Call 3 Pages 11-16 - Pacific Environment 3 .pdfcent of the atoll’s tropical broadleaf woodland....

1 CALL Newsletter

Issue no 3 July–September 1999

Why is monitoring an important management tool?The impacts of the Funafuti Conservation Area on local biodiversity and the community

The area is around 33 square kilometres in size andincludes 20 per cent of Funafuti’s reefs and 40 percent of the atoll’s tropical broadleaf woodland. Lo-cally significant populations of sea birds, coconutcrabs, reef fish and clams use or inhabit this area.Although no people live inside the CA (15 kilome-tres over the lagoon from the main settlement), allthe land is either individually or communally owned,and in the past was used for fishing, hunting cray-fish, birds and coconut crabs and collecting leavesand wood.

Aim of the Funafuti Conservation AreaProject

To conserve the marine and terrestrial biodiversityof Funafuti atoll based on the sustainable use ofnatural resources for the benefit of the communityand their descendants.

Resource management tools currently used to ad-dress this aim are:

1 The closure of the Funafuti Conservation Areato all forms of fishing, hunting and collecting,

The Funafuti Conservation Area (FCA) encompasses six of the atoll’s 36 isletsand surrounding reefs, channels, lagoon and ocean terrace habitat on the west-ern side of Funafuti atoll in Tuvalu.

This project aims to conserve the marine and terrestrial biodiversity of Funafutiatoll based on the sustainable use of natural resources for the benefit of thecommunity and their descendants.

Conservation Officer teaching class 8 boys about the biodiversity of the CA

Claudia Ludescher Biodiversity Officer, Funafuti Conservation Area Project

CONTENTS

1 Why is monitoring animportant managementtool? The impacts of theFunafuti ConservationArea on localbiodiversity and thecommunityClaudia Ludescher

4 Profiting from naturalresources

5 Conservation AreaSummaries

8 Training in community-based natural resourcemanagement planning

9 Naturewalks into theTakitumu ConservationArea (TCA)Ian Karika Wilmott

11 The Kakerori StoryDr Hugh Robertson

12 A visit to the VattheConservation Area,Santo, VanuatuJoe Reti

14 A network of small,community-ownedVillage Fish Reserves inSamoaJennifer Kallie

16 News Brief

Issue no 3

July–September 1999

ISSN 1562-4935

A newsletter for Conservation Areas in the PacificCONSERVATION AREA LIVE LINK

South Pacific Regional Environment Programme

SPREP

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except for green and brown coconuts. Thebenefit of this method of fisheries managementis to allow populations to reproduce andindividuals to grow to a size (in the case of fishand crabs) where they produce an exponent-ially larger amount of eggs. This can result in aConservation Area becoming a source ofjuvenile fish, crabs and birds for other parts ofthe atoll. As the area becomes crowded withfish (within five years), the adult fish will alsomigrate out onto the fishing ground (Russ andAlcala 1996).

2 The establishment and implementation ofeducation and awareness programmes toenhance understanding and care for the needsand benefits of natural resource management.

3 The establishment of a management body andby-laws for the management of the Conserva-tion Area.

These tools will not be successful individually be-cause:

❚ we cannot close a fishing and hunting groundwithout the understanding and support of thewhole community;

❚ we cannot increase community understandingand support without research and monitoringresults showing the conservation methodsused are providing benefits to our naturalresources and to the community; and

❚ we cannot make effective managementdecisions without information about theresources that we are trying to manage.

Therefore, monitoring becomes our fourth majormanagement tool.

Aims of biodiversity and ecosystem monitor-ing in the FCA

1 To develop an understanding of patterns in theCA’s physical environment and in the size,

distribution and changes in populations ofimportant animals and plants found inside theCA.

2 To compare patterns inside the area withthose occurring in unprotected parts of theatoll in order to identify any beneficial impactsthe FCA is having.

To date, we have been monitoring our reef eco-systems and sea-bird populations.

Reef ecosystems

To answer the question of whether protection ishelping to increase our fisheries resources, we havea robust scientific survey design and methods whichcompare abundance and diversity of indicator or-ganisms at a number of impact sites (within CA)and control (outside CA) sites. Within these sites,we take samples in each habitat (lagoon, reef slope,reef top and ocean reef terrace) as different spe-cies prefer different habitats. We need to complete7 replicate 30m x 10m transects for each of thefollowing monitoring tasks: fish abundance and per-cent coral and algae cover. This is in order to ac-count for the natural variability within the sites andhabitats.

Survey team about to dive

in the Conservation Area

Training in open water

SCUBA Diving Certificate

with Foua Toloa

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Then there is the identification and counting of theindicator species.There is a lot of work involved inlearning to identify and count 76 species of indica-tor fish, 141 species of food fish, 149 mobile inver-tebrates such as crabs and sea cucumbers and 76physical measures including corals, algae and sand/gravel/rock. That is why we need a well trainedteam to split up these tasks. Training or expert ad-vice is also required for survey design and analysisof the data collected.

Using a GPS (geographic positioning system) to re-identify all our survey sites, we repeated our surveydesign after 1.5 years. We were pleasantly surprisedto see some very early signs of increasingpopulations of some fast-growing indicator organ-isms within the Conservation Area while populationsof the same organisms outside the area declined orremained the same.

Sea birds

Local information about sea birds shows us thatnumbers of breeding birds have drastically declinedover the last 30 years with some species no longerbreeding in the area. The ban on bird harvestingand disturbance within the CA aims to reverse thistrend. Monitoring of our bird populations is neces-sary to determine whether this objective is beingmet. So far, we are doing approximate counts everytwo months to identify when the major breeding sea-sons for the different species are.

Dr Dick Watling from Environmental Consultants FijiLtd undertook the initial islet bird surveys and trainedstaff in identification and survey methods. A blacknoddy (lakia) nest census (nests per tree and occu-pied trees versus unoccupied trees) was performedon three islets inside and three islets outside theCA at the time, and will be repeated at the same

time this year. Bi-monthly surveys entail approxi-mating the numbers of the 15 sea bird species,five shore bird species and two land bird speciesto be found on the islets and documentation ofnesting and roosting behaviour.

After long delays in obtaining information, togetherwith time and staff constraints, we are now readyto begin monitoring the coconut crab populationsas well. Vegetation and insect biodiversity surveyshave also been completed but not yet analysed dueto delays in identification.

Information from reef and bird surveys and countsof turtle sightings and nests is shared with the com-munity via reports submitted, information seminars,radio programmes and the monthly newspaper up-date. Fact sheets on resource management con-cepts, life cycles and management needs of differ-ent species are also provided to the community.We hope that this information is assisting the com-munity to understand and care for their Conserva-tion Area and their atoll’s natural resources.

The information gathered from regular monitoringis also used to assist the Conservation Area Coor-dinating Committee (CACC) to make managementdecisions that are based on the status of resourcepopulations.

Aims of community surveying and awarenessmonitoring

1 To gather information about the community’suse and perceived importance of naturalresources on Funafuti atoll.

2 To monitor the impact of our education andawareness programmes on the community inorder to use this information in planningongoing and more relevant programmes in thefuture.

Sharing monitoring results

with the community

...we repeated oursurvey design

after 1.5 years.We were pleas-

antly surprised tosee some very

early signs ofincreasing

populations ofsome fast-grow-

ing indicatororganisms withinthe Conservation

Area whilepopulations of the

same organismsoutside the area

declined orremained the

same.

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We have adapted the pro-forma questionnaire pro-vided by SPREP in our Project Preparation Docu-ment (Environment Unit, 1995) to develop a com-munity survey/questionnaire that aims to give an-swers on the use and importance of natural re-sources and public awareness of the ConservationArea.

Our survey method included a sample of 100 house-holds (approximately three per cent of the popula-tion) stratified according to the size of each com-munity living on Funafuti. Some older people an-swered questionnaires in interviews, while otherpeople answered questionnaires by themselves.Numeric results and answers to closed questionsare being entered onto a computer using aSTATISTICA package for statistical and graphicalanalysis and answers to open-ended questions willbe analysed by tabular and visual comparison.

Information obtained regarding the use and impor-tance of natural resources will be used in the devel-opment of our Conservation Area Management Planand information regarding the success/failure of oureducation and awareness campaigns will be usedto improve future programmes.

