Publication Type: Oral Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Coral reef in northern Aceh, Andaman Sea “recognized” with shallow and flat coral reef area as far as about 200 – 500 meters from coastline. Coral reef area predominated by massive life form (especially family Poritidae and Favidae) and combination with Acropora Branching and Montipora in some sheltered areas. Weh Island represents one of important island in northern Aceh as well as representing western area of Indonesia. Marine species in west coast of Sumatra, including in northern Aceh coming from Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, and this condition make this region differ by bio-geographic with Eastern of Indonesia.
Coastal area in Weh Island divided to be several areas that one area managed by one custom community and lead by Panglima Laot. Some of custom areas have management system as Marine Protected Area, which are Anoi Itam and Ie Meulee village in east coast of Weh Island. Community in both villages have high awareness in sustainable natural resources use, so that they implement gear restriction and no take zone in their area. But their regulations generate conflict with other custom community that come from other area, because other custom community claimed the existing customary regulation do not have legal base regulation.
It is very important to develop effective Marine Protected Area and strengthen their customary organization. The analysis suggest customary marine protected area managed by community but have regulation recognition from local government.

Publication Type: Poster
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The Conservation and Community Investment Forum (CCIF) has been engaged in conservation finance, specifically modeling of marine protected area (MPA) management plans and programs at both the cost and funding/revenue level. The CCIF approach is rooted in the belief that MPA design and management is most successful and sustainable when viewed from a business planning standpoint. In order to manage a MPA and its diverse and abundant ecological resources over time, stakeholders and financial and physical resources must be managed in a cost-effective and ecologically sound manner, taking into account environmental, social, and financial considerations. Emphasis has generally been on the environmental and social elements, but diligent and thoughtful financial planning is crucial in designing and then maintaining a well-functioning MPA.

In October 2008 CCIF (will) launch open-source MS Excel and web-based Cost Management and Finance Tools which allow practitioners to design and project MPA management plan costs and financing needs in an integrated way, defining costs at two levels: functional components and budget categories. These will also allow users to think about how to optimally design and maintain the MPA and its functions so that objectives can be realized over time. These tools were developed as part of the Duke University Ecosystem-based Management Tool Innovation Fund.

Publication Type: Oral Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: Resistance and resilience of coral reefs to climate change are enhanced where local stresses (such as over-fishing) have not diminished the integrity of the ecosystem. Local management measures, such as reserves and networks of reserves, are not only an effective fisheries management tool, but more importantly they are a means of mitigating the effects of climate change on coral reef ecosystems.

To establish effective reserves local managers must identify resilient and resistant reefs for protection. They must also ensure stakeholders support the establishment of reserves on these particular reefs. We present how we addressed these challenges by using the design of the Velondriake community-managed MPA in South West Madagascar as a case study.

The MPA encompasses a large diversity of geo-morphological classes of reef that have also exhibited a spectrum of responses to past bleaching events. We surveyed 55 of these sites using standardised methods to measure indicators of reef health and species diversity. In addition, long-term monitoring of certain reefs showed their recovery dynamics over time and highlighted which were recovering since the major bleaching events of 1998. From these ecological data and a measure of individual site fishing pressure, we were able to rank the robustness of reef sites within the MPA to past bleaching and fishing. From this we objectively selected reefs based on their relative conservation importance, incorporating a measure of reef resilience to climate change into the MPA design.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Ecosystem-scale networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are important conservation tools, but their effectiveness is difficult to quantify in a timeframe appropriate to species conservation because of data deficiencies. The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a mobile marine mammal that occurs in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, a region protected by an ecosystem-scale network of MPAs. We developed a rapid approach to assess the risk to dugongs in the region and evaluate options to ameliorate that risk. We used expert opinion and a Delphi technique to identify and rank 5 human factors with the potential to adversely impact dugongs and their seagrass habitats: netting, indigenous hunting, trawling, vessel traffic, and poor quality terrestrial runoff. We then quantified and compared the distribution of these factors with a spatially explicit model of dugong distribution. We estimated that approximately 96% of high, 93% of medium and 72% of low conservation value habitats for dugongs are at low risk from human factors. Using a sensitivity analysis, we found that to ameliorate the current risk to dugongs would require a reduction of commercial netting or indigenous hunting in remote areas, and a reduction of vessel traffic and poor quality terrestrial runoff or commercial netting in urban areas. Our approach enabled us to compare and rank risks in order to identify the most severe risks first, and to locate specific sites that require further management attention.

Publication Type: Oral Presentation
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In Victoria Australia the seagrass Posidonia australis is a key species that forms extensive meadows in Corner Inlet, the state’s third largest embayment. Three MPAs protect this important habitat; Corner Inlet Marine National Park and Corner Inlet and Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Parks. Over the last 30 years P. australis has declined due to catchment related impacts. Understanding the relationship between the condition of P. australis and catchment water quality is a key management strategy of Parks Victoria, the agency responsible for managing Victorian MPAs. In 2005 the citizen science program Sea Search established the Corner Inlet Community Seagrass Monitoring project to assess the condition of P. australis in the Inlet. The project has two aims; to raise community awareness of the marine values of the MPAs through active participation and to collect condition data that can be used by park and catchment managers to protect and improve the health of the Inlet and catchment. The first aim has been successfully achieved but the second has not. The issue is the ability to monitor at a spatial scale sufficient for management, within a timeframe that volunteers are prepared to give to the project. By reducing the amount of data collected per site and increasing the number of monitoring days, more sites are now being monitored. While better meeting management needs, the increased requirement for volunteer time may limit participation, ultimately affecting the success of both aims. Strategies to ensure the achievement of both aims will be discussed.