Applied Ecosystem management

Background

This area covers work related more to resource conservation than marketing or biodiversity, which are dealt with elsewhere, even though these aspects are closely interconnected under the Programme. There are four objectives under CRISP:

Improving our understanding of marine biodiversity and the hazards faced by it. It is intended to achieve this objective by conducting three ecoregional analyses (ERAs). Two subregional analyses are being carried out by WWF in the New Caledonian and Polynesian (French Polynesia and Cook Islands) ecoregions. Another analysis is being conducted at Pacific regional level by CI. At the same time, CI is also providing support to Palau in partnership with the TNC NGO in planning the country’s biodiversity conservation.
Providing a major contribution towards setting-up and strengthening marine protected areas (MPAs) as a coral ecosystem conservation and sustainable management tool. Both the Aleipata and Safata MPAs in Samoa receive direct support from CRISP for consolidation purposes, FSPI for setting up MPAs in 4 Pacific countries (Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati) and IFRECOR in French Polynesia and Wallis & Futuna for setting up and strengthening Marine Area Management Plans there. MPA support is also being provided to the Cook Islands in partnership with WWF. It should also be noted that, as part of its contribution to CRISP, CI is providing financial support for setting up the largest MPA in the world in Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands, known as PIPA or the Phoenix Island Protected Area Project.
Setting up a governance process – towards integrated coastal management combining watershed and marine areas. IRD is the main driver behind these projects on Efate Island, Vanuatu, Vanua Levu, Fiji and Moorea, French Polynesia.
developing appropriate reef restoration techniques for the Pacific through a partnership with French consultancy firm SPI-INFRA and FSPI who are setting up pilot sites in Fiji on Motoriki and in Tuvalu on Funafuti Atoll.

Latest Progress

An action plan was finalised for the Polynesian ERA in late 2007 (Mapeti and Gabrie 2007) and the analysing process was launched beginning with the Cook Islands.

Early in 2008, the process was extended to French Polynesia where co-ordination was required to identify institutional and subject-area synergies between the WWF-managed ERA, the environmental status assessment set up by the French Polynesian government and the French Development Agency MPA support process. Also under biodiversity conservation planning, CI implemented the CRISP strategy for support to Palau and the Micronesian Challenge (Martel and Miller 2007).

Concerning management implementation, the MPAs supported by FSPI made significant progress with a total of more than twenty MPAs in 2008, distributed in decreasing order in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Kiribati. Initial contact was made with Tonga to continue this participatory management process. In Samoa, when the special conditions of the agreement between CI and AFD (French Development Agency) had been met, a budget of nearly K. 100 was injected into the trust fund that ensures the Aleipata and Safata MPAs in Samoa can remain functioning.

Also, the 410,500-km² Phoenix Island, Kiribati, MPA received resounding worldwide media coverage when it was legally registered. With regard to work on marine area management plans, the second French Polynesian consultancy took place on Wallis & Futuna to finalise the environmental diagnosis (PTPU 2007).

Progress was achieved on the reef restoration front with implementation of the transplant and quarterly sitemonitoring phases on the Tuvalu site (Fisk et al 2007). The reef restoration manual was translated into French through a partnership between CRISP and the French Coral Reef Inititiative (IFRECOR) (Edwards et al 2007b).

Brief Review

Regarding ERAs, a workshop on New Caledonian marine biodiversity mapping and site prioritisation was held in August 2005 by WWF in partnership with IRD Noumea (Gabrie et al 2005). The biodiversity threat and hazard identification and assessment stage took place during 2006 and a report was produced in early 2007 (Juncker and Bouvet 2006). CI started information gathering activities at regional level in partnership with SPREP by recruiting a geographical information system expert who began compiling existing regional data.

In terms of MPA support, the FSPI NGO received direct financial support from CRISP in mid-2005 to develop a dozen community-based marine management projects in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati (as from late 2006). The Aleipata and Safata MPAs set up with World Bank funding early in the millennium also received financial support as bridging from their original funding that ended in 2005. At the same time, a marine area management plan setup process was started on Wallis and Futuna based on a methodology that had been used in French Polynesia and a French Polynesian consultancy that had assessed the local situation (Verducci and Juncker 2007). WWF Pacific undertook groundwork for supporting the Cook Islands in eventually setting up an MPA on Aitutaki Island. Using its own funds under the auspices of CRISP and in collaboration with the New England Aquarium, CI funded the preliminary reporting required to set up the worldfs most extensive MPA in the Phoenix Islands, Kiribati.

In terms of integrated coastal management, 2006 and 2007 were used by IRD to start carrying out preparatory work with the authorities and institutions and implementing the project on Efate Island, Vanuatu. Preliminary studies were conducted on the practical application of governance based on the "Ridge to Reef" concept. They centred, inter alia, on assessing MPAs in Samoa can remain functioning. Also, the 410,500-km² Phoenix Island, Kiribati, MPA received resounding worldwide media coverage when it was legally registered. With regard to work on marine area management plans, the second French Polynesian consultancy took place on Wallis & Futuna to finalise the environmental diagnosis (PTPU 2007).

Bibliography (selection):

Batty, A. et C. Deprataere (2007). "Panorama des methodes de lutte contre l'erosion dans un contexte insulaire". CRISP report 28 pp.
Despinoy, M. (2007). "Cartographie de la couverture et de lfoccupation des sols a Efate (Vanuatu)." Rapport CRISP 9 pp.
Edwards A. and E. Gomez, S. Job (2007a). "Reef Restoration Concepts and Guidelines: making sensible management choices in the face of uncertainty"
Edwards A. and E. Gomez, S. Job (2007b). "Restauration recifale - concepts et recommandations : faire des choix raisonnes dans un environnement indecis"
Fisk D., Job S., Khan Z. (2006a). Monitoring Report on Restoration Work, Moturiki District, Fiji Islands, 1, 3, 6, and 9 months surveys. CRISP report. 33 pp.
Fisk D., Job S., Khan Z. (2006b). Baseline Report : Funafuti Atoll Tuvalu ; Fieldwork report for Funafuti restoration work. CRISP report. 25 pp.
Fisk D., Job S., Khan Z. (2007). Monitoring Report on Restoration Work, : Funafuti Atoll Tuvalu, 1, 3, 6, and 9 months surveys. CRISP report. 40 pp.
Gabrie, C., Cros, A., Downer, A. et C. Chevillon (2005). "Analyse Ecoregionale de Nouvelle-Caledonie. Identification des zones prioritaires a proteger". Rapport atelier de Noumea 10-11 aout 2005. Rapport CRISP. 96 pp.
Juncker, M. et G. Bouvet (2006). "Analyse Ecoregionale de Nouvelle-Caledonie. Introduction a lfetude des pressions et menaces sur les ecosystemes littoraux de Nouvelle-Caledonie". Rapport CRISP. 68 pp.
Martel, F and S. Miller (2007). "Scoping of the CRISP support to Palau and the Micronesian challenge." CRISP report 9 pp.
Matepi M., Gabrie C. (2007). "East Polynesia Ecoregion: Cook Islands & French Polynesia - objectives 1.1a & 1.2a & b". CRISP report. 22 pp
PTPU - Pae Tai - Pae Uta Etudes Environnement. (2007). "Diagnostic environnemental de l'ile de Wallis en vue de l'etablissement d'un PGEM". Rapport CRISP 40 pp.
Verducci, M. et M. Juncker (2007). "Rapport preliminaire pour la mise en oeuvre d'un PGEM sur les iles de Alofi, Wallis et Futuna". Rapport CRISP 30 pp.

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