The Indo-Pacific Locally-Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network hosted a regional conference “Locally-Managed Marine Areas – Sharing Lessons Learned in Community Marine Management across the Pacific” from November 3-7, 2008 in Fiji.  The Meeting brought together 100 participants from 16 countries, including from local communities, government agencies, NGOs, regional institutions, area universities, and other organizations to share lessons and progress in community and local stakeholder-led marine resources management and to share ideas on addressing common challenges across the region.  Forum attendees hailed from Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Samoa, Kiribati, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and USA.  The meeting generated sharing and documentation of lessons learned, and suggestions for working more effectively in resource management and conservation based on local stakeholder leadership and benefit to communities.  This important gathering was made possible with generous support from the Coral Reef Initiative for the South Pacific (CRISP) project of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), core LMMA funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. Foundation and participant travel support from NZAID Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund.

***

The LMMA Network conference “Locally-Managed Marine Areas – Sharing Lessons Learned in Community Marine Management across the Pacific” was one of the largest regional gatherings of its kind, attended by community members and those who work with them focusing on marine resource management and conservation in the Pacific. 

The meeting was opened by Fijian Minister for Fisheries & Forests the Hon. Joketani Cokanasiga.  He praised the active and important role that the Fiji LMMA Network (FLMMA) has played in Fiji.  FLMMA, a country-wide network of community marine area management projects whose secretariat is based at the Fisheries Department, is seen as a significant and supportive civil society partnership to the government Ministry.  The Minister’s speech was followed by a number of others: presentation of the agenda and intent of the conference, and updating the audience on the Network, its history, current activities and future direction. 

The Country Networks of the LMMA then presented updates on their activities, particularly focusing on what worked, what did not work and their lessons learned.  This honest and practical sharing of experience kicked off the subsequent discussions in an atmosphere of candor and mutual respect.  Results of Network-wide data analysis review were presented and discussed.  The concept of community based adaptive management (CBAM) as promoted by the Network was presented, discussed and debated.  The participants within smaller country-oriented groups explored how and to what extent CBAM is carried out (or not) in different country contexts.  The reports back in plenary indicated a wide range of experiences across the Indo-Pacific, as well as an interest in and need for further support on this approach. 

In the evening, participants viewed a drama show by a local community youth group about climate change and how it affects Pacific island communities, after which they dined, mingled and got more acquainted with one another.

Meeting participants then split for a two-day session where community representatives met in Vatu-o-lailai village, while the support partner agency practitioners met in Suva.  These arrangements enhanced participation and learning, as attendees were able to each actively share experiences and lessons learned within a more comfortable and familiar context.  The parallel sessions focused on the marine resource management topics of ‘initiation of community engagement and planning, implementation, sustainability and scaling-up, and monitoring and adaptation’.  Community exchange participants visited sites, made presentations and held small group discussions.  They visited a nearby alternate livelihood project at Namada Village, where they toured the ‘plantation walk’, talked with the community about the project and gain ideas they could bring back home, and were treated to a traditional dance entertainment.  They developed ‘take home points’ and ‘self-improvement action plans’ based on their sessions.  These were designed to facilitate participants’ ability to focus on key points they individually found useful, and to bring these ideas home to share with their communities.  The support partner organizations held discussions in plenary and smaller group sessions over the same two days.  On Friday, in plenary meeting in Vatu-o-lailai, each group presented summaries of their overall discussion results for the final session.  These results spanned a range of lessons learned, guidelines and suggestions for improving practices in resource management initiation and planning, addressing implementation challenges, and considering sustainability.

The meeting was brought to an official close by Taholo Kami, Director for IUCN’s new Regional Oceania office, with a stirring speech reflecting his personal history and connections to community resources management as well as the IUCN’s commitment and future strategies in the region.  Vatu-o-lailai village laid out a delicious closing dinner to end the event. 

The conference was particularly significant for its emphasis on hearing the perspectives and experiences from those directly involved in marine management, particularly community members and those who work with them in coastal resources management.  There was also a great diversity of organizations – national and local government agencies, international and local NGOs, applied research scientists, and traditional and elected community leaders.  The high level of participation and stimulating discussions indicate the necessity, interest and importance of such a forum –  a structured but otherwise relatively open and comfortable format that facilitates individual interaction, exchanges and reflection, and results in honest sharing of real-life experiences and practical learning. The value of this conference is that it highlighted the perspectives of local communities, supported the direct exchange of ideas and lessons learned, and encouraged and inspired participants.

For developing Pacific countries, effective local marine resources management is a key component in sustainable coastal livelihoods, a sustainable environment and national development.  Recognizing local resource tenure and rights of use, the prioritization of local ownership and management is critical for long term effectiveness and sustainability.  The LMMA Network approach to support local stakeholder leadership and vision further supports global conservation and resource sustainability goals because local management offers lower cost solutions that increase opportunities for replication and wide-scale application.  The Network will incorporate learnings from the workshop, such as identified needs in the region, in its future plans.

The LMMA Network gives special thanks to: FLMMA for hosting the conference, Vatu-o-lailai Village for their warm hospitality and accommodation, and those agencies whose generous support made this important gathering possible, especially CRISP, NZAID Pacific Island Countries Participation Fund, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. Foundation.