i MAMTI Technical Paper: “Report on Roving Collectors: Case Studies from Indonesia and the Philippines” November 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, or otherwise circulated in any form, binding or cover, other than the form, binding and cover in which it was published, without prior written permission of the Marine Aquarium Council, on behalf ot Reef Check and Conservation and Community Investment Forum and the International Finance Corporation, Global Environment Facility, Conservation International and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Marine Aquarium Council 6th Floor Salustiana D. Ty Tower 104 Paseo de Roxas, Legaspi Village Makati City Tel : +632-813-1308 www.aquariumcouncil.org Disclaimer This report was prepared by Marine Aquarium Council, Reef Check and the Conservation and Community Investment Forum. The judgments expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Marine Aquarium Council, Reef Check and Conservation and Community Investment Forum, the funding agencies: the International Finance Corporation, Global Environment Facility, Conservation International and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this technical paper, this is not guaranteed. Accordingly, neither the Marine Aquarium Council, Reef Check and Conservation and Community Investment Forum nor the International Finance Corporation, Global Environment Facility, Conservation International and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) accepts any liability for actions taken based on this material. Printed: November 2006 ii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .................................................................................. IV INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... V 1 THE CONTEXT FOR STANDARDS AND ROVING COLLECTION ................... 1 1.1 MAC Standards & Certification.......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Definition of roving collection............................................................................................. 7 1.3 The issues with roving collection....................................................................................... 7 1.4 The legal context – a brief overview.................................................................................. 8 2 ROVING COLLECTORS IN PADANG MENTAWAI CORRIDOR, INDONESIA....................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Report Objectives ............................................................................................................ 13 2.3 History of the marine aquarium trade in Padang............................................................. 14 2.4 Roving activities to the Mentawai Islands........................................................................ 14 2.5 Observations.................................................................................................................... 19 2.6 Recommendations........................................................................................................... 27 3 ROVING COLLECTORS IN SELAYAR DISTRICT, INDONESIA..................... 31 3.1 Introduction and Objectives............................................................................................. 31 3.2 History of Roving from Sumber Kima village................................................................... 32 3.3 Recommendations........................................................................................................... 53 4 ROVING COLLECTORS IN VERDE ISLAND, PHILIPPINES .......................... 66 4.1 Roving Collectors in San Andres: A Short Profile ........................................................... 67 4.2 Background on the Collection Areas of Roving Collectors from San Andres ................. 69 4.3 Present-Day Practices of Roving Collectors from San Andres ....................................... 70 4.4 Recommendations........................................................................................................... 77 5 MANAGEMENT OPTIONS: TOWARDS A RESPONSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE MARINE AQUARIUM TRADE ................................................ 91 5.1 Framework for addressing the concerns ......................................................................... 91 iii List of Tables and Figures List of Tables Table 1: MAC standards, scope, who or what is certified and launch year............. 2 Table 2: Key requirements under each of MAC International Performance Standards for the Marine Aquarium Trade........................... 3 Table 3: Stages in the MAC Certification process.................................................. 4 Table 4: Names of the Padang-based collectors who went roving to Mentawai Island........................................................................ 16 Table 5: Collection areas in Pagai island (south side)........................................... 17 Table 6: List of Species Caught in Mentawai ........................................................ 21 Tabel 7: Species and bag sizes/numbers used..................................................... 23 Table8: Prices paid to roving collectors for fish caught while roving, compared to prices paid for fish if caught locally..................................... 26 Table 9: Names of the Sumber Kima collectors who went roving to Karumpa, accompanied by MAC observer.......................................... 34 Table 10: Coordinates entered at each point of start of the collection. ................... 40 Table 11: Collection areas for the Sumber Kima roving collectors with target species................................................................... 43 Table 12: List of species mainly caught by cyanide ................................................ 45 Table 13: Types of fish and plastic bag sizes/numbers used.................................. 48 Table 14: shows the quality of water taken from several bags................................ 50 Table 15: Classification of Collectors ...................................................................... 68 Table 16: Monthly Incomes of Collectors and Traders in Php (USD in parentheses) ..................................................... 68 Table 17: Legislated Municipal Ordinances in the Collection Areas........................ 70 Table 18: Sample Computation in Profit-Sharing in Php (USD in parentheses)................................................................... 75 List of Figures Figure 1. Mentawai Roving Map............................................................................. 17 Figure 2: Location Map of Verde Island.................................................................. 67 Figure 3: Roving collection routes in Verde Passage Corridor............................... 69 Figure 4: A diver and a lineman during a roving expedition.................................... 71 Figure 5: Packing as a collective effort of all group members. ............................... 73 Figure 6: Re-packing prior to delivery..................................................................... 74 Figure 7: Unloading catch at Batangas port. .......................................................... 76 Figure 8: Roving collection routes in Philippines. ................................................... 78 iv Introduction The Marine Aquarium Market Transformation Initiative (MAMTI) is a five year project funded partially by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The project, which commenced in January 2005, is managed by the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC), in partnership with Reef Check and the Conservation and Community Investment Forum (CCIF). Among the key objectives is a “transformation” of the marine aquarium industry. Eighty-five percent of the marine ornamental organisms that are traded globally, come from the Philippines and Indonesia. These countries form part of the “coral triangle”, the global center of biodiversity. However, the coral reefs here are also considered as marine biodiversity “hotspots” due to high levels of threat to marine species and marine habitats. Destructive and unmanaged collection of marine ornamentals are among the major threats to biodiversity in these areas. These threats have a significant negative impact on the health of coral reefs and the livelihoods of fishers and their families in coastal communities. However, marine ornamentals represent the highest value-added product from these coral reefs. These products are traded through a complex global supply chain. Efforts to promote biodiversity conservation and livelihood development in the “coral triangle” must be part of a diversified strategy for responsible and sustainable management of the marine aquarium trade. In the context of their programming in the Philippines and Indonesia, MAC, Reef Check and CCIF are: Promoting MAC Standards and Certification for the marine aquarium trade Improving post-harvest quality of marine ornamental organisms Establishing well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) Strengthening business skills