Conclusion

Why monitor? Because we-the community, the re-searchers and the managers-need to understandhow our Conservation Area is working for the ben-efit of our biological diversity and for ensuring thesustainable use of our natural resources.

How do we monitor? We make sure we get advicefrom literature and experts in the relevant field toensure that the monitoring methods used answerthe questions being asked.

In the future, our monitoring programmes (some ofwhich are just starting) will assist with the task ofmanaging the biodiversity and ecosystems of ourConservation Area for the benefit of our communityand our descendants.

References

Environment Unit Ministry of

Natural Resources and

Environment, GOT. 1995.

Funafuti Marine Conserva-

tion Area, Tuvalu, Project

Preparation Document,

SPREP Apia.

Kaly, U.L., Alefaio, T.M.,

Ludescher, C.M., Talakatoa,

K. and Alefaio, S. 1999.

Second Marine Survey of

Funafuti Conservation Area,

Tuvalu. A report prepared

for the Funafuti Conserva-

tion Area Project. The South

Pacific Regional Environ-

ment Programme and the

Government of Tuvalu.

Russ, G.R. and Alcala, A.C.

1996. Do marine reserves

export adult fish biomass?

Evidence from Apo Island,

Central Philippines. Marine

Ecology Progress Series,

132:1-9.

For further informationcontact

Claudia Ludescher orTataua AlefaioFunafuti Conservation AreaPrivate Mail Bag, Funafuti,Tuvalu

Tel: (688) 20489

Fax: (688) 20664

Email: [email protected]

Business skills that let commu-nities profit from their naturalresources while still preservingthem was the focus of a ten-day workshop held in Apia,

Samoa from 20 to 30 September. A total of 22community members and conservationworkers attended the workshop. They camefrom the 17 Conservation Areas that havebeen established in 12 Pacific island coun-tries by SPREP’s South Pacific BiodiversityConservation Programme.

Organised by SPREP the eco-enterprises work-shop, in collaboration with Samoa’s Small BusinessEnterprise Centre placed a strong emphasis onpractical exercises and field trips. “These will givetrainees the skills they need to help communitiesand small operators understand the concepts andissues of conservation enterprises, and developsuccessful income-generating activities that arebased on their natural resources,” said Mr Martel,SPREP’s Socio-economic Officer.

He said that while participants were a blend of com-munity members, representatives of ConservationArea Coordinating Committees and ConservationArea Support Officers, they all shared a strong in-terest in setting up eco-enterprises that conserveda community’s natural resources and at the sametime benefited the community.

Participants spent four days in the field studying arange of eco-enterprises in Samoa, including a co-conut oil production process that uses direct mi-cro-expelling techniques to obtain the oil; a coffeeand kava production operation; and eco-tourism en-terprises based on Samoa’s Taga blowholes, theFalealupo forest canopy walkway and the Saleaulawomen’s project which offers tours of the lava fieldruins on the island of Savai’i.

They then carefully analysed the strengths andweaknesses of each enterprise visited and devel-oped a full project proposal for the Sa’anapu–Sataoa Conservation Area. Their conclusions werepresented to the communities running the variousenterprises.

The workshop looked at a series of case studiesfrom participants’ own conservation areas, devel-oping detailed proposals and business plans. Theplans were assessed by a specialist panel drawnfrom Samoa’s business community.

Mr Martel said the workshop was part of a pro-gramme that aimed to make the region’s Conser-vation Areas self-sufficient after the SPBCP sup-port ends in 2001. “It is encouraging to see theextent of innovative ideas from participants, aboutways they can develop business enterprises whichhave a low impact on the environment, benefit thecommunity and use precious resources in a sus-tainable way,” Mr Martel said.

Profiting from natural resources

Participants at the Conservation Enterprises and Income

Generating Activities workshop

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The Arnavon Marine Conser-vation Area is comprised of agroup of islands and surround-ing reefs and waters. The CAlies in the Manning Straits ofthe Solomon Islands, midwaybetween the islands of SantaIsabel and Choiseul. It sup-ports a great diversity ofmarine resources, has a highdiversity of terrestrial faunaand contains significant areasof unspoiled reef. The groupof islands is also an importantnesting site for the endangeredHawksbill turtle. The islandsare uninhabited but theArnavon Marine ConservationArea Project works closely withthree communities (Kia,Posarae and Waghena) thathave an interest in the area.

Public awareness of the CAhas strengthened due to TheNature Conservancy’s (TNC)(the project partner) recruit-ment of a Peace Corpsvolunteer who is responsiblefor education and awarenessof the project. Awarenessactivities have been conductedin the communities, and thePeace Corps has run a trainingprogramme for the project’sconservation officers, on publicspeaking techniques andproduction of visual aidmaterial. A lot of work has alsobeen carried out with women’sgroups in the communities tohelp them to better understandthe concept of the Conserva-tion Area and the long-termbenefits involved.

A group of high school stu-dents from Choiseul Provincemade an educational field tripto the CA in August. TheConservation Officers gave

Conservation area summaries 3rd quarter July–September 1999

News from the South Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme (SPBCP-supported) Conservation Areas (CAs).

Arnavon Marine CA(Solomon Islands)

other on the 1999 census ofthe Kakerori. They werepublished in the Cook IslandsNews on 9 and 16 October.

SPREP’s Avifauna Officer,Greg Sherley, met with theCACC, lead agency (theEnvironment Service) and theKakerori Recovery Pro-gramme’s (KRP) technicalpeople, Ed Saul and HughRobertson. The meetingdiscussed the future of theKRP.

The CASO and a CACCmember, Tukurangi Hosking,participated in the ResourceManagement workshop held inNadi, Fiji in July. In September,the CASO and anothermember of the CACC, BenTamariki, attended a workshopon Conservation Enterprisesand Income GeneratingActivities held in Apia, Samoa.

The Conservation Officer didan invasive plant survey.Plans are underway to carryout further monitoring ofinvasive plants early next year.

The TCA’s video entitled EnuaManea has been establishedon an Adventure TelevisionInternet site. This can beviewed onwww.adventuretv.com. Also, anew website has been estab-lished to promote the TCA.This can be viewed onwww.ck/conservation.

The CASO assistant attendeda SPREP-supported Mediaand Environment workshopheld in Rarotonga from 13 to17 September. The workshopwas beneficial for her, as it hashelped in producing environ-mental articles for the localmedia as well as the project’snewsletter.

The Conservation Officerattended a Tour Guide Trainersworkshop in Sigatoka, Fiji inAugust. He will be holdingtraining courses for potentialtour guides next year.

The Technical Adviser, EdSaul, is training Mataiti to bewell versed with all aspects ofthe Kakerori Recovery Pro-gramme. Training has includeda population assessment,monitoring of nests and bloodsampling of kakerori, and ratcontrol.

One hundred and eighty-one(181) birds were counted inthis year’s annual kakeroricensus. This is an increase of17 birds from last year’s figure.Well done kakerori.

Koroyanitu CA (Fiji)

The Koroyanitu CA is locatedin the steep hills aboveLautoka and Nadi in north-western Viti Levu. TheKoroyanitu Range is the lastremaining area of unloggedtropical montaine rainforestand cloud forest in western VitiLevu. It is the habitat of a largerange of indigenous flora andfauna. The core CA is about3000 hectares and consists ofall land above 600 metres.There are six main villageslocated within the CA: Abaca,Navilawa, Nalotawa, Vakabuli,Nadele (Korobebe) andYaloku.

It has been a while since wehave heard from this project.Great to hear from Koroyanitu.

Unaisi Tawake was appointedthe new CASO on 2 Augustfollowing the resignation ofSemi Lotawa in February.

Many of the CA project’sactivities were put on hold due

them a talk on conservationand the CA concept.

In September, members of theCA management committeeattended a BiodiversityConservation Network work-shop in Suva. This workshophas motivated them to workharder and to dedicate andcommit themselves to thedevelopment of their project.

One of the project’s conserva-tion officers attended theConservation Enterprises andIncome Generating Activitiesworkshop held in Apia, Samoa,20 to 30 September.

Takitumu CA (Cook Islands)

The Takitumu ConservationArea ( TCA) is a 155-hectareinland forested area located onthe south-eastern side ofRarotonga, the largest islandin the Cook Islands. The threemajor landowning groupsestablished the TCA in early1996. The CA is the corebreeding site of the endan-gered and unique local birdcalled the Kakerori. Otherunique flora and fauna arealso found.

