Project REGENERATE - IUCN · Project REGENERATE will consolidate and analyze social and ......
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Project REGENERATE Enhancing Resilience of social-ecological coral reef systems in the Maldives Four Aims: • Improved access to science and technology for decision- making and establishing policy frameworks for increasing coastal resilience to climate change; • Increased stakeholder capacity to measure, monitor, and adapt to climate stresses through education, training, and outreach; • Strengthened governance in support of decentralized management for more resilient reef ecosystems; and • Sustainable financing mechanisms to support climate- resilient marine management established Background The Maldives is a country at high risk from the impacts of climate change. It is also highly dependent on its coral reefs, which play a fundamental role in food provision and shoreline protection. The country has already been impacted by climate change, with severe and mass coral bleaching in 1998 and 2010 that killed a majority of shallow corals. Recognizing that sound coastal resource management is critical to sustainable development and climate adaptation, the Government of Maldives has begun developing policies to protect reef fisheries, decentralize marine management, and accelerate the designation of conservation areas. Project REGENERATE aims at supporting the development of a network of marine managed areas and marine protected areas, and builds on the experience of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Maldives, working on critical environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity since 1985. Scope The final goal of this project is to develop a Resilience-Based Management (RBM) framework to improve the ability of policy-makers and stakeholders in the Maldives to understand and address the risks from global, regional and local-scale pressures on their environment. Resilience can be described as the capacity of a system (ecological or social) to withstand and absorb shocks without collapsing into a different, often less valuable, state of being. RBM is an innovative approach to environmental management because it recognizes the inevitability of change, emphasizes adaptation and focuses on building resilience rather than maintaining a steady-state environment. At its completion, this project will provide the foundation for environmental managers to improve the outlook for coral reef ecosystems and the communities dependent on them. It will enhance understanding of socio-ecological resilience, improve access to knowledge, and increase capacity to manage coral reefs. The RBM framework will be critical for establishing a network of marine managed areas and marine protected areas with management plans around the Maldives. The first phase of the project, lasting two years, focused on collecting social and ecological information on the communities and ecosystems of North Ari Atoll. The second phase of the project will use this information to develop resilience-based management plans at island and atoll scales, and will extend from North Ari Atoll to a nation-wide effort in support of the Maldives as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. © IUCN
Transcript of Project REGENERATE - IUCN · Project REGENERATE will consolidate and analyze social and ......
ProjectR E G E N E R AT E Enhancing Resilience of social-ecological coral reef systems in the Maldives
Four Aims:
• Improved access to science and technology for decision-making and establishing policy frameworks for increasing coastal resilience to climate change;
• Increased stakeholder capacity to measure, monitor, and adapt to climate stresses through education, training, and outreach;
• Strengthened governance in support of decentralized management for more resilient reef ecosystems; and
• Sustainable financing mechanisms to support climate-resilient marine management established
Background The Maldives is a country at high risk from the impacts of climate change. It is also highly dependent on its coral reefs, which play a fundamental role in food provision and shoreline protection. The country has already been impacted by climate change, with severe and mass coral bleaching in 1998 and 2010 that killed a majority of shallow corals. Recognizing that sound coastal resource management is critical to sustainable development and climate adaptation, the Government of Maldives has begun developing policies to protect reef fisheries, decentralize marine management, and accelerate the designation of conservation areas. Project REGENERATE aims at supporting the development of a network of marine managed areas and marine protected areas, and builds on the experience of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Maldives, working on critical environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity since 1985.
Scope The final goal of this project is to develop a Resilience-Based Management (RBM) framework to improve the ability of policy-makers and stakeholders in the Maldives to understand and address the risks from global, regional and local-scale pressures on their environment. Resilience can be described as the capacity of a system (ecological or social) to withstand and absorb shocks without collapsing into a different, often less valuable, state of being. RBM is an innovative approach to environmental management because it recognizes the inevitability of change, emphasizes adaptation and focuses on building resilience rather than maintaining a steady-state environment. At its completion, this project will provide the foundation for environmental managers to improve the outlook for coral reef ecosystems and the communities dependent on them. It will enhance understanding of socio-ecological resilience, improve access to knowledge, and increase capacity to manage coral reefs. The RBM framework will be critical for establishing a network of marine managed areas and marine protected areas with management plans around the Maldives.
The first phase of the project, lasting two years, focused on collecting social and ecological information on the communities and ecosystems of North Ari Atoll. The second phase of the project will use this information to develop resilience-based management plans at island and atoll scales, and will extend from North Ari Atoll to a nation-wide effort in support of the Maldives as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
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AIM 1: Improved access to science and technology for decision-making and establishing policy frameworks for increasing coastal resilience to climate change
Project REGENERATE will support the development of policies and management plans for coral reefs by providing the Government of Maldives with technical support for scientific research, social and ecological data sets related to climate change resilience and bleaching, and training on key conservation skills such as marine spatial planning.
AIM 2: Increased stakeholder capacity to measure, monitor, and adapt to climate stresses through education, training, and outreach
Environmental education and awareness is the key to environmental sustainability, and Project REGENERATE will support environmental education through scholarships, an improved school science curriculum, the promotion of environmental careers through a fellowship programme, as well as through public awareness campaigns and a citizen science programme encouraging citizens with non-science backgrounds to become involved in monitoring the environment.
AIM 3: Strengthened governance in support of decentralized management for more resilient reef ecosystems
Project REGENERATE will consolidate and analyze social and ecological data sets collected and utilize spatial planning technique techniques and processes to develop atoll-scale Resilience-based Management Plans. It will also propose a network of Marine Managed Areas, Locally Managed Marine Areas and Marine Protected Areas within the context of a national UNESCO Biosphere Reserve based on solid scientific data and evidence.
AIM 4: Sustainable financing mechanisms to support climate-resilient marine management established Sustainable financing options are important for funding and ensuring the sustainability of conservation and environmental management. Project REGENERATE will explore the options for sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation that might be appropriate for Maldives and will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each option for future implementation.
Contact Chief of Party / Chief Technical Officer
Ameer AbdullaEmail: [email protected]
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