Contribution of MPAs to fisheries management in West Africa: a co-construction approach to support local initiatives

CHAVANCE Pablo N.* (IUCN) ; TOUS Philippe & DIOP Hamady (SRFC)

CONTEXTFisheries management challenges in Western Africa

• A major economic and social sector : Fisheries are the first export sector in Mauritania and Senegal and high rank in Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Within SRFC area, small scale fisheries contribute annually 700 000 metric tons (50% of total catches), 30.000 canoes and ca. 1 millions jobs1

• Strong decrease of demersal species biomass (from 50 to 70%) during the last 20 years with irreversible changes in ecosystem structure2

Regional cooperation to improve fisheries co-management initiatives• The Sub Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) is an intergovernmental organization for fisheries cooperation in West Africa, aiming at

promoting innovative approach of fisheries management • The sub region is qualified by consistency requirements in fishery policies, and a small involvement of fishery communities in the

management of MPAs Objectives of the SRFC/AFD “ MPAs and Co-management “ project (2010-2013)

• Strengthening the role of co-management in the development and implementation of states’ fisheries policies ; • Higher involvement of fishing actors in MPA’s management and use of MPA’s as a tool of fisheries management

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY1 SRFC 2010 : Diagnosis of the fisheries sector in the SFRC region : working document of the PRCM’s conference’s « sustainable fisheries management » component – Feb 2007 -Unpublished2 Gascuel D. et al., 2004. Stock diagnosis & abundance trends for demersal resources in the countries of the SRCP in Chavance P., Bâ M., Gascuel D., Vakily J. M. & Pauly D., 2004. Marine Fisheries, ecosystem and societies in West Africa, half a century of change. Actes du symposium international, Dakar (Sénégal), 24-28 juin 2002. Collection Rapport de recherche halieutique ACP-UE, n°15, vol.1, , pp. 205-2223 Lal & al., 2001. The adaptive decision-making process as a tool for integrated natural resource management: focus, attitudes, and approach. Conservation Ecology 5(2):114 Levrel et al, 2008. Développement humain et conservation de la biodiversité : de la co-construction des informations à la co-gestion des interdépendances. Annales des Mines – Série Responsabilité & Environnement, n°49, pp.92-101.5 Etienne & al, 2005. La modélisation comme outil d’accompagnement. Natures, Sciences, Sociétés, 16(2).6 Commod Website - http://cormas.cirad.fr/ComMod/en/index.htm7 Arias, E. G., and Fischer G., 2000. Boundary objects: their role in articulating the task at hand and making information relevant to it. International ICSP Symposium on Interactive and Collaborative Computing, December 2000. 8 p.

METHODS Co-construction approach: the technical dimension of co-managementCo-construction can be defined as a technical dimension of co-management: it is a participative process of sharing needs and knowledge for practical utility 3. In this innovative approach, stakeholders’ perceptions and scientific expertise are equally considered for practical objectives 4 . Co-construction has several advantages 5 :

• A communication space to share ideas and point of views • Negotiation and mediation facilities through the use of a common language that helps in developing shared and converging

views • Appropriation of project‘s objectives and related activities by stakeholders involved in their definition.

RESULTS AND PERSPECTIVE Co-construction of common sub regional objectives to improve fisheries management

• Improve governance with participation of fishing actors in MPA’s management and more generally in fisheries management• Enhance monitoring initiative and display regular well formulated information of MPA’s and fishing community dynamics

Specific tools, based on companion modeling 6 experiences, identified to strengthen local initiatives

• Guinea Bissau (AMPC Urok) et Guinea (RNC Tristao) : Fishing community involvement for the design and implementation of MPA’s effect on fisheries monitoring

• Mauritania (PNBA) and Senegal (AMPC Bamboung) : Companion modeling approach for co-management of high value marine resources

Project’s partners capacity to accept the symmetry in ignorance7 concept is a key success factor. Indeed, capacity to stand back and accept other’s skills, knowledge and disciplines is underlying co-construction approaches

MAURITANIA

SENEGAL

GUINEABISSAU

GUINEA

Banc d’Arguin National Park (PNBA) - MAURITANIACreation: 1976 Size: 11,700 km²Fishing activities: Inside MPA: Yes – No / MPA’s vicinity: High - ModerateManagement objectives:• “Contribute to fish stock regeneration within Mauritania EEZ”• “Contribute du sustainable development of resident populations (…)”

Zoning and fisheries regulation:• Regulation on fishing gears and fishing effort (max 110 sail boats,

motorized boat forbidden inside PNBA)• Monitoring program of illegal fishing activities

Bamboung Community Managed Marine Protected Area - SENEGALCreation: 2004 Size: 68 km²Fishing activities: Inside MPA: Yes – No / MPA’s vicinity: High - ModerateManagement objectives related to fisheries:• “Restore ecosystem balance and enrich surrounding fishing areas by spill over”Zoning and fisheries regulation:• No fishing activities allowed

Urok Community Managed Marine Protected Area - GUINEA BISSAU

Creation: 2005 Size: 545 km²Fishing activities:

- Inside MPA: Yes – No - MPA’s vicinity: High - Moderate

Management objectives related to fisheries:• “Contribute to economic and food security of

Urok’s three islands population and improvetheir quality of life“

Zoning and fisheries regulation: Progressive zoning • Core area (mangrove meanders) with restricted

uses : only for local communities consumption• Middle area with restricted uses : only for local

community (commercial purposes allowed)with respect to gear regulation

• Buffer area : free access with respect to fishinggear regulation

Tristao Indigenous Managed Natural Reserve - GUINEACreation: 2009 Size: 850 km²Fishing activities: Inside MPA: Yes – No / MPA’s vicinity: High - ModerateManagement objectives related to fisheries: • “Improve quality of life of resident population depending on natural resources”• “Promote sustainable exploitation of marine resources”Zoning and fisheries regulation: Progressive zoning

• Core area (mangrove meanders) with restricted uses : only for local communities consumption• Middle area with restricted uses : only for local community (commercial purposes allowed) with respect to

gear regulation• Buffer area : free access with respect to fishing gear regulations

Objectives Tools/MethodsAddress the right issue to the right stakeholder, with the right formatHighlight indigenous knowledge for local managementMonitoring continuity based on simplicity and actors involvement

Facilitation in focus group discussionParticipative mappingVisual support to identify key information of local communities

Objectives Tools/MethodsPut MPA’s fisheries management in a larger contextIncrease stakeholders trust in communicationDevelop long term simulation of management scenarios

Consideration of actors perceptions of project objectivesAgreement on current situation (spatial diagnosis - resource, actors, dynamics)Participative exercises on prospective scenarios (conceptual models, role playing games) Debriefing for collective commitments (on common resource use)

Project pilot sites : 4 MPAs (among 30 in the sub-region) designed and implemented with fisheries objectives

* IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) - Western and Central African Marine

and Coastal Program – BP 4168 Noukchott , Mauritania – pablo.chavance@iucn.org