The CASO, Ian Karika Wilmottgave presentations about theCA to Te Uki Ou and Avateaprimary schools. Following thepresentations the schools paida visit to the TCA with theproject’s Conservation Officer,Mataiti Mataiti.

The TCA project and the WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF)jointly produced and broadcastongoing conservation radioprogrammes.

The CASO assistant, TunganeGeorge, prepared two articles,one on the project’s “one stopenvironment shop” and the

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Issue no 2 April–June 1999

to the absence of a CASO.However, the Koroyanitucommunities have receivedcontinuous support from NewZealand and Japanese fundingorganisations. The NewZealand Official DevelopmentAssistance (NZODA), throughTourism Resource Consultants(TRC), assisted the communi-ties with ecotourism activitiesby developing and upgradingthe Batilamu overnight trekfrom Navilawa to Abaca. TheJapan National Committee forPacific Economic Cooperation(JANCPEC) funded a toiletand shower building at Abaca,which will ensure qualityfacilities for groups on day tripsand overnight stays at Abaca.Over the past year AbacaVillage has been working withRonald Lucas from theFoundation for the Peoples ofthe South Pacific International(FSPI), New Zealand account-ant Matthew Abel and Coop-eratives Department todevelop a simple, accuraterecord and bookkeepingsystem.

The CA project has a newoffice, which is located at 3Nede Steet, Lautoka town.

TRC and the Fiji Red Crosscarried out a first aid trainingcourse in Abaca for park staff.

An SPBCP-funded botanicalsurvey of the CA was carriedout in September by a teamled by Randy Thaman of USP.At the end of the survey, threeConservation Officers weretaught how to do weedassessments and vegetationsurveys.

The Mineral ResourcesDepartment has issued aprospecting license toMINCOR to prospect for goldin Navilawa part of the CA.

Utwa-Walung CA (Kosrae,Federated States ofMicronesia)

The Utwa-Walung CA islocated on the south-westerncoastline of the island ofKosrae. It encompasses anumber of different habitatsand ecosystems between thevillages of Utwa and Walung.The CA is the largest area inKosrae that contains the leastdisturbed areas of estuarine,mangrove and upland foresthabitats. The marine area isconsidered one of the mostpristine on Kosrae. In thewetlands area there is aunique freshwater forest of katrees (Terminalia carolinensis),which is the only remainingstand in the world.

The CASO, Madison Nena,has been selected bySeacology Foundation for itsIndigenous Conservation ofthe Year award. Congratula-tions Madison on beingselected.

A newsletter in Kosraean wasproduced and distributed tothe communities. The newslet-ter provides up-to-dateinformation on the CA andcreates awareness on otheraspects of the environment.

Weekly radio programmes onthe CA continue to be broad-casted.

An overseas film crew wasrecruited to make a promo-tional video for the CA. Thevideo will be ready for distribu-tion in December.

Construction of the Visitor’sCentre is almost complete.(See news brief on this item).

A series of meetings was heldwith the key stakeholders ofthe Tafunsak community toreview and evaluate theproject, and to discuss aproposed plan to hold aParticipatory Rural Appraisal

(PRA) workshop for thecommunity in December.

B Ha’apai CA (Tonga)

The entire Ha’apai groupconstitutes the Ha’apaiConservation Area. The CAcovers an ocean area ofapproximately 10,000 squarekilometres. The 62 islands ofHa’apai range in size from lessthan 1 hectare to 46.6 squarekilometres. The CA has anextensive system of coralreefs. The “biodiversity” ofHa’apai includes all terrestrialand marine ecosystems, allplant and animal species andvarieties found in theseecosystems, and the knowl-edge, uses, beliefs andlanguage that the people ofHa’apai have in relation to theirecosystems and species.

A consultant, Janet Bathgate isproducing information panelsand signs for the public andvisitors to the CA.

Mr William Burge, a PeaceCorps volunteer has joined theproject.

The project manager, NetatuaPrescott and the CASO, SioneFaka’osi attended the Commu-nity-based Resource Manage-ment Plan workshop from 19to 30 July in Nadi, Fiji.

The project sponsored anessay competition for the StJoseph Community Collegeduring their English Week from20 to 24 September. Theessay topics focused onterrestrial and marine conser-vation in Ha’apai. The CASOparticipated in the prize givingand delivered the keynoteaddress at the ceremony.

A representative from theproject, Milika Paletu’a,attended a NZODA/SPREPTour Guide Training workshop,from 15 to 20 August inSigatoka, Fiji. Milika is involvedin the tour-guiding training

programme conducted by theTonga Tourism Project, fundedby AusAID.

Funafuti CA (Tuvalu)

The Funafuti ConservationArea covers the westernportion of the Funafuti atoll,Tuvalu. The total area of 33square kilometres includes sixsmall islets (motu) covering 8hectares in total. The CAincludes a representativesample of Tuvaluanbiodiversity, both terrestrialand marine, and some of themost productive fishinggrounds on Funafuti. The areacontains the richest coral reefecosystem found on Funafuti.The project’s education andawareness campaign is aimedat the entire Funafuti commu-nity, as they are the resourceusers.

Great news for the FunafutiConservation Area: TheNational Conservation AreaAct was approved on its lastreading and it is now in force.Congratulations TuÉ lu. Inaccordanp with the new Act, the projecthas prepared a report to theMinister of Environment torequest his approval to declarethe Funafuti Conservation Area(FCA) a CA under this Act.

The CASO, Tataua Alefaio,and one of the ConservationOfficers attended a Commu-nity-based Resource Manage-ment workshop in Nadi, Fiji inJuly.

A workshop was held with theCACC and members of theKaupule on PLA (Participatory,Learning and Action). This wasimmediately followed by adiscussion/consultation on theCA evaluation for their Transi-tion Strategy.

The second CommunityAwareness Survey was carriedout in the third quarter. Thesurvey will measure the

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Issue no 2 April–June 1999

effectiveness of their aware-ness programmes. Additionalquestions will be added toprovide information to assistwith their Resource Manage-ment Plan.

The project’s popular radioprogramme continues to go toair every Thursday night, andtheir monthly environmentalcolumn in Tuvalu’s onlynewspaper, Tuvalu Echo,continues.

The bi-monthly bird surveywas carried out in August. Thisis part of a regular monitoringregime to determine populationestimates of sea birds breed-ing within the CA.

The Biodiversity Officer,Claudia Ludescher, hasprepared a turtle-monitoringplan for the CA and Funafuti asa whole. It will be used tomonitor the number of turtlesand the importance of differentareas for turtle breeding andother activities.

The project manager attendedthe Conservation Enterprisesand Income GeneratingActivities workshop for CAssupported by the South PacificBiodiversity ConservationProgramme (SPBCP) held inApia, Samoa in September.

The project has received a lotof praise and encouragementfrom community membersregarding the changes theyhave seen in the CA over thepast three years. Publicsupport for the CA has in-creased lately and this isillustrated by the reduction ofreports on violating the CArules.

SPBCP note: Keep up thegood work.

Komarindi Catchment CA(Solomon Islands)

The Komarindi CatchmentConservation Area (KCCA)covers an approximate area of19,300 hectares located in thecentral highlands of thewestern end of GuadalcanalIsland, the largest in theSolomon Islands Group. TheKCCA is the customary land ofthe Kakau and Lakuili Tribes ofGuadalcanal. The tribes haveformed the Veraboli,Kakabona, Konggulai andKusumba communities, whichthe project works closely with.The area is representative ofthe high biodiversity thatcharacterises the rainforestenvironment of the SolomonIslands.

The recent unrest onGuadalcanal has hamperedprogress on the project. It hasprevented the CASO and theCACC from meeting to discussand implement work plans.

The CASO, Nathaniel Lix daWheya spent four weekshelping to review and evaluatethe Arnavon and VattheConservation Area projects.

The CASO attended theConservation Enterprises andIncome Generating Activitiesworkshop held in Apia, Samoain September.

