National Fish and Wildlife foundation Final Programmatic Report

Project name and number: Enforcement and Education Outreach in (2007-083-018) Recipient Organization/Agency: Reef Guardian Sdn Bhd Recipient Contact: +60-89-675999 Recipient Email: [email protected] Recipient Phone: +60-89-234000 Recipient Web Address: www.reef-guardian.org

1) Summary

Project was to enforce a 46, 317 hectare marine conservation area in Sulu Sea in collaboration with state and federal agencies, and raise marine conservation awareness through community outreach.

2) Introduction

Reef Guardian’s long term goal is to have healthier, more resilient coral reef communities within Sugud Islands Marine conservation Area (SIMCA), and aims to achieve this by strengthening its enforcement and education capabilities. This project is designed at a localized scale, as all activities will be carried out within SIMCA or in the immediate region (Sandakan), and conservation outcomes will directly impact the coral reef environment of SIMCA.

Trawling and dynamite fishing are two fishing methods which are widely known to cause direct damage to coral reef habitat, and is one of the primary conservation needs to be addressed. Enforcement of illegal fishing is a key component of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, and combating against illegal entry of fishing vessels (mainly trawlers) and dynamite fishing has been a major challenge in protecting the integrity of SIMCA’s coral reef ecosystems.

Sea patrols of SIMCA have been carried out since 2005 to enforce SIMCA boundaries and to eliminate destructive fishing methods. These patrols have successfully prevented some illegal intrusions and dynamite fishing. However, a substantial number of illegal entrants are not being stopped or apprehended due to a shortage of Reef Guardian personnel to carry out more frequent sea patrols. Reducing the occurrence of these illegal fishing activities involves no only tighter enforcement, but also education fishers through an active interpretive programme.

However, Reef Guardian’s team consists of only ten full time staff on site, and lacks sufficient personnel to carry out the required heightened level of enforcement. Understaffing also prevents expanding the implementation of the fisher interpretive programme. At the same time, ongoing education and outreach efforts targeted at nearby communities are equally important for increasing awareness of coral reef conservation and of SIMCA regulations. These activities further stretch Reef Guardian’s already strained human resources. As such, priority conservation needs in the short term focus on hiring additional staff to achieve Reef Guardian’s enforcement and education objectives.

1. Strengthen existing enforcement capacity by increasing manpower, and improving the prosecution rate of SIMCA enforcement actions. The project plans to recruit four additional staff who will be trained by the Wildlife Department to be certified as Honorary Wildlife Wardens to carry out daily sea patrols to improve SIMCA stewardship and effectiveness.

2. Recruit two education program coordinators to create, organize, and deliver education and outreach programmes for local schools, Lankayan Island Dive Resort guests, the general public, and fishers via distributing posters, presenting talks, and organizing “Adopt- A- Reef “programme for schools.

3. To implement an interpretative enforcement approach that involves verbally explaining conservation area regulations to fishers.

For the long term, Reef Guardian’s conservation needs are to maintain and enhance the team’s capacity for protecting SIMCA’s coral reef ecosystems as well as expanding the conservation awareness programmes. The specific needs involve:

1. Ensuring a sustainable source of financing is available for Reef Guardian’s various conservation activities;

2. Expanding coral reef conservation awareness programme

3. Maintaining and upgrading the team’s skills and capacity for carrying out enforcement, monitoring, and education through training programmes;

4. Increase and maintain adequate enforcement presence within SIMCA.

3) Method

Project implemented as below;

1. Recruitment of education officer & program coordinator were advertised in the local newspaper. Recruitment of the enforcement crews were by walk in interviews.

2. Honorary Wildlife Warden training program was conducted in partnership with Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF – Malaysia on Lankayan Island from 26-28 April 2008. Total 18 participants were from WWF-Malaysia, Reef Guardian, Sabah Wildlife Department and Fisher Association from Banggi & Kudat Sabah. Total of 6 Reef Guardian staff were trained and certified as Honorary Wildlife Warden. The training included course works and field practical. The participants were trained in identifying activities that against Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, and familiar with endangered species & CITES lists and also procedure to stop, carries out check, search or inspect fishing vessels. The training also involved writing test as the assessment to their course participation.

