This article is the fourth of a six-part bi-weekly series culminating in an editorial piece advocating for an integrated ocean policy for Malaysia.

PART 4: SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING FOR MARINE PROTECTED AREAS

In May 2021, the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) is set to negotiate, and hopefully agree on, a new target to place at least 30% of the Earth’s surface under conservation status by 2030. This means funding needs for management will be increased further, a challenging feat in light of devastating effect of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The Waldron Report finds that the financial and economic benefits of 30% protection exceed the costs by a factor of at least 5:1. Less straightforward to quantify, but no less important, are the cultural and spiritual values provided by protected areas. However, the annual cost of achieving this is estimated to be between USD103 to 178billion (incl. the USD68billion required to manage the existing system effectively).

Protected areas are generally reliant on a very narrow financing base.

International development assistance accounts for almost a third of protected area funding in Africa and up to 90% in some cases. Nearly 80% of the annual budget for conservation authorities in the Eastern and Southern African countries comes from tourism revenue. This type of funding – which is reliant on international and governmental funding support and revenue from tourism is echoed throughout the world. Malaysia is no exception – but it registered a decrease of 68.2% of tourist arrivals in the first half of 2020. It is safe to assume that a similar percentage decrease affected the tourism industry in marine protected areas as well.

Before the pandemic, protected areas around the world received roughly 8 billion visits per year and generated approximately USD600 billion per year in direct in-country expenditures and USD250 billion per year in consumer surplus.

For many marine protected areas, the negative impacts of the pandemic are particularly severe for the local communities. Most of their livelihoods are dependent on the tourism industry and as the industry came to a near standstill, they have had to rely on the government for their livelihoods and well-being.

In some cases, communities are forced to fish illegally for subsistence or undertake other forms of illegal activities to get by.

At a time when the public is understandably preoccupied and unable to participate in decision-making processes, some governments may (and in some cases already) undermine, weaken, or re-interpret environmental regulations and their implementation, and reduce conservation funding to realise short-term economic gains.

Reduced budgets and revenue translate to weakened management capacity including monitoring and enforcement activities. This leads to increased illegal activities, as seen recently when more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels with suspected records of IUU fishing were spotted just outside of Galapagos Islands territorial waters.

In light of the pandemic, the need for equitable governance for marine protected areas (MPAs) and fair benefit-sharing are critical more than ever, yet many MPAs lack inclusive governance processes. Formal governing agencies and institutions often operate independently from those responsible for social development, leading to a silo approach. Equitable forms of governance require that power be decentralised to local levels, which can be met with resistance from those in authority. However, studies found that in the face of the reduced capacity of management authorities caused by the pandemic, some sites had to decentralise their authority. This involved the transfer of some monitoring and enforcement power to local communities through increased community surveillance and collaboration, and information-sharing with state-led enforcement agencies.

“Building back better”.

In a recent paper published by PARKS, case studies show at least four main areas where marine protected areas illustrate either vulnerability or resilience to the pandemic:

(i) sustainable financing

(ii) devolved and equitable management

(iii) adaptive monitoring and enforcement

(iv) communications capacity.

All of which are addressed and built into the IUCN’s Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas Standard (the IUCN Green List Standard) and have been practised (though in limited scope) by NGOs such as Reef Check Malaysia in its Tioman Island and Mantanani project sites.

Sustainable Financing for management and livelihood

Experience taught us to diversity our products. Virtual tourism can be further expanded beyond videos and photographs, to virtual dives – bringing the ocean experience to museums, community centres, schools, live feed applications etc. Other options that have the potential for expansion includes blue finance programmes and crowdfunding. “Blue carbon credits” are gaining interest to fund the protection and restoration of mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass.

Substantial costs incurred through government funding can be reduced by giving communities responsibility for management in exchange for secure access to resources. Microfinance, such as community-led savings and loan schemes, which allow people to save money and access credit in exchange for playing an active role in the management of the area, have proven useful during the pandemic.

Other alternative sources of funds include community-based commercial activities such as those started by Reef Check Malaysia in Mantanani Island to improve the socio-economic status and social well-being of the community.

Kebun Komuniti / Community Garden - One of the economic recovery projects set up for the local community of Mantanani Island to support their livelihoods. Photo Credit: Adzmin

Devolved (Decentralised) and equitable management

In many places, communities and community-based or co-managed governance system have shown some resilience and capacity to adapt to unexpected circumstances, in this case, the pandemic. For example, the loss of international tourism in the Galapagos led to the emergence of new commerce enabled by local production and trade. Studies have shown that areas with strong local community governance structures are often able to weather crisis events and secure support from partner organisations and governmental services. It is critical to mainstream equity and benefit-sharing through empowerment and reinforcement of local institutions.

In Malaysia, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia established a program called “Reef Care” – a programme that would give local communities some responsibility in managing marine resources within the MPAs of Peninsular Malaysia. Two of the 11 Reef Care partners are Reef Check Malaysia and the Tioman Marine Conservation Group (TMCG) managing an area off Kg Tekek on Tioman Island. Though small in scale, the Reef Care program has the potential for expansion in light of the many challenges facing the government during the pandemic.

RCM & TMCG members conducting reef surveys around the reefs of Tioman Island. Photo credit: Alvin Chelliah

Adaptive Monitoring and Enforcement

Understandably, the pandemic has slowed, and in some placed stopped, activities in protected areas especially research, monitoring, and enforcement. Programmes that rely heavily on data collection by individuals or groups living outside of MPAs and their adjacent communities have been badly impacted. Some areas adapted using emerging technologies such as mobile software, drones, and remote sensing technologies. Post-Covid-19 sees a continued need to build capacity for locally based monitoring that also provides employment and opportunities to engage local communities in park management.

Communications, coordination, and collaboration capacity

The pandemic situation led to the extensive use of mobile and virtual communication technology. The reliance on technology for virtual meetings and remote education has demonstrated the potential for a wider adoption for public engagement in remote or large-scale MPAs - though many countries would need to invest in network infrastructure, especially for areas inaccessible to normal communication platforms. Encouragingly, Community Cellular Networks – low-cost cellular radios managed locally - have been deployed in countries such as Mexico, the Philippines and Indonesia with much success. This has enabled communities to share experiences and learning with communities beyond their MPAs and is proving very useful for income generation activities; e.g., online commerce selling local products.

In a nutshell, the pandemic proves that management, especially in protected areas, must be adaptive to change through the building of social-ecological resilience. Extended exposure requires that more attention must be given to resilience, and meaningful integration with the social, cultural, political, and economic context of each site.

The pandemic opened a window of opportunity for us to rethink and rebuild human and natural relationships and create MPAs that are locally and collaboratively driven, supported by innovative technologies, tools, and ethical financing mechanisms. An adaptable and integrated island and MPA management plan are critical for all sites if we are to meet all of the international goals and targets that we set ourselves.