Uafato CA (Samoa)

The Uafato CA is located onthe north-east corner of Upolualong the rugged coastlineregion between Uafato andTiavae. The project works withUafato village. The coastal-forested CA is the onlyremaining area of its size inSamoa that is lightly inhabited,and is largely intact. Thedramatic landscape of sharppeaks, rock walls, short steep-sided valleys and long knifed-edged ridges is unmatchedelsewhere in Samoa. Thiscoastal forest contains the

best of the very few survivingpopulations of Ifilele (Intsiabijuga), traditionally the mosthighly valued timber tree inSamoa.

Dion Ale resigned from theCASO position on 18 August.Mr Ioane Etuale replaced Dionand officially started work on31 August. A new staffposition was created for theConservation Area Project(CAP), and filled from amongthe applicants for the CASOposition. Mr Suiga Tuiavii wasappointed as ConservationOfficer on 13 September.

Dr Trevor Ward presented theresults to the lead agency (OLe Siosiomanga SocietyIncorporated) of the testindicators to determine thesuccess of the CA. Uafato isone of three CAs, Koroyanituand Vatthe being the othertwo, chosen to collect fielddata to develop indicators tomeasure the success of theCA projects.

Vatthe CA (Vanuatu)

The forested Vatthe CA islocated at Big Bay on thecentral north coast of theIsland of Espiritu Santo. Thearea incorporates the lowlandplain forests extending fromthe black sand beach of BigBay, southwards to the top of alimestone escarpment andplateau to reach a height of402 metres, some 4 kilometresfrom the sea. The CA isestimated to be about 3,470hectares encompassing about2,276 hectares of lowlandforest and includes the villageof Matantas.

Three awareness meetings onthe SPBCP philosophy and thecommunity-based approach tothe project were held in thisquarter. One meeting was heldin Sara village and another inMatantas, the third one waswith the CACC.

Nelson Timothy (landowner)attended a tourism manage-ment course organised by theTourism Council of the SouthPacific (TCSP) in Port Vila.Timothy was recently electedas the new CACC Chairman.Congratulations Timothy.

As part of its TransitionStrategy, a review and evalua-tion of the CAP was done.Nathaniel Lix de Wheya,CASO from Komarindi CAP,Solomon Islands helpedCharles Vatu, Vatthe’s CASOwith the review and evaluation.

The Lugainville Women’sCentre conducted a one-weekworkshop for Matantaswomen. The workshopfocused on the rights ofwomen, family planning andviolence against women. TheCentre and Vatthe Lodgejointly funded it. The partici-pants found the workshop tobe extremely interesting. Afollow-up workshop is nowplanned for early next year forthe men.

The Department of Fisheriesheld a half-day awarenessworkshop in Matantas. Theaim of the workshop was tohelp villagers to better under-stand the importance ofconserving marine resources.

The CACC is gaining respectand recognition across alllevels of the communities asthe management body of theCAP.

The Vatthe Lodge is progress-ing well and the communitiesare experiencing directbenefits from the business. Itwas announced at a CACCmeeting that 560,000 vatuwere paid directly to the twocommunities from January toSeptember 1999. VattheLodge has been able tosustain its own operation since1998 with a current bank assetof 600,000 vatu.

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Vatthe Lodge management is continu-ally improving under the leadership ofPurity and Solomon. Communitycomplaints about the management ofthe Lodge have reduced immensely.Community households take turns insmall contract work with Vatthe Lodge.

The project coordinator, Russell Nariattended his last CACC meeting on 16and 17 September. Russell leavesVanuatu early next year for Australia topursue postgraduate studies (seenews brief). At his last CACC meeting,Russell mentioned that he was veryimpressed with the increase inprogress and community participationin the project. Russell’s last duty forthe project is to assess a proposal bythe government to establish a FREETRADE ZONE in the Big Bay areaunder the Mondragon Project.

Ngaremeduu CA (Palau)

The community-based NgaremeduuCA is located on the western coast ofPalau’s largest island, Babeldaob. Thearea is centred on Ngaremeduu Bay,but also incorporates a significant areaof lagoon and reef including the veryimportant Toachel Mlengui reef pass,as well as coastal mangroves and alarge part of the bay’s catchment area.The CA is located within the bounda-ries of three states, namely Aimeliik,Ngatpang, and Ngaremlengui. Thefollowing are some activities carriedout in the first and second quarters of1999.

The CASO, Alma Ridep-Morrisattended the Ramsar COP7 Confer-ence in Costa Rica on behalf of theGovernment of Palau as part of thewetlands initiative in Palau. TheNgaremeduu Conservation Area(NCA), being one of the biggestprotected wetland areas in Palau,justified her presence at the meeting.Efforts are being made to makeNgardok Lake a Ramsar site of Palau.At the conference the CASO dis-cussed the potential of NgaremeduuCA becoming a Ramsar site.

An official draft of the NCA manage-ment plan has been compiled by theCASO as part of a requirement underthe NCA legislation.

The Mangrove Crab project hascommenced. Some transect plots wereestablished in mangrove areas nearthe Ngarmeskang River. Similartransects are expected to be estab-lished in other areas of the NCA. Theproject aims to convey informationabout the habitats, population density,ecology, etc., of the mangrove crabs inthe NCA. The project will also helpcommunities in the NCA to bettermanage their areas to protect andconserve the crabs. It is hoped that thecommunities can eventually take overthis project.

To stop poaching within the CA, theConservation Area Patrol Officer ofNgatpang State conducted regularpatrol and monitoring with the helpfrom a Peace Corps volunteer ofNgatpang.

The CASO is seeking funding opportu-nities from other donors to assist themwith their programmes. A proposal wassubmitted to the Urban and CommunityForestry Council to support tree-planting and elderly-to-youth knowl-edge exchange programmes. Anotherproposal was submitted to the Environ-ment Australia: Indigenous ProtectedAreas Funding seeking support forother activities that the project wishesto pursue.

The CASO attended the first PalauAutomated Land and ResourceInformation System (PALARIS) work-shop. The Bureau of Lands andSurveys hosted the workshop as akick-start for the establishment of theGeographical Information System(GIS) network programme for Palau.The CASO was selected to be thecontact person for the Bureau ofNatural Resources and Developmentto coordinate the various divisions inpreparation for the preliminary GISneeds and assessments programme.

A two-week training workshopfor 24 conservation officersfrom 10 Pacific island coun-tries in Micronesia and Poly-nesia was held in Nadi, Fiji,

from 19 to 30 July. The participants workedwith communities to help them manage theirnatural resources.

Training in community-based naturalresource management planning

Participants consult with members of a Fijian village

The training focused on methods, tools and proc-esses of information gathering and analysis neededwhen the owners of the resource and otherstakeholders take a full part in putting together re-source management plans.

All the participants are directly or indirectly involvedin the management of conservation areas in a waythat allows resources to be used, but in a sustain-able manner so they are available for future gen-erations.

Sam Sesega, the Resource Management Pro-gramme Officer with SPREP headed the team offacilitators and resource people involved in theworkshop. Other members of the team consistedof Ms Suliana Siwatibau of Island Consulting andMr Stephen Why of the Foundation for the Peo-ples of the South Pacific International (FSPI).

“Traditional resource management that revolvesaround the ad hoc imposition of taboos needs tobe strengthened by adding to it the best attributesof modern resource management approachesbased on good scientific knowledge of the re-sources,” Mr Sesega said. “Furthermore, the for-mulation of management plans for community-owned resources should actively engage the com-munities. This will foster a collective sense of own-ership of plans which is an essential element ingaining communities’ commitment to implementa-tion.”

The workshop was part of SPREP’s South PacificBiodiversity Conservation Programme (SPBCP).

8 CALL Newsletter


9 CALL Newsletter


The TCA conducts its tours inTitikaveka village on the south sideof Rarotonga, the main island of theCook Islands.Titikaveka is popularfor tourist accommodation as the

whole of this village sports white sandy beachesand a safe swimming lagoon. The TCA lies approxi-mately 800 metres from the main coastal road andextends over 155 hectares (380 acres) of forestedridges and valleys. The area rises from about 50metres above sea level to about 270 metres andclouds often cover points above 200 metres. It istypical of inland Rarotonga-steep, dramatic topog-raphy characterised by upstanding pinnacles ofvolcanic rock known as Tangaroa, and from certainvantage points there are spectacular views.

The project was established mainly to protect theendemic kakerori (Rarotonga flycatcher) along withmany other unique plants and animals found there.This area is the core breeding site of this endan-gered land bird, and since 1989 the Kakerori Re-covery Programme has brought the population backfrom 29 birds to the current 181.

