SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin #37 – November 2016 35 Sustaining appropriate community-based coastal resources management: Experiences and lessons from Vanuatu1 Graham Nimoho,2* Akiya Seko,3* Mitsuo Iinuma,4 Kazuo Nishiyama5 Introduction between 2006 and 2009, as requested by the govern- ment of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Coastal communities in Vanuatu depend heavily Agency (JICA) conducted the technical coopera- on marine resources for household subsistence and tion project “Promotion of Grace of the Sea in the cash incomes. However, recent development activi- Coastal Villages in the Republic of Vanuatu (Phase ties and climate change have altered coastal ecosys- I)”. The project focused on the propagation and tems, resulting in a notable decline in coastal marine culture of easily established shellfish together with resources. Thus, in its National Development Plan community awareness building for coastal resource 2006–2015, the Vanuatu government acknowledged management (CRM). On Efate Island, the project the need for the appropriate management and use set up a model for CBCRM. Based on Phase I, the of coastal marine resources. However, personnel Vanuatu government requested the project to estab- and technical and budgetary shortcomings have lish CBCRM and to simultaneously improve com- constrained efforts to improve and disseminate munity livelihoods to ensure their sustainability. community-based coastal marine resource man- agement (CBCRM). As a consequence, the govern- This article is based on Phase II of the project, ment requested technical cooperation from Japan which was conducted from January 2012 to Janu- in providing comprehensive CBCRM. In response, ary 2015, with local activities undertaken between February 2012 and October 2014 in: 1) northwest- URI AND URIPIV ISLANDS ern Efate, at Mangaliliu, Lelepa Island and Moso Northeastern Malakula, Amal Crab-Bay Island; 2) northeastern Malakula, at Amal Crab Bay, Uripiv Island and Uri Island; and 3) south- Uripiv and western Aneityum, at Analcauhat and Mystery Uri Islands Island (Fig. 1). Amal Crab-Bay Torres Islands MALAKULA SOUTH PACIFIC Banks Islands OCEAN 14° S — Espiritu Maewo Santo Ambae Luganville ANEITYUM Malo Pentecost NORTHWESTERN EFATE Analcauhat, Mystery Island 16° S — Mangaliliu, Lelepa Island and Moso Island Malakula Ambrym Epi Shepherd Group VANUATU Efate Moso Port Vila 18° S — Lelepa ANEITYUM Mangaliliu Erromango Coral EFATE Tanna Analcauhat Sea Aneityum 20° S — Mystery Island 166° E 168° E 170° E — — — Figure 1. Location of Grace of the Sea project sites in Vanuatu. 1 This article is dedicated in memory of Chief Mormor Kalotiti, from Magaliliu, a highly influential community leader who passed away on 15 Decem- ber 2015. His leadership, dedication, enthusiasm, and hard work greatly inspired the project, not only in northwest Efate, but in all three project sites. 2 Fisheries Department of Vanuatu. Email: [email protected] 3 IC NET Ltd. Email: [email protected] 4 IC NET Ltd. Email: [email protected] 5 IC NET Ltd. Email: [email protected] * Corresponding authors 36 SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin #37 – November 2016 The project’s goals were to enhance conservation of Project outputs included inexpensive FADs, data the coastal environment and the sustainable use of collection, locally made shell products, “fish cafés”, coastal resources in the project areas, and dissemi- and study visits. Low-cost, nearshore FADs were nate CBCRM to areas around the project sites. For designed to diversify fishing activities, in an attempt these purposes, the capacity of the Vanuatu Fish- to reduce pressure on vulnerable reef resources. eries Department (VFD), which supports CBCRM, The modernisation of traditional canoes improved had to be strengthened, particularly its ability to fishing efficiency by allowing fishermen to access provide technical support to communities for CRM. offshore deep-bottom reef fish and fish from the To implement the project jointly with VFD, par- nearshore FADs. Fishermen recorded their catches ticipatory resource evaluations and socioeconomic in order to run their own local fish market or to mon- surveys were done in the project areas; the capacity itor the status of target resources. Besides providing of community organisations to make resource man- an additional source of income for women, shell agement plans was either established or enhanced; craft making was linked to tourism development. and trial CRM plans implemented as pilot projects With a certifying “eco-label” attached, products were evaluated and revised, and lessons learned became more attractive to tourists wishing to sup- from resource management activities