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| Photo by PICRC |
From November 20-21, Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) conducted
a 2-day workshop at PICRC’s Kedarm conference room, to discuss a potential plan
to build capacity of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) management in Palau. This
workshop aimed at highlighting and addressing the main management gaps and
needs of each state with MPAs that are part of the Protected Areas Network
(PAN).Partners involved in the workshop were PAN Office (PAN O), The Nature Conservancy
(TNC), Palau Community College (PCC), Bureau of Marine Resources (BMR), Palau
Coral Reef Island Ecosystem (P-CoRIE), PAN Coordinators and State Conservation
Officers. Eight of the 12 states that have PAN MPAs were present during the
workshop. The states that sent
representatives to the workshop included Airai, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror,
Melekeok, Ngardmau, Ngiwal and Ngchesar. This workshop was funded by Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
During the first day of
the workshop, PAN coordinators and conservation officers discussed and addressed
their gaps and needs in term of marine management. The major gaps and needs that
were discussed can be categorized into the following: management and planning,
reporting and communication, marine monitoring skills, equipment and materials,
education and outreach and transport.
The workshop assessed needs of the states, of the PAN coordinators and those
needs at the level of the Conservation Officers. A matrix of these gaps and
needs was made during the first day of the workshop. Once the needs of each
state were well defined, the overlapping and most recurring needs were retained
and listed to represent the best overall situation in Palau. For instance, an
important need at the state level was poorly defined and enforced rules and
regulations at PAN sites. At the PAN
coordinators level, one of the major needs was the lack of a monitoring plan
and protocol; while at the conservation officers’ level, a recurrent need was
highlighted to be the lack of marine monitoring skills, especially field experience.
On the second day of the
workshop, PICRC along with partner agencies, PANO, P-CoRIE, TNC, BMR and PCC
met in the morning to discuss a possible program to meet these needs and build
a strategic plan of capacity building for the next 3 to 5 years. Depending on
the needs, different approaches were considered to address the different needs
identified. The whole capacity building program will include workshops,
trainings, meetings, retreats, classes at PCC and on-site-assistance over the
next four years. In the afternoon, the
governors were invited to discuss the plan that has been prepared and to
provide feedback. Governors or their representatives from six states were able
to participate (Ngaraard, Ngiwal, Kayangel, Airai, Melekeok, and Koror). Overall,
the Governors were satisfied with what was presented but asked that the
capacity building plan be presented at the next PAN Management Committee
meeting so more state governors can hear about the plan and provide their
feedback. The next steps are now to
develop a more comprehensive strategy and develop the cost estimates and budgeting
that such a program will require.
Part of PICRC mission is to participate in initiatives to positively
impact conservation and management in Palau. Through the development of
capacity building programs, PICRC along with partner agencies work toward
improving the management of the Protected Areas Network, to better conserve and
manage coral-reef resources for the generations to come.