The natural resource we are currently using for in-come generating is the pristine state of the forestand uniqueness of the kakerori. The service is guid-ing tours into the CA for nature lovers andbirdwatchers. We market this service as Nature-walks and Birdwatching tours.

To find a means of earning an income without sig-nificantly altering the fauna and flora of the CA cre-ated a challenge for the CACC. Eco-tours were anobvious choice for the TCA as there is already awell-established tourism industry in the Cook Is-lands. There was also a demand for more tourist

Naturewalks into the Takitumu Conservation Area (TCA)

Ian Karika Wilmott CASO, Takitumu Conservation Area

activities to be developed locally.

Tourist numbers to the Cook Islands have remainedaround 50,000 for the last two to three years; anaverage of 1,000 per week. For the last 18 monthsthe TCA has concentrated on conducting two toursper week with a maximum of 10 people per tour.To have more than 10 makes it hard for tour guidesto communicate and impacts negatively on inter-pretation areas. There is the potential to increasenumbers to 100 per week (5,000 per annum), 10per cent of the total visitors to the islands.

Promotion and Marketing

Below are listed some of the marketing strategiesthat we are currently using to attract visitors to theCA. These figures are from the visitors’ surveysfrom 26 March 1999 to 22 April 1999.

No of visitors

that had found out about the

Marketing TCA tours through the

activities marketing tools listed

Brochure 35

Signboard 3

Jason’s map 5

Jason’s book 4

Web page 1

Agencies 9

Word of mouth 2

Other marketing strategies include hoteliers’ andagents’ complimentary tours, a monthly radio showand TV sponsorship, newsletters and an advertise-ment in a British birdwatcher’s magazine.

Further proposed marketing activities include:

❚ setting up a web page on a more accessiblesite;

❚ promoting birdwatching tours to TCA andother local islands;

❚ conducting complimentary tours for hotelreceptionists more regularly;

❚ publishing an article in an alternative touristnewspaper; and

❚ publishing a TCA video on the internet.

The TCA endorses the idea of setting up a regionaltourist network with other CAs. Marketing costscould be shared with those involved.

Competition

There are two other inland tour operators onRarotonga, one of which conducts treks across

Locally carved TCA sign welcoming visitors to the area

The natural resourcewe are currently usingfor income generatingis the pristine state ofthe forest and unique-

ness of the kakerori.The service is guiding

tours into the CA fornature lovers andbirdwatchers. We

market this service asNature-walks and

Birdwatching tours.

10 CALL Newsletter


the island and occasionally, gentle forest walks. Theother uses 4WD vehicles. Both operations affect theTCA’s tours as anyone wanting to see the interiorof Rarotonga has a choice of the three. From ourobservations the 4WD operators seem to be get-ting the lion’s share of the market.

The TCA seems to be at present a niche market fornature and bird enthusiasts and more aggressivemarketing is necessary. There has been discussionamong the members of the CACC of the possibilityof also operating our own 4WD tours. A feasibilitystudy will be conducted before a decision is made.There are still plans to enhance the TCA eco-toursby adding other attractions to the tour such as rareand native species of plants that are already in theCA.

Commissions of 15 per cent for one to nine pas-sengers and 20 per cent for groups of 10 or moreare given to agencies that sell our tours.

There are no legal requirements at present for theTCA to operate until turnover reaches NZ$30,000or more at which time Value Added Tax (VAT) willapply.

Social and community involvement

The following lists the breakdown costs of ourNaturewalks tours.

Breakdown costs of

Naturewalks NZ$

Gross income 35.00

Taxi service 5.00

Lunch 3.00

Purified water 0.50

Tour guide 4.00

Advertising 2.00

Agents commission 15% 5.25

Total Cost 19.75

Taxable income 15.25

Tax @ 20% 3.05

Net income per visitor 12.20

For 1,040 projected visitors per annum the totalnet income is NZ$12,688

The TCA in formulating its Management Guide-lines, set out the distribution of profits as follows:

Distribution of profits

Projected figures based on 1040 visitors per annum

NZ$

Land rental 35% 4,440.80

Kakerori Recov. Prog. 20% 2,537.60

CA Development 20% 2,537.60

Administration 15% 1,903.20

Stock 10% 1,268.80

Total 12,688.00

The CACC will need to revise these distributionpercentages to enable wages for an administra-tor, a conservation officer and casual workers.

Other income generating activities

At present the TCA has a small office close to thebusiness centre of Rarotonga, which the projectuses also as a “one stop environment shop” sell-ing products such as T-shirts, posters, calendars,books, greeting cards, videos and cloth bags.

The TCA shop/office will be moving into largerpremises on the main road in October 1999. Thisshould increase visitors to the Environment Shop.

Sales figures for 1 Jan-17 May 1999

Costs of

Cost of goods

items sold & services

NZ$ NZ$

Apparel 375.00 252.00

Calendars 12.00 10.00

Eco-tours 5294.50 2156.00

Environ books 232.00 174.00

Posters and books 817.40 547.94

Greeting cards 20.00 11.00

CI Birds books 196.00 130.00

KRP donations 387.00 0.00

Laminating 9.00 9.00

Video 70.00 45.00

Total 7427.90 3334.94

Costs of MINUS costs of goods = 4092.96items sold and services

11 CALL Newsletter


Conclusion

For the last 20 months the TCA has put a lot of ef-fort into developing its eco-tourism venture. Thestudy shows that there is more work needed to makethe venture viable. Firstly, the product needs to beenhanced to make it an activity that more visitors tothe Cook Islands would wish to experience. Sec-ondly, there is still a lot more that can be done in thefield of marketing. Figures show that there is a sub-stantial market that can be tapped, but this may be

limited by the ability of the CA to handle the num-bers required. Unfortunately we cannot determinethis until we achieve the desired numbers. In ouropinion, as we strive to reach a desired level ortarget, we have to continuously monitor the CA forany detrimental effects on its environment. An out-side observer may be required to periodically moni-tor the CA, as our quest for the dollar may make usoblivious to the damage we are doing to our for-ests.

Dr Hugh Robertson Coordinator Kiwi Recovery Programme, NZ Department of ConservationFirst published in Wingspan, the membership magazine of Birds Australia

The Kakerori Story

The kakerori, or Rarotonga flycatcher (Pomareadimidiata), is a 22-gram forest bird endemic toRarotonga in the Cook Islands. Pomarea flycatch-ers, closely related to the monarchs of tropicalQueensland, are scattered through eastern Poly-nesia, and all five species are threatened with ex-tinction. Kakerori start life bright orange, then at threeyears old they become mottled orange and grey,and from four years old they are grey.

Kakerori were abundant on Rarotonga until at leastthe mid-1800s, however, the arrival of ship rats (Rat-tus rattus) spelt doom to them, as it did for manybirds that had evolved in the absence of mamma-lian predators on oceanic islands. A handful of birdswere collected around 1900, but then kakerori werethought to have gone down the path of no returnlike the dodo and moa.

In 1973, a few birds were rediscovered in the rug-

In 1989, the kakerori was amongst the 10 rarest birds in the world, with just 29individuals surviving on the island of Rarotonga. Thanks to one of the most suc-cessful bird conservation programmes ever undertaken, numbers have reboundedand kakerori is no longer regarded as “critically endangered”.

ged foothills.In 1984, Rod Hay and GeraldMcCormack colour-banded eight birds, and thenRod Hay and I counted 38 birds in September 1987.Nest observations over the next two years showedthat an alarming 80 per cent of nests failed, mainlybecause of predation by ship rats, and a feral catkilled at least one adult kakerori.

By 1989, there were 29 birds left, including just 13females. Unless something was urgently done,mathematical models gave a 50 per cent chancethat they really would be extinct by 1998. Ed Sauljoined the team in 1989, and we started an inten-sive experimental management programme. Withfunding from the Pacific Development and Conser-vation Fund; the South Pacific Regional Environ-ment Programme (SPREP); and the Ornithologi-cal Society of New Zealand, we worked closely withthe fledgling Cook Islands Conservation Serviceto control rats over an increasingly large part of the155- hectare range of the birds.