were shared port community efforts in CRM. The fish cafés ena- with all stakeholders. bled fishermen’s families to generate more income than could be derived from simply selling fish at The project developed three innovative ways to the local market, and thus reduced their reliance on implement CBCRM: a “community-based exten- coastal resources. Communities become motivated sion” approach, a “strengthening of existing to participate in CRM when they observed other organisations and collaboration” approach, and an communities’ work on fisheries management. They “integrated management” approach that focused on were also able to learn from each other and share tourism. The community-based extension approach important experiences during study visits. was used in Aneityum, where a community exten- sion officer was identified by VFD to handle CBCRM Conceptual structure of CBCRM and supporting measures. As the first such case in Vanuatu, it was envisaged that the delegation of Both management rules and their supporting meas- selected government services to communities could ures must be in place to ensure effective and appro- also be feasible elsewhere in the country. Integrated priate CRM. Supporting measures can be classified management was implemented in Malakula, where into those relating to: resource and the environment, young leaders were closely involved in the coop- economy and production, sociocultural factors, erative relationship among the 16 communities and institutions and governance (Fig. 2). The four of the Amal-Crab Bay area. Integrated manage- perspectives of CBCRM and activities under each ment — focusing on tourism development — was perspective are complementary and equally impor- the approach adopted in northwestern Efate, and tant. Because CRM can be realised only if those who was based on shellfish management and a tourism exploit the resources are managed successfully, the development plan. sociocultural perspective sustains the resources and environment, and economy and production To promote integration, fisheries management perspectives. measures were combined with supporting meas- ures that focused not only on alternative income Resources and environment generation, value-adding to fishery products, In order to motivate community members to engage collective marketing, and diversification of fish- in CBCRM and establish coastal resource man- ing effort, but also on the community system agement rules, it is necessary to conduct coastal and organisation strengthening. If such forms of resource surveys, and to collect and analyse fishing integration were not ensured, sustained CBCRM activity data. These must be done together in order would not have been feasible. Particularly impor- to determine the socioeconomic situation of a tar- tant for ensuring sustainable CBCRM were get community. As an initial step, a baseline survey inter-community coordination, managing local should be conducted on the four perspectives for committee clusters, and an “authorisation mecha- CBCRM, followed by selecting the best combina- nism”. Inter-community coordination requires a tion of approaches, and then developing appropri- local CRM committee to coordinate communities, ate action plans for promoting CBCRM. as was done for the 17 communities of Malakula. Diverse small group activities of the committee Economy and production necessitated “cluster management”, such as was To reduce fishing effort on coastal resources and done by the Lelema committee in northwest- compensate for the economic loss resulting from ern Efate, which formed six subcommittees: fish CBCRM activities while financially supporting aggregating device (FAD) management, tourism, CBCRM activities, alternative income-earning craft-making, marine protected area management, opportunities and linkages with the tourism sec- prawn farming, and management planning. tor are necessary. SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin #37 – November 2016 37 • Awareness raising to preserve • Development of out-of- important species reef sheries using FADs • Recording shing activities • Catch value adding • Restocking of green snail • Shell craft making • Cage culture for clam Resources and Economy and • Stock assessment environment production Awareness building Integration with of importance and tourism industry merit of CBCRM Diversication of sheries Institutions and Sociocultural governance Institutional Motivation of arrangement and community traditional organisation governance • Regislation of system • Participatory planning community driven laws W/S and exchange • Timely arrangment to program of experience support community-based • Motorized sailing canoe activities for cost-eective shing operation Figure 2. The