3. Co-organized EERace III 2008 together with Sabah Forestry Department, Sepilok Rehabilitation Center, HUTAN (an NGO advocating wildlife conservation in Kinabatangan River, Sabah), Rainforest Discovery Center and Sabah Wildlife Department. The EERace program was to raise environmental awareness among local teacher. Total of 30 teachers were participant in the program. Teachers were divided into six groups and each group was sent to different conservation area for hand on experiences on environmental and conservation issues. About 5 teachers and 4 facilitators were sent to Lankayan Island for the 3 days and 2 nights program. On Lankayan Island, teachers were tasked to collect information of Reef Guardian conservation works that consist of sea turtle monitoring program, marine research and environment conservation such as Hydroponics Wastewater Treatment System. At the end of the two days field experiences, teachers were requested to present their findings to Reef Guardian staffs. At the end of the EERace III program, the group was requested to present their conservation knowledge to other teachers groups and local school in Sandakan.

4. Reef Guardian implemented four marine education programs to local schools. Total of 40 students and 8 teachers were participant in 2 days and 1 night program on Lankayan Island. Activities of the program were : SIMCA video presentation, talk on sea turtle conservation and coral reef, visit to Hydroponics Wastewater Treatment System, visit to sea turtle hatchery, snorkeling lesson and reef fish identification and feeding frenzy game that demonstrating the importance of sustainable fishing.

5. SIMCA video presentation and “Saving Sea Turtle” video were presented to SIMCA visitors. Reef Guardian designed two presentation daily to attract more visitors to attend the video presentation. The SIMCA video last for 15 minutes features Reef Guardian conservation works such as enforcement, marine research, sea turtle monitoring program, wastewater treatment system and the cooperation with tour operators in generate sustainable funding. The “Saving Sea Turtle” video last for 10 minutes was program with Conservation International- Philippines that features Reef Guardian works in protecting sea turtle from nest guarding to hatchery incubation and releasing baby turtle to the sea.

6. Two pages of Marine Education Program posters were created and printed in 120cm x 120cm and distributed to three schools as education material. The similar poster is displayed at the SIMCA Interpretative Center on Lankayan Island for SIMCA visitor information.

7. Reef Guardian’s marine kit was created and printed as information package to SIMCA visitor. The package contents general information on coral reef, sea turtle and Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area. The marine kit urge as information tool to engage SIMCA visitors to be participant in marine conservation and understand the need of SIMCA formation as No-Take Zone.

8. Reef Guardian implemented interpretative enforcement to fisher. Every stop of fishing vessel within SIMCA was brief on SIMCA’s concept and rules. A short notice/flyer that content general SIMCA rules & regulation, and area map that show SIMCA area with detail coordinates were gave to fishers. Fishers were brief not to fish/trawling within the SIMCA.

9. A database of violation occurrences was created to record fisher information, boat registration number, boat owner detail, fishing method and dates of offences. The database has been updated in monthly basic.

10. Conducted pre and post project evaluate to 60 participants from the Marine Education Program (MEP). Results were presented in percentage of knowledge pre- MEP and post- MEP. Sample of the questionnaire in Appendix 4 4) Results

4(a)Outputs Predicted Post-Project Actual Output of Project Activities Project Outputs Indicator Baseline Value Value Project Outcomes Outcome Output Recruit 4 additional Additional 72 man Increase Number of full time staff 10 staff 14 staff Total full time staff range 12-14 staff hours available per monitoring and staff and 2 part-time worker from week for enforcement enforcement resort operator duties. This includes 48 capacity of Reef additional hours of sea Guardian team patrol, and frequency of

sea patrol increases to Increase frequency 4 per week. Also, and coverage of additional 24 hours of enforcement radar operation time per activities week.