The aim of the rat control programme is to reducerat numbers before the first kakerori nests appearin mid-October, and then to keep rat numbers lowuntil Christmas, when kakerori breeding is tailingoff. Consequently, from late September to Decem-ber, Talon WB50 (an anticoagulant rodenticide)baits are placed in bait stations (40 centimetre sec-tions of plastic drainpipe) laid out along ridges andon twisting tracks following the contours within thevalleys where most kakerori nest. A small team of(increasingly fit!!) conservation workers and volun-teers replenish the baits weekly. Feral cats are killedincidentally when they eat poisoned rats. Wherepossible, nests are given extra protection from ratsby nailing a band of aluminium around the treetrunk.

The success of the rat control programme is as-sessed by recording the decline of bait-take as the

The endangered Kakerori

Kakerori wereabundant on

Rarotonga until atleast the mid-

1800s, however,the arrival of ship

rats (Rattusrattus) spelt

doom to them, asit did for manybirds that hadevolved in the

absence of mam-malian predators

on oceanic is-lands.

12 CALL Newsletter


weeks pass, the nesting success of kakerori and,ultimately, the number of yearlings and the totalpopulation at the annual census in August. Thisrollcall of birds is possible because two-thirds ofthem have been colour-banded.

In response to the programme, the kakerori popu-lation has grown six-fold, from the 29 birds in 1989to a minimum of 180 birds in 1999. This has beendue to increases in both nesting success (from 20per cent to 67 per cent) and annual survival of adults(from 76 per cent to 93 per cent). kakerori are amongthe longest lived wild birds for their size; in Septem-ber 1999, three of the eight birds colour-banded asadults in 1984 were at least 18 years 10 monthsold, and five others were at least 15 years 10 monthsold.

Since 1996, the management of the Kakerori Re-covery Programme has passed from the Cook Is-lands Conservation Service to the three families whoown the 155 hectares of forest occupied by thekakerori. These landowners are developing an eco-tourism business, and at the same time conservingthe biodiversity of the area, as part of the SouthPacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme im-plemented by SPREP. Anna Tiraa, a stalwart of therat poisoning campaign and nest monitoring, wasinstrumental in establishing the Takitumu Conser-vation Area (TCA) Project, and Ed Saul has re-mained the backbone of the recovery programmeas the technical advisor to the TCA.

The TCA hosts all five species of land bird nativeto Rarotonga, most of the sea birds (tropic birds,terns and noddies), numerous lizards, a flying foxcolony, and many native plants, including severalrare orchids and mistletoes. Tracks in one of thevalleys cater for eco-tourists of varying levels offitness, and an Interpretation Centre is nearly com-plete. Year-round, tourists are assured of seeingkakerori during their half-day guided tour for NZ$35(A$30) per person (contact TCA at PO Box 3036,Rarotonga, Cook Islands; phone (00682) 29906,or email: [email protected]).

The Kakerori Recovery Programme is now a modelfor other conservation work in the South Pacific re-gion. The technologies developed during theKakerori Recovery Programme are being appliedelsewhere to try to conserve other birds, especiallyits critically endangered cousin, the Tahiti flycatcher(Pomarea nigra).

Efforts are being directed to determine the feasibil-ity of shifting some kakerori to an island in the south-ern Cooks which is free of ship rats: this is simplyan insurance policy, so that Rarotonga can be re-stocked if disaster (cyclone, fire, new predators ordisease) strikes.

The kakerori has gone from an obscure forest birdto an emblem of Rarotonga that many local resi-dents are proud of. The establishment of a suc-cessful eco-tourism business by the land-owningfamilies shows that conservation and economic de-velopment can work hand in hand.

Sunday

I travelled with Charles Vatu (CASO, VCA) andNathaniel Lix DeWheya (CASO to Komarindi Con-servation Area, Solomon Islands) to Vatthe for aninterview with Max Herman of the Vanuatu IslandsBungalow Association (VIBA).

The VIBA establishes minimum standards for bun-galows for overseas promotion. Vatthe Lodges is amember and therefore benefits from advertising byVIBA through published leaflets, promotional mate-rials and trade fairs. A short article on Vatthe CA isin the Vanuatu Air in-flight magazine. A large signadvertising the CA is at the Lugainville airport onSanto, and Vatthe is now on the National Tourism

Joe Reti SPBCP Programme Manager

A visit to the Vatthe Conservation Area, Santo, Vanuatu

In August, the SPBCP programme manager, Joe Reti, represented SPREP at thesecond Global Strategy Meeting on the World Heritage Convention for the PacificIslands held in Port Vila, Vanuatu. While there he took time out to visit the VattheConservation Area. In an effort to be self-sustaining when SPBCP funding ceases,small-scale tourist accommodation (Vatthe Lodges) has been established within

the Conservation Area. The following is an excerpt of Joe’s travel report to the Vatthe Conserva-tion Area (VCA).

Office’s web page. The VIBA can design a sepa-rate web page for Vatthe at no cost.

The association also conducts training courses andawareness-raising for its members. Vatthe has ben-efited from VIBA training in bookkeeping, tour guid-ing, project management and cooking.

Max believes that Vatthe, like many other small eco-tourism projects in Vanuatu faces some very diffi-cult social and economic constraints including poorinfrastructure (the access road was in a very poorstate as a result of continuous rain) and lack ofsupport from the community. To successfully pro-mote the project, a number of things need to hap-pen. They include:

...Vatthe, likemany other small

eco-tourismprojects in

Vanuatu facessome very difficult

social and eco-nomic constraints

including poorinfrastructure (theaccess road was

in a very poorstate as a result

of continuousrain) and lack ofsupport from the

community.

13 CALL Newsletter


❚ raising the value of the project (road, facilitiesand current tours need to improve);

❚ finding specialised groups (nature lovers,birdwatchers etc.);

❚ training tour guides not only in the biologicalaspects but also in the cultural and historicalaspects of the area;

❚ identifying cultural/spiritual sites within the CA(these will increase the value of the CAimmensely and will attract people to the site);and

❚ reviving traditional stories (these should be partof the tours and should be told by local peoplewho are familiar with such stories).

The VIBA is considering an attachment schemewhere staff of small bungalow accommodation maybe attached to another for a few weeks to learn fromeach other’s experiences. There is also the possi-bility of staff from small bungalows like Vatthe to beattached to a larger hotel in Vila or Lugainville to betrained by actually working in a more establishedenterprise.

Late in the afternoon, Charles and I took a walkthrough the CA. The forest has recovered very wellfrom the cyclones. We saw a lot more bird life thanI have ever seen in the CA in the past. Megapodesand white flying foxes, which were a rare sight inthe past, were evident and we heard the call of thePacific pigeon throughout the forest.

The walking tracks were well maintained, althoughdirectional signs need to be installed, especiallysince there are a lot more tracks now than in thepast.

Monday

Discussions were held with Purity and Chief Solo-mon (her husband) who run the Lodge. Both havedone an excellent job looking after the project andin providing the services required by tourists despitethe constraints they constantly face. The quality ofthe food at the restaurant was good and all the tour-ists that we shared the meals with commented fa-vourably on the cooking.

Purity is well placed to take over the CASO rolefrom Charles Vatu although she would like to have

more time working with Charles, especially in thepreparation of reports to SPREP. She also askedfor some computer training so she could preparethese reports when required.

Charles also recognises that the time to hand overresponsibility to the community is drawing closeand he is committed to helping Purity as much ashe can and to making sure that the necessary skillsare passed on to her before he leaves. He is alsocommitted to completing a management plan forVatthe.

The chiefs from Sara village came down toMatantas village on Monday morning to be inter-viewed by the two CASOs and to meet with Maxand myself on the future of the project. Max reaf-firmed VIBA’s commitment to helping and I ex-plained SPBCP plans for the next two years. Thechiefs from the two villages expressed their appre-ciation for the support to the project and identifiedtheir priority needs for SPBCP funding as follows:

1 support for a wood carver to be trained in PortVila;

2 more overseas promotion for the project;

3 another study tour by landowners to anotherCA; and

4 construction of larger water tanks for thebungalows.

A kava-drinking ceremony followed and the chiefsenjoyed the food and entertainment provided bythe Lodge before leaving.

Tuesday

We left at about 7.30 a.m. with the two CASOs fora workshop at Sara village. This workshop was partof an evaluation process of the project that hadstarted earlier in the week in Matantas.

