas (MPAs) are critical management tools in this regard. To this end FFI has been undertaking a programme of data collection, consultation, planning and capacity raising in conjunction with government agencies and universities in Myanmar. Following on from a national workshop on MPA establishment (August 2017) and a suggested blueprint for the development of an MPA network in the MA1, this training course was conceived to develop further understanding of MPAs in Myanmar amongst government officials and university personnel (see Appendix I for course participants). The overall goal of this course was to assist in building towards establishment of an MPA network in Myanmar, and specifically in the MA. This was accomplished primarily through creation of a knowledge base amongst participants of international best practice and by examining and discussing the process for MPA establishment in Myanmar. Specific objectives were to: 1. Build understanding and capacity for improved marine conservation in the MA, for all participants. 2. Discuss and further develop policy aspects of MPA network establishment in Myanmar 3. Provide a catalyst for creation of an MPA network in the MA. 4. Further assist the government of Myanmar to fulfill its international treaty and national policy objectives. 5. Refine suggested processes for MPA creation in the MA. 1 Dearden, P. (2016). Blueprint for a Network of Marine Protected Areas in the Myeik Archipelago, Myanmar. Report No.39 of the Tanintharyi Conservation Programme, a joint initiative of Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Myanmar Department of Fisheries and the Myanmar Forest Department. FFI, Yangon. Page 4 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 2. INSTRUCTORS AND FACI LITATORS Professor Philip Dearden PhD, Leader, Marine Protected Area Research Group (MPARG), University of Victoria, Canada Petch Manopawitr, Deputy Head, SE Asia Group, IUCN, Bangkok, and PhD Student, MPARG. Meira Mizrahi, PhD Student, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Australia and FFI, Cambodia. Zau Lunn, Marine Programme Manager, FFI, Yangon Robert Howard, Marine Programme Advisor, FFI, Yangon Page 5 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 3. COURSE CONTENTS The course was organized around three key components. The first established the reason why we need to implement improved ocean management at both the international and national levels, and finished with a discussion on marine trends in Myanmar. The second component focused on policy needs and content and established a knowledge base on which participants could draw to make informed contributions to discussion on the third component, the process for MPA establishment in Myanmar. This policy component reviewed international best practice in MPA legislation and policy and compared this to the situation in Myanmar. In particular, best practices in site selection and system planning, stakeholder consultation, governance and institutional arrangements, MPA management and tourism were described and discussed. These two first components provided the platform for informed discussion on the process for MPA establishment that could be followed in the MA and particularly helped focus attention on appropriate stakeholder involvement. A more detailed outline of the contents is given below and the power points for each session are provided in Appendix II. Day 1 – Why do we need MPAs? 1. Course opening (Professor Dr Si Si Hla Bu, Rector, Myeik University) 2. State of the Oceans (ppt1PD) 3. Role of MPAs (ppt 2PD) 4. The Myanmar context (ppt 3PD) a. Discussion on participant experience with Myanmar marine biodiversity b. Discussion of policy goals for Myanmar. c. Discussion of MPA establishment process (Appendix III) Day 2 – Legislation, Policy and Site Selection. 1. Role of legislation in MPA establishment in Myanmar (ppt 4PD) a. Discussion on legislative needs 2. Site Selection, system planning, networks and site selection criteria (ppt 5a/b PM) a. Discussion on site selection in Myeik. b. Review maps and new site identification (RH/ZL) Day 3 – Policies on Stakeholder Consultation, Governance and Institutions. 1. Stakeholder consultation (ppt 6a/b MM) a. Discussion on potential process in the MA. Page 6 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 2. Policy, Governance and institutional arrangements (ppt 7 PD) a. Discussion on Myanmar context Day 4 – Management Policies on Planning and Tourism 1. Management policies (ppt 8 PD), zoning, plans, prohibitions, compliance a. Discussion on Myanmar situation 2. Management policies for tourism management (ppt 9 PD) a. Discussion on Myeik Archipelago 3. Consultation discussion on power and influence (MM). Day 5 – Stakeholder Involvement and the Declaration process in Myanmar 1. Role play on MPA establishment in Myeik Archipelago (RH/ZL) 2. Video of corals of from archipelago taken by FFI field team 3. Closing Ceremony (Professor Dr Si Si Hla Bu, Rector, Myeik University) 4. Field Trip to visit the shrimp farm and Naval Base on Kyunsu (King) Island. Page 7 of 29 FFI Myanmar, Tanintharyi Conservation Programme 4. OUTCOMES Some of the outcomes of the Training Course (TC) are summarized below. a. Report familiarity FFI commissioned a report2 that identified many of the challenges and necessary steps to be taken to establish a network of MPAS in the MA. However, the success of such a strategy is highly dependent upon effective consultation with all affected stakeholders including the government agencies who will be responsible for implementation. The TC included discussion of the main elements and recommendations of the report in order to provide greater understanding of the rationale for recommendations and to facilitate involvement of affected stakeholders. b. Familiarity with the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) There was considerable discussion of the Government of Myanmar’s official policy on biodiversity conservation3 and hence a wider range of understanding about international agreements, Myanmar commitments and the ways in which course participants