80% of detected illegal intrusions (by radar) are stopped and apprehended Number of enforcement 4 personnel/ boat 6 personnel/ 6 enforcement personnel/ boat personnel/boat boat

Number of illegal intrusions 77 of current illegal 50 of predicted 64 of intrusions stopped in 2008 stopped and apprehended intrusions intrusions stopped/year stopped/year (Pictures of enforcement activities attached in DVD) Number of arrest & 3 prosecutions/year 5 prosecutions/ 4 prosecutions in 2008 prosecution (2006) year

Better Number of meetings 2 meetings a year understanding of between Reef Guardian Initiate regular Improved dialogue how many illegal representative and legal dialogue with legal between Reef Guardian vessels officers per year (Pictures of meetings attached in officers and legal officers apprehended by 0 3 meetings a DVD) Reef Guardian are year successfully prosecuted in the legal system Conduct Wildlife Certify 4 staff as Increased Proportion of Reef Guardian 40% of Reef 60% of Reef 75% of Reef Guardian team Warden training Honorary Wildlife knowledge in team certified as Honorary Guardian team Guardian team certified as Honorary Wildlife course in Wardens detecting illegal Wildlife Wardens certified as certified as Wardens. partnership with fishing activities Honorary Wildlife Honorary Sabah Wildlife and improved Wardens Wildlife Department technique in Wardens (Pictures of training attached in intervening and DVD) apprehending illegal boats

Increased enforcement capacity of Reef Guardian team Recruit 2 education Hire 2 education Establish education Number of Adopt-A-Reef 1 outreach program 6 outreach 4 school outreach programs programme program staff & outreach outreach programs to be programs coordinators program for SIMCA organized Number of collaboration with 0 1 joint- 1 joint-organized education with other agencies in organized Sabah Environmental Education environmental education education Network (SEEN) program Number of 6 conservation talks 60 conservation 84 conservation talks to SIMCA's presentation/conservation to SIMCA's visitors talks to visitor in 2008 talk to be implemented in a year SIMCA's visitor in a year Conduct Adopt-A- At least 100 students Increase Number of schools 1 school 7 schools 4 schools participated in 2008 Reef programme to are exposed and awareness of coral participating in Reef Marine Education Program. Three six local schools educated about marine reef ecosystem and Guardian's Adopt-A-Reef student presentations in 3 schools conservation and marine program to extend conservation message SIMCA conservation to other school member. among students and their (Pictures attached in DVD) communities

Education and dissemination of marine Increase in number conservation knowledge of requests from to students at schools to join the participating schools programme Percentage of schools in Sandakan participating in 7% or 4 schools participated in Adopt a Reef Program 1.00% 9.00% marine education program.

Present talk and Dissemination of Increased Proportion of total resort 2% of total resort 70% of total 15% of total resort guests attend slideshow information and awareness among guests who attend guests attend resort guests presentations. Lack of interest (multimedia education visitors about presentations presentations attend from resort guest was presentations) marine presentations discrepancies. about SIMCA and conservation, coral reef SIMCA and Reef conservation at Guardian least twice a week conservation to resort guests activities

Reef Guardian is Multimedia presentation invited to make made available to the presentation at general public on the conferences / Reef Guardian website seminars Create, publish, Production of Increase Percentage of schools in 0% 25% of schools 7% of schools in Sandakan and distribute educational package awareness about Sandakan that have in Sandakan receive posters and education posters on SIMCA coral reef ecology received posters and receive posters materials and marine and conservation materials and materials Education and conservation to among Sandakan Poster attached as Appendix 5 dissemination of schools schools knowledge Initiate and execute Fishers are educated Fishers increase Proportion of total vessels 30% of total vessels 10% of total 5.4% of total vessels stopped are interpretive about SIMCA compliance with stopped that are repeat stopped are repeat vessels stopped repeat offenders enforcement regulations SIMCA regulations offenders offenders (based on are repeat programme for 2007 baseline) offenders fishers

Create a database A searchable database Increased Creation of a database 0 1 One database was created to of illegal vessel that contains all efficiency in store information of fishing boat entries into SIMCA enforcement records monitoring violation that being inspect, stop, arrested since 2005 frequency of fishing and prosecuted. vessels

Database shared with other Sabah state enforcement agencies Number of other 0 3 enforcement 1 enforcement agencies (Malaysia enforcement agencies who agencies using Maritime Enforcement Agency) use this database the data base using the database. Percentage of total 0% 50% enforcement agencies who use this database 14% of enforcement agency using the database. Total enforcement agencies in Sabah are: Marine Police, Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency, Police Field Force or Police, Fishery Department Sabah, Sabah Wildlife Department and Navy Malaysia. Low percentage to use because database only confined to SIMCA region but the enforcement agencies duty of coverage are larger. The database created can be only used as references to enforcement agencies on possible fishing vessel that apply illegal fishing practices.