Twenty-seven village people attended the work-shop, a mixture of chiefs, young men, women andchildren. The Komarindi CASO facilitated the work-shop and explained the reason for the evaluationthat was underway. People went into small work-ing groups to identify firstly what made the projectwork, what constraints prevented the achievementof certain objectives and what actions were neededto overcome these constraints. At the end of theworkshop, the constraints by consensus were:

❚ lack of training in managing tourists and inproject management;

❚ lack of funding; and

❚ poor infrastructure.

The chief of Sara (Chief Lus) again pledged hispeople’s continuing support for the project and re-quested that SPREP continue to assist them when-ever it could.

The workshop concluded at about 3.00 p.m. in timeto return to Lugainville to catch my flight back toPort Vila.

CASOs Charles Vatu (nearest

to the table) and Nathaniel Lix

da Wheya about to have a meal

at the Vatthe Lodge restaurant

14 CALL Newsletter


The decline in inshore catches of fish and shellfish in Samoa, due to humanactivities, overexploitation, destructive fishing methods and the aftermath of tworecent major cyclones, has greatly reduced the availability of marine proteinresources, causing concern for the nutritional status of coastal village communi-ties. Since government actions and national laws to protect fish stocks have not

previously proven successful, a culturally appropriate extension process has been used toencourage and motivate village communities to manage their own marine resources.

Jennifer Kallie Fisheries Extension Adviser, Fisheries Division, Apia, Samoa

Extension programme

The staged induction of villages into the extensionprogramme was initially facilitated by the AusAIDFisheries Extension and Training Project (FETP) andis currently supported by the AusAID FisheriesProject and the Fisheries Division (FD). The pro-gramme has been in operation from early 1996. Vil-lages take an average of 11 weeks to develop man-agement plans. This time span ensures that allgroups in the community have ample opportunitiesto discuss implications and for ownership to evolve.Some village management plans have been in op-eration for over 36 months.

Management actions

Village management actions have included the ban-ning of chemicals, explosives and plant-derived fishpoisons (ava niukini), banning the smashing of cor-als (fa’amo’a and tuiga) to catch fish, enforcing na-tional laws on fish size regulations, controlling theuse of nets and underwater torches for fishing atnight, collecting and removing crown-of-thorns star-fish (Acanthaster planci), banning the removal ofbeach sand and the dumping of rubbish in lagoon

waters, and establishing fish reserves in parts oftraditional fishing areas.

Reciprocally, to support community undertakings,the FD has undertaken to provide various forms ofassistance and technical training. For example, torelieve inshore fishing pressure, villagers have beenassisted to purchase small aluminium boats forouter reef slope fishing; tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) have been introduced to villages havingsuitable natural lakes or ponds; and giant clams(Tridacna derasa) have been provided to restocklagoon fish reserves. In addition, regular demand-based technical training workshops in tilapia andclam aquaculture, fishing methods, gear technol-ogy, sea safety, fish handling and skills for smallbusiness management have been held. The Fish-eries Division has also undertaken to review allmanagement plans after approximately six monthsof operation and then at appropriate intervals, toverify sustainability.

Currently, 61 villages are managing their own in-shore fisheries in Samoa. It is noteworthy that 56out of the 61 villages have chosen to establish fishreserves ranging in size from 5,000 to 1,500,000

A network of small, community-owned Village Fish Reserves in Samoa

A network ofindividual, highly

protectedMarine Protection

Areas often withsmall separating

distances, maymaximise linkingof larval sourcesand suitable set-

tlement areas,and provide themeans by whichadjacent fishing

areas are eventu-ally replenished

with marine spe-cies through re-production and

larval migration.

FalealupoFagasaAuala

SatoalepaiFagamalo

Saleaula

Pu’apu’aAsaga

Vaisa’ulu

Faleu uta

Fa’a’alaVaito’amuli

FaleuLepuiaiSaluaApai

Salua-utaMatafa’a

Safa’ato’a Gagaifo

SaanapuFusi Fausaga Tafitoala Mulivai

Poutasi

Sale’a’umuaMutiatelePueSatitoaUlutogia

Faleapuna

Tauao’o MoamoaFasito’outa

Tuana’i

Nofoali’iSatapuala

SAVAII

UPOLU

APIA

SAMOA10 km

172o W

14o S

15 CALL Newsletter


square metres. These reserves, in which all fishingis banned, create the opportunity to establish a chainof fish refuges around the entire country. Such anetwork of individual, highly protected Marine Pro-tection Areas often with small separating distances,may maximise linking of larval sources and suitablesettlement areas, and provide the means by whichadjacent fishing areas are eventually replenishedwith marine species through reproduction and lar-val migration.

A village establishing its own Village Fish Reservemust have either traditional, de facto or legal con-trol over its adjacent waters to allow communitymanagement. In Samoa, villages have de facto con-trol of adjacent fishing areas, and also have theability to devise fisheries by-laws which, after gov-ernment approval, become enforceable under na-tional law. Fifty-three of the 61 villages in the pro-gramme have posted by-laws to support their fish-eries regulation actions.

Benefits

Community-owned Fish Reserves may be dis-cussed in terms of expected benefits to both vil-lages and government. From a community view-point, the expectation is that, by declaring part of itsfishing area as a Village Fish Reserve, fish catchesin adjacent areas will eventually improve. Althoughgovernment fisheries authorities may share thisexpectation, there are additional public benefits re-lating to management, compliance and sus-tainability.

As the Samoan Village Fish Reserves are beingmanaged by communities with a direct interest intheir success, compliance with bans on fishing ishigh and the usual enforcement costs associatedwith national reserves do not apply. Most villageswith Village Fish Reserves have actively enforcedtheir own rules, and have often applied severe pen-alties for infringements. People breaking village rulesby fishing in reserves have had traditional fines ofpigs or canned goods imposed on them by the vil-lage council. Community enthusiasm and commit-ment suggests that the prospects for continuity ofthe Village Fish Reserves are high.

Although there are biological production advantagesof a Fish Reserve with a large area, in practice thishas had to be balanced against the sociological dis-advantages of banning fishing in a large proportionof a village’s fishing area. As most village fishingareas in Samoa are relatively small, the declarationof a reserve in village waters usually denies somemembers of the community access to a relativelylarge part of their traditional fishing area. For exam-ple, although young men are still able to go fishingbeyond the reef, women (who traditionally collectechinoderms and molluscs in subtidal areas) andthe elderly are particularly disadvantaged in losingaccess to shallow-water fishing areas. Thus, while

some villages in Samoa initially elected to ban fish-ing in their entire lagoon area, extension staff wereoften obliged to curb over-enthusiasm, and to askthe community to reconsider the social effects ofsuch large reserves. Moreover, larger Village FishReserves can also force members of that villageto fish in the waters of neighbouring villages, thusincreasing the potential for inter-village conflict.

In terms of total fisheries production, a small FishReserve is unlikely to be as effective as a largeone. Larger reserves are more likely to providesuitable breeding areas for small inshore pelagicfish such as mullets and scads. However, small re-serves are beneficial for non-migratory species andit is possible that the combined larval productionfrom many small reserves may exceed that from asmaller number of large reserves. It is also possi-ble that a chain of small reserves, with small dis-tances separating them, maximises the chancesof linking larval sources and suitable settlementareas. However, as the interconnections betweensources and settlement areas are poorly under-stood, this remains a hypothesis, which is not easyto test.

Scientific Input

Scientific input has included providing advice onthe placement of reserves, monitoring biologicalchanges within the reserves, and collecting dataon fish catches in adjacent areas. A side benefit offisheries staff working closely with fishing commu-nities is that the collection of scientific data on sub-sistence fisheries is greatly facilitated by commu-nity involvement. A large amount of information, andeven estimates of sustainable yield by area, maybe gained from such extensive surveys on subsist-ence fisheries.

Summary

In summary, Samoa has 56 established Village FishReserves, which are being managed by communi-ties with a direct interest in their continuation andsuccess. Although by social necessity many of thecommunity-owned Fish Reserves are smaller thanbiologically optimal, their large number with smallseparating distances creates the opportunity toestablish a network of fish refuges around the en-tire country. The Samoan model appears to beapplicable to other countries in which fishing com-munities have some degree of control over theiradjacent waters. Results in Samoa confirm thatregardless of legislation or enforcement, the re-sponsible management of marine resources will beachieved only when fishing communities them-selves see it as their responsibility. If communityactions include the declaration of Village Fish Re-serves, there is the additional advantage that evensmall reserves may contribute to fisheries andbiodiversity conservation.

