MARISCO has been successfully used in a wide range of situations including conservation projects involving mapping complex situations for the purpose of informing management of conservation sites. It has also been applied in the fi eld of MARISCO: adaptive MAnagement of development cooperation and applied conservation vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites research, and as an aid to teaching students about effective conservation planning. From the time it was fi rst developed from 2010 onwards, the MARISCO method has been applied extensively to Lessons from case studies applying a wide range of socio-ecological situations across the globe. Projects and (teaching) workshops the MARISCO approach have been carried out in Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Peru); in Central and Western Europe (Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and Ukraine); Eastern and southeastern Europe (Albania, with participants from Kosovo and Montenegro; Georgia); in Africa (Namibia); and Asia (Altai mountains comprising territories in Russia and Kazakhstan; China, Korea and Malaysia). Assisted by approach from case studies applying the MARISCO Lessons MARISCO: Edited by Pierre L. Ibisch and Peter Hobson Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management Pierre L. Ibisch, Peter Hobson (Eds.) | (Eds.) Hobson Pierre L. Ibisch, Peter Acknowledgements Imprint We would like to thank the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Interna- tionale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and its collaborators on © 2015 behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Coope- ration and Development (BMZ) as well as the International Pierre L. Ibisch & Peter R. Hobson Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safe- Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management ty (BMUB) for providing the crucial opportunities for MARISCO at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development pilot application through the various projects, along with the Alfred-Moeller-Str. 1 support for publishing this book. We also wish to thank all other organisations that hosted or organized MARISCO work- 16225 Eberswalde, Germany shops as well as all workshop participants. Our most special thanks go to the staff with the GIZ Programme „Implementing All rights reserved. the Convention on Biological Diversity“ for all the patient sup- port and guidance. Pierre Ibisch acknowledges the research professorship ‘Biodiversity and natural resource management under global change’ awarded by Eberswalde University for MARISCO. Adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites. Sustainable Development, which allowed the opportunity to Lessons from case studies applying the MARISCO approach dedicate research time and effort towards the project. Pierre L. Ibisch, Peter R. Hobson (editors) Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde September 2015 Recommended citation: Ibisch, P. L. & P.R. Hobson (eds.) 2015. MARISCO. Adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites. Lessons from case studies applying the MARISCO approach. Centre for Econics and Ecosystem Management, Eberswalde (ISBN 978-3-9817639-0-4). Layout by ‘die basis | Ideenwerk. Kommunikation. Design.’ All photographs by Pierre L. Ibisch except figure 14 from Christoph Nowicki, figures 47 and 48 by Teresa L. Reubel, and 49, 50, 51, 52 and 53 by Sven Bratschke. ISBN 978-3-9817639-0-4 MARISCO: adaptive MAnagement of vulnerability and RISk at COnservation sites Lessons from case studies applying the MARISCO approach Table of contents Introduction 6 A. Longer-term planning exercises 10 I. Ukraine: Carpathian Biosphere Reserve 10 II. Sierra del Lacandón National Park, Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala 19 B. MARISCO workshops and workshop series as input for project and site management 29 III. Protected areas in Jiangxi Province, China 29 IV. Central Peruvian Amazon: Communal, provincial and regional biodiversity management within and outside protected areas 41 V. Case studies in Costa Rica: Cahuita and Manuel Antonio National Parks, where the oceans meet the forests 59 VI. Transboundary management at a small scale: The municipal protected areas of Siete Iglesias and Tinajillas-Río Gualaceño in Ecuador 73 VII. Case study Germany: Diverse MARISCO applications in Brandenburg, north-eastern Germany 81 C. Primarily teaching-related MARISCO applications 93 VIII. Student – sector MARISCO workshop for Suffolk Coast and Heaths Project landscape, United Kingdom 93 IX. MARISCO at a lakescape: Student course on Lake Shkodër, Albania 99 D. Student research 105 X. Bachelor thesis applying an early MARISCO approach for a situation analysis of the Alto Purus National Park, Peru 105 XI. Las Baulas de Guanacaste National Marine Park, Costa Rica 114 Introduction MARISCO stands for “adaptive MAnagement of vulner- The concept of ecosystem-based sustainability is the ability and RISk at COnservation sites”. It is designed central tenant of MARISCO and has evolved from a to operate both as a practitioner’s toolbox as well as practical-based analysis of the causes and dynamics a more academic study of “principles-to-practice” of ecosystem degradation and its linkages to develop- method for trainers delivering ecosystem analysis and ment, poverty and dysfunctionality in social systems planning (Ibisch & Hobson 20141). A number of dis- (e.g., Ibisch et al. 2010, Hobson & Ibisch 2010 a,b). tinctive features sets it apart from the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation from which it was Mapping relationships between as many factors iden- spawned. Apart from specific differences and amend- tified in a socio-ecological situation is done by fol- ments in the methodological steps, MARISCO is also lowing certain generic principles. Notwithstanding, deeply grounded in ecosystem theory and science as the environmental and cultural diversity of conditions well as adaptive risk management. True to its purpose, experienced across the globe presents challenges to MARISCO is structured in a way that allows for flexible finding a standard set of strategies for effective sus- and adaptable delivery to cope with situations that are tainability. The uncertainties and shifts in conditions often both widely different and continuously changing. requires flexibility and evolutionary development in It also has the capacity to evolve and adapt to new and the various approaches taken in MARISCO to address challenging circumstances faced in ecosystem-based socio-ecological emergent properties that are also con- conservation and sustainable development. tingent on historical events. The term ‘ecosystem-based adaptation to climate MARISCO has been successfully used in a wide range change’ (EBA) has been widely accepted by the inter- of situations including conservation projects involv- national community, especially in the context of imple- ing mapping complex situations for the purpose of menting the United Nations’ Framework Convention informing management of conservation sites. It has on Climatic Change. The concept has been embedded also been applied in the field of development coopera- in MARISCO but also given deeper roots in the theory tion and applied conservation research, and as an aid of ecosystem science as well as developed towards to teaching students about effective conservation plan- 1 See also www.marisco.training a more comprehensive approach for ecosystem-based ning. From the time it was first developed from 2010 sustainable development. onwards, the MARISCO method has been applied 6 Introduction extensively to a wide range of socio-ecological sit- the ecosystem-based evaluation of effectiveness of uations across the globe. Projects and (teaching) sustainability standards. In the teaching profession, workshops have been carried out in Latin America Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development in (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Germany has recently reformed the curriculum of the and Peru); in Central and Western Europe (Germany, international Master study programme Global Change Russia, United Kingdom and Ukraine); Eastern and Management (four semesters-long M.Sc.2) along the southeastern Europe (Albania, with participants from lines of MARISCO by creating modules specific to the Kosovo and Montenegro; Georgia); in Africa (Namib- various stages of the method, thus building knowledge ia); and Asia (Altai mountains comprising territories in and learning experience about adaptive and systemi- Russia and Kazakhstan; China, Korea and Malaysia). cally integrated sustainability. Over the last five years MARISCO has also been incorporated into modules of The breadth of experience developed whilst working three of the masters programmes delivered at Writtle on international projects has prompted the idea to College, and through a partnership agreement with the formally document some of the findings. In the UK Wilderness Foundation it is to be delivered to pri- current publication a selection of case studies is mary school groups as an “early learning” resource. presented with the intention of improving under- Another project in Germany tests MARISCO as an ap- standing amongst both practioners and academics proach to developing systemic and ecological literacy of the working method of MARISCO. of children at secondary schools. There are also other MARISCO activities and pub- Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation lications in preparation including a more detailed continues to serve as a complementary element MARISCO-based management plan