Project evaluation Pre and Post survey of Better Percentage of survey 0% awareness of 60% of Only 60 Marine Education whether there is understanding of respondents who show coral reef respondents Program participant were increased conservation coral reef increased conservation conservation surveyed show completed the pre & post survey awareness among conservation and awareness increased and 100% of respondents students and SIMCA SIMCA's concept conservation surveyed show increased visitors and objectives awareness conservation awareness.

(Result of survey show in graph in the Marine Education Program poster –Appendix 5)

4(b) Post-project Outcomes

Will there be continues monitoring of Predicted Post-Project Progress to achieve post-project Revision of indicators, method and Activities post-project outcome? Are there Outcome outcome data for post-project monitoring adequate resources?

Reef Guardian continues partner with Number of full time staff Conservation International-Philippines to recruit more staff in the enforcement team. Program started February 2009 Yes, continues monitoring is carry out. Number of volunteer worker to recruit more staff for enforcement Source of funding is from Conservation and sea turtle monitoring works within International- Philippines and in kind Recruit 4 additional staff 16 of full time staff SIMCA. fund from the eco-tourism partnership. No progress to achieve post-project Yes. Continues monitoring is carry out. outcome because the best practice is Source of funding is from Conservation to have 6 personnel/boat. That consist International Philippines to improve staff of 1 boatman and at least two Honorary capacity building 8 enforcement Wildlife Wardens and 3 enforcement personnel/ boat crews. Number of enforcement personnel /boat Sea patrol is continues implemented 30 of intrusions stopped with continues fund from Conservation Number of fishing boats are long term/year International – Philippines prosecuted/ year

Number of joint-enforcement program as an indicator to the activity progress. Continues monitoring will be based on Initiate regular dialogue 4 meetings a year No progress to achieve 4 meetings in a Secondly memorandum of joint number of joint-enforcement effort with with legal officers (Quarterly) year collaboration with enforcement local enforcement agencies. agencies is important indicator to show long-term cooperation

Reef Guardian maintain number of staff that certified as Honorary Wildlife Warden by bidding two years contract Conduct Wildlife Warden 75% of Reef Guardian agreement. Yes. Continues training will be arranged training course in team certified as to certified at least 90% of Reef Percentage of staff that certified as partnership with Sabah Honorary Wildlife Guardian team to be certified as Honorary Wildlife Wardens continues Wildlife Department Wardens Honorary Wildlife Wardens serving SIMCA more than 2 years. Continues monitoring and assessment will be implemented to determine No progress to achieve post-project essential education outreach program. outcome because funding limitation for Limited of qualified environmental Recruit 2 education education personnel and expenditures educator and funds are the barriers to Number of outreach program that programme coordinators 8 outreach programs for marine education program. continue the education activity. involve schools and public

Reef Guardian schedule two video presentations each day to achieve post-project outcome. Reef Guardian Yes, there is continues monitoring of may proposed to make conservation post-project outcome. Number of talks 80 conservation talks to show/talk to be compulsory attend by and video presentation is continues SIMCA's visitor in a year all SIMCA visitor) recorded No revision of indicator The Adopt-A-Reef program is expensive to be implemented. Thus Number of students that received Conduct Adopt-A-Reef 10 schools participant in different approach of education Continues monitoring of post-project conservation message through programme to six local marine education program will be planed to achieve outcome will be limited because lack of presentation provided by Reef schools program predicted post-project outcome. funding to support education program. Guardian 13% of schools in Sandakan participating No progress to achieve post-project No continues monitoring of post-project in Adopt a Reef outcome because limited funding and outcome deal to limited fund and Program staff to carry out the program. resources. No revision of indicator Present talk and slideshow (multimedia Talk and multimedia about SIMCA is presentations) about set twice daily in order to attract more SIMCA and coral reef resort guest to attend the presentation. Yes, there is continues monitoring of conservation at least 80% of total resort post-project outcome. Number of talks twice a week to resort guests attend and video presentation is continues guests presentations recorded No revision of indicator

