Developing the Marine Spatial Management Plan for ; ’s first Marine Protected Area

Terms of References

Introduction

Contract type: Consultancy (desk-based and field)

This consultancy is being offered as part of the Marine Program of WWF-Pakistan and it aims to develop a management plan for Pakistan’s first marine protected area based on marine-spatial planning (MSP). MSP is an effective tool which helps to provide options a user versus uses based plan, which would include users (humans) and their uses, such as fishing, tourism among others. The detailed management plan would be able to provide a comprehensive multiuser interface maps, which would be tested out in a stakeholder workshop before adoption.

Background:

Pakistan has a coastline of 1,050 Km, and an EEZ of approximately 290,000 sq. Km with the territorial waters covering an area of 24,000 sq. km. It borders the productive North . The continental shelf of Balochistan is narrow which makes it dynamic in the fisheries sense and provides livelihood opportunities for fishers residing along the coast. The Balochistan and coast are famous for nesting sites of green turtles, where a large number of species of elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and guitarfishes) and 22 species of cetaceans have been recorded from Pakistan’s waters.

Fisheries are the major economic resource and comprise of around 1% of GDP of Pakistan. The resources are being exploited unsustainably and has severe pressure, with increasing vessel numbers operating in the Northern Arabian Sea. In order to better understand the nature of artisanal fisheries it is important to encompass knowledge and management efforts including establishment of marine protected areas for sustainable exploitation of the natural resources.

Project Summary

Astola Island is the first marine protected area of Pakistan, notified by the Government of Balochistan vide notification No. SO (DEV) 5-20/FST/2017/2256-90) on 15th June 2017 with the aim to protect and conserve key biodiversity peculiar to this island. Astola Island is recognized as a hub of biodiversity and is considered ecologically, culturally, and aesthetically a very important site. Astola Island has also been recognized under the CBD as an Ecologically and Biologically Marine Significant Area (EBSA) and is a key biodiversity hotspot.

Astola island is an important nesting site for the endangered marine turtle species Green turtle, in addition, there are several species of birds found on the island, that are foraging and breeding on and around the island. The Island is rich in marine biodiversity, and several species of cetaceans have been recorded, including the endangered humpback whale, sharks and rays and commercially important fish species. Coral patches are found around the Island, with around 35 species of corals at Astola island, which include 29 hard coral species, 1 black coral species and 8 soft coral species. The Island also has a sparse vegetation dominated by halophytes and is known to be inhabited by small terrestrial mammals. Sea weeds and invertebrates like sea urchins and anemones inhabit the island and its subtidal habitats.

IUCN-Pakistan has undertaken a detailed ecological assessment which also includes social parameters. This report is aimed to accelerate the development of the management plan, in addition, there is a need Developing the Marine Spatial Management Plan for Astola Island; Pakistan’s first Marine Protected Area to build synergy among the work undertaken by IUCN-Pakistan and WWF-Pakistan. A formal workshop was undertaken by IUCN-Pakistan to move towards developing a management plan, this study should aim to build on the outcomes of the workshop undertaken by IUCN-Pakistan.

Justification:

After the significant efforts that led to the notification of the Astola Island MPA in 2017, there has been a lot of discussions on pushing for developing a management plan for the notified MPA. Consultations and dialogues have been undertaken by respective government and non-government departments and organizations. A workshop was also held to support the development of the management, however, this has largely been delayed or deferred due to funding constraints and/or human resource engagement. There is a dire need to develop a robust management plan based on marine spatial plan that would allow spatio-temporal restrictions identifying core areas, habitats, high used areas for fishing and recreation, and species data on foraging areas. The justification for using MSP as a tool is to ensure that users and uses of the island are maintained with an additional level of management and are adopted through a participatory approach.

Proposed activities and expected Outcomes

The aim or overall goal of the consultancy is to develop a comprehensive management plan for Astola Island which underlines both the users and the uses of the marine and terrestrial resources. This would essentially require an in-depth analysis, data collection, undertaking a participatory rural appraisal among using other tools which would allow to identify the number of activities on going in and around the island. Based on the above description, it is expected that the consultant undertakes the following;

 Undertake literature review (existing and new) for taking stock of the key biodiversity and social dynamics concerning the island resources  Review the management ambitions of the Government of Balochistan on the notification of the MPA and determine the IUCN category for MPA management.  Undertake assessments, interview fishers from Pasni and Ormara and other fisher communities doing fishing in Astola Island to collect information on fishing and critical habitats.  Map out areas in and around the island that require protection, conservation and sustainable use measures  Undertake GIS based assessment and mapping on uses of the island  Undertake robust consultation with key stakeholders including fisher communities, , Pakistan Coast Guard, Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, Fisheries Department, Wildlife and Forest Department among others for draft recommendations on managing the resources at the island.  Facilitate stakeholders workshop for developing consensus on draft management plan for Astola island

Deliverables:

Final draft of Marine Spatial Management Plan for Astola Island MPA, Pakistan

Duration and Timing Developing the Marine Spatial Management Plan for Astola Island; Pakistan’s first Marine Protected Area

The duration of the consultancy is a total of 30 days, including field work. The expected field work should be completed within the 10 days, followed by 10 days of writing the management plan, in addition to 5 days for the stakeholder workshop and 5 days for final revisions. The consultancy is expected to be completed by end-December 2019. Qualifications and Minimum requirements

 Masters or doctorate degree in environmental studies, with a good understanding of MSP and at least 5 or more years of practical work experience on comparable projects  In-depth knowledge of marine conservation and management, and protected areas in Pakistan;  Good understanding of fisheries ecology, management and its concepts and tools;  Experience in using GIS, including planning, performance, strategy development and policy frameworks;  Excellent communication, interpersonal, relationship building skills  High level of proficiency in written and spoken English; Documents to be included when submitting the proposal:

Interested individual consultants/consultancy must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

 Draft outline/table of contents of the spatial management of Astola Island, MPA, Pakistan  Detailed work plan of field activities  Financial proposal (including fee, travel cost (if any), and other relevant expenses)  Curriculum Vitae of the Lead and support trainers, as applicable.