Results inSamoa confirm

that regardless oflegislation or

enforcement, theresponsible

management ofmarine resources

will be achievedonly when fishing

communitiesthemselves see

it as theirresponsibility.

16 CALL Newsletter


Construction starts on Utwa–Walung Centre

The South PacificBiodiversityConservationProgramme (SPBCP)provides support toPacific island countriesto develop and man-age “ConservationAreas”. A ConservationArea is an area ofnational or regionalconservation signifi-cance that the localcommunity has de-cided to manage forconservation andsustainable use. Theprogramme currentlysupports 17 projects in12 countries, rangingfrom Palau in the northto the Cook Islands inthe east.

CALL is the newsletter of

SPREP’S South Pacific

Biodiversity Conservation

Programme, based in Apia,

Samoa.

Editor

SPREP’s Publication Unit

Technical editor

Anna Tiraa

Layout and graphics

Catherine Appleton

SPREP

PO Box 240, Apia, Samoa

Phone (685) 21929

Fax (685) 20231

Email [email protected]

Common Acronyms

CA Conservation Area

CALL Conservation Area Live Link

CACC Conservation Area CoordinatingCommittee

CAP Conservation Area Project

CASO Conservation Area Support Officer

SPBCP South Pacific Biodiversity Conser-vation Programme

SPREP South Pacific Regional Environ-ment Programme

NEWS BRIEF ❚ NEWS BRIEF ❚ NEWS BRIEF ❚ NEWS BRIEF ❚ NEWS BRIEF

Construction well under way on the Utwa–Walung

Centre

Construction of this impressive building com-menced in June and is expected to be finished inDecember. The CASO for the Utwa–Walung CA,Madison Nena said that the building is based on atraditional Kosraean house, and that the last timea building of this type was built to live in was over100 years ago. There has recently been a revivalof this type of building in Kosrae mainly for tour-ism-related activities. There are two other build-ings on Kosrae built in this traditional style, theKosrae Tourism Office and the Kosrae Village Re-sort’s Innum Restaurant. So far, no name has beengiven to the building. It will house a shop to selllocally made handicraft, display and demonstratelocally prepared food and display educational in-formation on the CA; and the project’s office, whichwill also coordinate all eco-tourism activities intothe CA.

CA networking

The “boundaries” of the Takitumu Conser-vation Area, Rarotonga and Rock IslandsCA, Palau were “extended” in August withthe recent wedding of Tukurangi Hosking,a member of the Takitumu CACC andCharlene Mersai, CASO for Rock Islands.The pair had a double wedding ceremony,with the first being held in Rarotonga andanother in Palau. The pair met while at-tending an SPBCP workshop. Members ofthe Rarotongan wedding party includedTakitumu’s CASO, Ian Karika Wilmott andNgaremeddu’s (Palau) CASO, AlmaRidep-Morris.

SPBCP special note: Our sincere con-gratulations and best wishes go to the pair.

Overseas study for Project Coordinator ofVatthe CA

Russell Nari, Project Coordinator of the Vatthe CAhas been awarded a scholarship to study for twoyears at the Australian National University in Can-berra, Australia commencing in March 2000. Hewill do a Masters Degree in Environmental Science.Russell was instrumental in initiating the Vatthe CA,and the project will certainly miss his input. We wishyou all the best and good luck with your studiesRussell.

Members of the wedding party L–R , Sally Hosking

(mother of groom), Tukurangi Hosking, Ian Karika

Wilmott, Alma Ridep-Morris and Tukurangi Hosking Snr

(father of groom)

1 CALL Newsletter


From the Manager’s Desk

Greetings to the traditional readers of CALL and to new partners who have re-cently joined us through the Pacific Conservation Area Network. I hope you con-tinue to find the newsletter informative and entertaining. At some point, this col-umn may need to be retitled “From the Editor’s Desk” to further illustrate the factthat this is no longer just a newsletter for people and projects under the SPBCP. It

Joe Reti SPBCP Programme Manager

News flash

Warmestcongratulations are

in order toNgaremeduu’s

CASO, Alma Ridep-Morris and Nathan

Morris on the birth oftheir baby boy on 9

November. Theirbaby’s name is Graig

De Andre OlkeriilRidep-Morris.

On the SPBCP front, the key highlights for this quar-ter were two regional workshops, one on Commu-nity Resource Management and the other on SmallBusiness Enterprise and Income Generation. Theformer involved CASOs, project managers and com-munity representatives from CAs in Polynesia andMicronesia while the latter included managers ofsmall business enterprises that are dependent onthe CAs. Feedback from the participants suggeststhat the workshops were highly successful in achiev-ing their objectives of increasing the capacity andskills of local communities to manage the resourcesof the CAs in a sustainable manner. Reports of theseworkshops will be distributed to members of theNetwork when completed.

In an earlier edition, I indicated that discussions arecontinuing with the University of the South Pacific(USP) and the International Center for ProtectedLandscapes (ICPL) with regards to the establish-ment of a Protected Area Training Programme atUSP for protected area practitioners from the Pa-cific. These discussions were again held in Septem-ber and if everything goes according to plan, wecould see the first batch of trainees under the Pro-gramme at USP in the second semester of next year.I will of course, keep you posted of developmentsin this area.

Well, it is good to see that a number of CAs havealready started to prepare for the end of the SPBCPera. Community consultations – an important partof the CA evaluation process – are underway forsome of the projects, and for other CAs, transitionstrategies are being drafted with the view to havethem adopted before the beginning of the next year.I was fortunate to be in Vatthe when Nathaniel(CASO from Komarindi) and Charles were carryingout consultations with the Matantas and Sara vil-lages. Seeing these two CASOs in action gave meenormous confidence in the ability of the family ofCASOs to take conservation beyond SPBCP. It wasgreat to see the confidence and commitment ofthese two people to the task at hand. The supportfrom the communities themselves was very gratify-ing. Malo Charles and Nathaniel.

The next three months will be a busy time for us atSPBCP. Firstly, there is the Seventh Meeting of theTechnical and Management Advisory Group(TMAG) to organise on 25 and 26 October. This willbe followed by the Regional Training Workshop on

would be really nice if there were a few more articles and news from non-SPBCP projects so as toachieve a better balance of news and articles in future issues.

the Pacific Conservation Trust Fund (27 and 28October), a development I am sure all of you arekeeping a close watch on. The Sixth MultipartiteReview of the SPBCP will be the climax of this weekof meetings (on 29 October). The week 1–5 No-vember will be the Fourth Roundtable on the Ac-tion Strategy for Nature Conservation where SamSesega, Programme Officer (Resource Manage-ment) and I are expected to attend.

As we prepare for the end of SPBCP support toyour CAs, I would like to once again urge you notto miss a great opportunity to integrate your CAwork with the rest of the conservation efforts oc-curring in your countries. The preparation of Na-tional Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans (NBSAPs)provides an excellent opportunity for projects suchas yours to be fully integrated with government andother conservation programmes in your countries.The Secretariat has helped draw the attention ofthe NBSAP coordinators from the Pacific to thewealth of experience and lessons available fromthe SPBCP and the CAPs. However, it is really upto you to ensure that projects such as yours aregiven appropriate consideration in the developmentand implementation of these national plans andstrategies. If you wish to know the name of theNBSAP in your country, let us know and we willprovide you with this information.

Remember the SPBCP award for the most progres-sive CA? Well, its getting close to decision time.Your reports for the third and fourth quarter of 1999will be the basis for assessing progress for yourindividual projects this year, so make sure your fi-nal reports for 1999 are submitted as soon as pos-sible early next year. I expect to announce the in-augural winner of the award in March 2000, so don’tbe disappointed by not sending us those reports.

Finally, if we are lucky, this issue will reach youbefore Christmas. However, I very much doubt thatthis will be the case. In any case, Merry Christmasand Happy New Year to all readers of this excitingnewsletter. I hope our partnership, developedthrough the Pacific Conservation Area Network willgain greater strength and purpose in the new mil-lennium and look forward to continuing working withyou in the coming years.

Joe Reti,Programme Manager, SPBCP

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