Create, publish, and Yes, there is progress to achieve post- Yes there is continues monitoring of distribute posters on 40% of schools in project outcome. Reef Guardian will post-project outcome. Reef Guardian Percentage of schools in Sandakan SIMCA and marine Sandakan receive create more education materials such leverage funds from SIMCA visitors to received education material from Reef conservation to schools posters and materials as posters to be distributed to schools. cover printing cost. Guardian. No revision of indicator Continues funding is provided by Conservation International Philippines Initiate and execute 5% of total vessels Reef Guardian continues interpretative in support strengthening enforcement interpretive enforcement stopped are repeat enforcement to fisher to reduce repeat work and interpretative enforcement programmes for fishers offenders offenders. program No revision of indicator Database is continues maintained by Reef Guardian. Create a database of illegal vessel entries into An organized and Yes, database will be maintained and SIMCA searchable database improved. The use of database by other enforcement agencies will be low. Indicator will be revised as number of 5 enforcement agencies request from the enforcement agencies using data base in long No progress to achieve post-project No continues monitoring of post-project toward illegal fishing information term outcome. outcome. through the database. 80% of enforcement Number of enforcement agencies agencies using the No progress to achieve post-project No continues monitoring of post-project making inquiries to Reef Guardian on database outcome. outcome. fisher information though database. 80% of respondents surveyed show increased conservation There is no progress to continues No continues monitoring of post-project Project evaluation awareness project evaluation. outcome. No revision of indicator 5) Discussion & Adaptive Management 5(a) Lessons Learned and Transferability

Education

• Education program that involve student needed approvals from the Malaysia Education department. Reef Guardian had failed to consult Malaysia Education Department to gather proper guidance that involves students in marine activities work that involve risks such as swimming and snorkeling. Despite of failure to get Malaysia Education Department to give consent to run the program, Reef Guardian decided to carry out the program as an outside activity for the student (not as school activity). In that Reef Guardian seeking approval and consent from the parent instead of the school or Malaysia Education Department. With that, Reef Guardian was fully responsible to the student safety. • The cost to conduct Marine Education Program that involved field work was higher than it planed. Reef Guardian failed to take consideration of accommodation and food charges during program budgeting. Furthermore with the fuel price increasing in 2008, the transportation cost increased to about 20%. Because of under-budgeting, marine education program shorten to only 2 days and 1 night and instead of conducting ‘Adopt-A-Reef’ program that taking more day and time for the students. A designed short and compact marine education program was introduced. The program involved talks, field experience such as snorkeling and education game that consist conservation messages to the students. • Students were enthusiasms to field experiences. Education program that involve field experiences will enhance student interests and creativity. The results could be seen in the actual output that 3 presentations were organized by the student participants in their schools to educate their schoolmates. • Involvement of teachers in the MEP is equally important. Enhancing teacher experiences and knowledge on conservation issues will directly impact to students. Positive output will be forming or natural club or conservation club in school that focus on conservation activities to local student. • Engaging Malaysia Education Department in marine conservation education activity is important. The need to educate the high education officers to understand the important of field experiences to engage students interests in conservation beside school class-room education.

Interpretative Enforcement • In March 2008, the radar tracking system on Lankayan Island was broken. Because of malfunction of radar tracking system, any illegal fishing that carried out at night within SIMCA were not able to detect by the enforcement team. Thus enforcement at night was not able to be implemented. Reef Guardian already taking stages to repair the broken radar tracking system, furthermore, funding was already sourced from Conservation International –Philippines to purchase a new radar tracking system to be installed on . Reef Guardian is expecting to have two enforcement teams that base on Lankayan and Billean Island respectively and fully enforce No- Take policy within SIMCA by 2010. • Reef Guardian conducted briefing to every stop of fishing boat within SIMCA. However information reached only to the boat captain and the boat crews but not the fishing boat owner. In few occasions, same fishing boat was caught fishing within SIMCA but different of boat captain and crews. This contributed to the repeat offences of the fishing vessel even though the boat captain and the crews were different. Thus we noticed that information reach to boat owner is equally important to reduce repeat offence of fishing boat. Base on this, Reef Guardian will begin to notify in writing to boat owners when their fishing vessel encroaching SIMCA. This is to make sure information reached to the boat owners and not only to fishing boat captain and crews.

