Building a Network for Guatemalan Replenishment Zones In March 2013, the Leadership Learning Community was hired by the MAR Leadership Program (MAR-L) to evaluate their program. The evaluation team conducted site visits to spend time with fellows and the people who work with them daily to learn firsthand about the challenges, achievements and impact of their conservation projects. Name of Fellows: Ana Giro Petersen Blanca Rosa García Hernández City, Country: Livingston, Guatemala MAR -L Cohort Year: 201 1 Project: Declaration of the first three fully protected “no-take” zones or replenishment zones in: La Graciosa, Punta Gruesa, and La Laguna Santa Isabel, Guatemala. Key wins: In the declaration of the first three fully protected no-take zones or replenishment zones in: La Graciosa, Punta Gruesa, and La Laguna Santa Isabel. Reached an agreement around the boundaries and legal foundations of replenishment zones among key Guatemalan stakeholders, including Fishing Groups, the National Protected Areas Council (CONAP) Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (MAGA) through the office of Regulations of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DIPESCA), and The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). Page | 1 I. Chapter 1: The Story of Place Only accessible by boat, travel to Livingston, Guatemala, is about 30 minutes from Puerto Barrios along the Amatique Bay. The town sits at the mouth of the Rio Dulce River at the Port of Honduras. The boundaries of Amatique Bay are mostly in Guatemala while the northeastern portion is shared with Belize. The dark blue green water contrasts with the lush green landscape along the Caribbean Guatemalan coastline. The jungle vegetation covers the hillsides along the coast. Some parts of the coastline are also densely lined with mangrove trees while others are connected to a small sandy beach. Livingston, once a major Caribbean seaport in its heyday, bustles with activity. Cars park on the docks as men and women load them full of fresh fruits brought in by boats. Fishing boats rock gently in the wind. Women in canoes who have been out on the water since early morning return with a few small fish in their boat. Livingston is a center of the Garifuna culture in Guatemala and the MAR region. The Garifuna are descendants of shipwrecked boats traveling from Nigeria and have a distinct culture and language. African, Mayan and European influences contribute to the rich indigenous cultural and linguistic diversity of Guatemala. II. Chapter 2: The Story of Ana and Blanca MAR-L fellows Ana Giro Petersen, Blanca Rosa García Hernández and Pilar Velasquez first met at the Guatemala City airport in 2011. It did not take them long to discover that they were all on their way to the first workshop of the 2011 MAR-L fellows. While their backgrounds are quite different, the three women had great energy from the start—and the more they talked, the more they realized they also shared some important similarities. This is the story of how Ana, Blanca and Pilar came together through the MAR-L program and established the foundations of a network that continues to work towards MAR conservation efforts. Ana is a professor of Oceanography and Coral Reef Ecology at the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, Blanca is a community development organizer, and Pilar was part of the National Protected Areas Council at the time of the fellowship. Ana, Blanca and Pilar realized that they were all focusing on Marine Protected Areas, so they immediately asked MAR program director, Maria Eugenia Arreola, if they could pool their energy and resources on a joint project. Maria Eugenia responded with enthusiasm, since this would be the first group project in MAR-L history. That is how Ana, Blanca and Pilar ended up embarking on a journey to tap into each other’s skills, networks and resources to collaborate around a larger goal: to promote replenishment zones throughout the Page | 2 area, to ensure the sustainability of the limited resources that the MAR ecosystem has to offer the people of Guatemala. Two years after this initial meeting, the MAR-L evaluation team had the opportunity to visit Guatemala to learn firsthand about the first MAR-L team project and the fruits of their team effort. However, Pilar the third member of the group is currently completing a Master’s degree in Germany and was not available for the site visit in March 2013. III. Chapter 3: The Story of the Project We arrived outside Ana’s house in Guatemala City. Ana, a poised, gentle mother and petite crossfit warrior, lovingly soothes her three-year-old daughter Nuria who cries as she watches us leave for the nine hour drive to Puerto Barrios. Ana tells us that her Nuria loves the ocean and that she is very proud of her mother because she “saves the little fish.” In Puerto Barrios we climb aboard a small commuter boat packed with others making the trip to Livingston. We sail north on smooth early morning bay waters toward Livingston where we will meet with Blanca. As we make our way along the coast, we look back and see ships and small boats or lanchas in the distance headed towards Puerto Barrios, which has become a major regional shipping and receiving port. On the boat we are joined by a fisherman from La Laguna Santa Isabel and the President of the Network of Caribbean and Lake Izabal fishermen1, both from the replenishment zone we are to learn about. Eustaquio Ochoa, or Don Taco as he is affectionately known, is a strong yet playful man, apparent from the mischief in his eyes. Before long we are an eager audience for his stories, on the edge of our seat one minute and laughing the next. We meet up with Blanca in Livingston. Ana and Blanca are excited to see each other; their reunion is like watching close friends who pick up where they have left off. It is fun to watch them together. Ana’s quiet reserve is offset by Blanca’s gregarious nature. Blanca creates the social fabric for their work, weaving relationships with her warmth and openness. Ana with her practical and analytical background in academic research, training and ocean floor mapping is able to show fishers how the fish populations are changing. Their unique credentials have made them an unstoppable team. Over a hearty bowl of tapado, a coconut based fish soup made with fish, crab, mollusks, conch, sea snails and shrimp, Blanca talks enthusiastically about her work with community fishers for over 11 years. Blanca is petite and ebullient as she speaks with her hands. She is very proud of her work in the community and with fishers. Her ease and friendship with Don Taco and others has been hard earned. She good naturedly explains, “If you were 1 Pescador de La Laguna Santa Isabel y Presidente de la RED de pescadores del Caribe y Lago de Izabal Page | 3 to come here in 2001 the entire group of fishers wanted to kill me. They didn’t want me here. There has been a big change over the 11 years. We have created and shared space with our communities. I admire the fishers and I tell people that have just started, have patience. You won’t win the confidence of folks until the community sees you working, and that you don’t only know about books. The fishers have every right to think that way because the real learning is on the field.” Blanca is now lovingly referred to as Blanquis by fishers and has clearly won over Angélica Méndez, a fisherwomen, close friend and dedicated partner in the effort. She describes Blanca, “Blanca is a warrior, she is of my kind, we are stubborn and never give up, and she is a fighter.” Angelica is a stunning fisherwoman and community leader, who lights up the room with her smile. Her energy is contagious and she is quick to tell us that her daughters complain that they can’t even keep up with her. She is a natural organizer who is quick to win our hearts with her warmth. She is now working at the Municipal Office for Women, after receiving multiple nominations from many residents in Livingston. IV. Chapter 4: The Story of MAR-L in Ana and Blanca’s Life As part of the MAR-L program, fellows are required to work on a specific project that builds on the work of preserving the delicate MAR ecosystem. Ana, Blanca and Pilar focused on raising awareness and promoting replenishment zones. Their efforts were successful, not only because they were able to work together and tap into their collective wisdom, but also because they focused a great deal of energy on supporting a network of key community stakeholders, including fishing groups and the government, that can sustain the work now and in the future. Some of the most influential participants in the network were Don Taco, the humble and honest president of the fisher association, and Angélica, a fisherwoman and beloved community leader. They are both part of the Network of Caribbean and Lake Izabal fishermen, an association of over 2,000 fishers with 30% fisherwomen membership. On July 10, 2012, La Graciosa, Punta Gruesa, and La Laguna Santa Isabel, three communities not far from Livingston along the Amatique Bay located within the Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge were declared as “No- take” zones, also known as ‘replenishment zones.’ The communities are made up of about 50 families that depend on the resources from the ocean ecosystem. Don Taco said, “From the moment that a child can put the bait on the hook, from the moment that he or she becomes a fisher and starts to fish, they collect valuable resources that are used by men, women and children in these communities.” Based on the official agreement, 345 hectares of this area were placed under protection.