Capacity building • Honorary Wildlife Warden Training program was teamed up with WWF- Malaysia. The joint-training had provided good impact to the participants in exchange of experiences and knowledge. Particularly participation from the fisher association from Banggi/Kudat that enhancing their understanding of marine conservation area and protection needed for long term sustainable fishing. This three days training indirectly provided better understand to SIMCA visitors on the joint-efforts of Reef Guardian, Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF-Malaysia to improved and strengthening enforcement capacity in the region.

Outreach • There were lacks of interests from SIMCA visitors to attend multimedia presentation. Reef Guardian targeting 80% of the visitors attending the presentation however only 15% of the visitors responded. The low responds could be due to several factors such as: 1) Most SIMCA visitors were diver and will rather spend their time scuba diving in the daytime and resting in the evening; 2) Most visitor stay only short period on Lankayan Island, and most preference to stay outdoor and not keen about conservations works that been carried out 3) Reef Guardian office is hidden and many visitors didn’t realized about the conservation works that been carried out. • To target more visitors to attend SIMCA video presentation, Reef Guardian may impose compulsory for all SIMCA visitors to attend the presentation. Pre assessment via survey interview will be implemented to gather visitor general knowledge and interests on marine conservation issues.

5(b) Dissemination

Marine Educations Programs, the Honorary Wildlife Warden Training and meeting with enforcement agencies that conducted from this program were put up in Reef Guardian webpage (www.reef-guardian.org). Activities conducted were also written in the quarterly issues SIMCA Newsletters that distributed to SIMCA visitors via email, posted in the Reef Guardian webpage for free download and printed hard copy to be placed in SIMCA interpretative center for visitor information.

We created and printed 3 set of two pages 100cm x 100cm posters as a result from the Marine Education Program. The posters were sent to participation schools to be display as education material and with aims to spreading conservation message to other students in the schools. Similar poster was printed and display in Reef Guardian Interpretative Center as information to SIMCA visitor.

Three DVD videos were produced from the school marine education program, Honorary Wildlife Warden Training and also meeting with the enforcement agencies. The DVD videos are place in the Reef Guardian interpretative center for SIMCA visitor viewing. The Honorary Wildlife Warden Training videos were sent to Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF-Malaysia as information and education materials. The Marine Education Program video was sent to participant schools for education materials.

The activities and outcomes of the project were also written in the first half yearly report 2008 and SIMCA Annual Report 2008. Both reports were submitted to Sabah Wildlife Department.

Attached: 1. SIMCA Newsletter No.: 3 & SIMCA Newsletter No.5 (via email & mail) 2. DVD videos: Marine Education Program 2008, Honorary Wildlife Warden and Meeting with enforcement agencies (via mail) 3. Pictures from the program in DVD and pictures captions (via mail) 4. SIMCA 2008 half-yearly report (via email) 5. Resize Marine Education Program posters – Appendix 5 (via email & via mail)

5(c) NFWF Adaptive Management

There is no suggestion for NFWF to improved project administration. The submission of project phase programmatic report and financial report is simple and easy to be filled. The forms didn’t required long paragraph of explanations but just a brief on project progress and activities implemented. The logic framework is compact and useful to tracking progress and to report activities implemented.

6) References

1. SIMCA 2007 Annual Report 2. Project evaluation questionnaire (Appendix 4)

POSTING OF FINAL REPORT: This report may be shared by the Foundation and any Funding Source for the Project via their respective websites. In the event that Recipient intends to claim that its Final Report contains material that does not have to be posted on such websites because it is protected from disclosure by statutory or regulatory provisions, the Recipient shall so notify the Foundation and the Funding Source and