Project Detail

Planning for the Impacts of Climate Change on the Ecosystems Linked to Sustainable Livelihoods of the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve (TAMR).

The goal of this project is to lay the foundation for establishing a continuous long-term monitoring of the health and productivity of the marine ecosystems of the Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve which will provide data to implement climate change adaptation measures. This project will engage fishery and tourism stakeholders to utilize community based management approaches, building their capacity in adaptive management that will result in immediate outputs and longer term outcomes benefiting the environment and the communities.

Specific Objectives:

1. Lay the foundation for establishing long-term monitoring of the impacts of elevated sea surface temperatures and increasing CO2 levels on coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove ecosystems, focusing on resilience and ecosystem functions.
2. Conduct mapping of fishing effort targeting lobster and conch, both within the central lagoon and the surrounding reef habitats.
3. Lay the foundation for establishing long-term monitoring of conch, lobster and finfish production, including environmental conditions such as temperature and CO2 levels.
4. Empower and build capacity of fishers and tourism sector partners to take active stewardship by participating in climate change adaptation, monitoring and management.

Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association

Country:

Belize

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP6 - Y2 (Jul 16-Jun 17)

Grant Amount:

US$ 24,903.75

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 81,059.40

Project Number:

BZE/SGP/OP6/Y2/CORE/BD/2017/01

Start Date:

4/2017

End Date:

9/2020

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

At least 20 stakeholders both from the fishing and tourism sectors are trained as community researchers to assist in collection of data. Stakeholders will have increased knowledge and experience in data collection and understand how this information is translated into daily management of the fisheries and tourism sectors. They will be more involved in science and management and can make informed decisions about their choices and actions, which in the long term, will improve their livelihoods through more sustainable practices.

Notable Community Participation

Fishers will learn to better manage the benefits obtained and wisely save for the future. When men are out fishing the females take the roles by looking after the children. The females are always informed of the fishing activities by their husbands and are very aware of the challenges encountered nowadays out at sea. They know of the overfishing taking place, the race for fishing, security issues and of the severe changes in the weather being experienced. The kids see their father as their role model and especially the youths are very cognizant of the issues out at sea, which they highly appreciate the opportunities given to them through education and other commodities at home. In most cases whenever the father is out fishing, the male youths will take the role as being the man of the house and look after their mother and fellow siblings.

Gender Focus

The project utilizes a prescribed gender lenses in designing and proofing interventions ensuring that in fact gender dynamics are taken in to consideration and can reduce individual, household, and community exposure to the impact of climate change. The securing of local livelihoods is a fundamental part in attaining broader resilience as it improves coping and recovery capacities while minimizing exposure. It is considered by most, men and women, as the primary factor necessary for meaningful adaptation as it drives investments in technology, infrastructure and equipment, and one?s ability to have access to resources that help to facilitate recovery.

Capacity - Building Component

This project aims to empower and build capacity of fishers and tourism sector partners to take active stewardship by participating in climate change adaptation monitoring and management.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

Two stakeholder forums that will held that will educate fishers and tourism sector on climate change and impacts to their livelihoods. Greater awareness and knowledge about climate change, its predicted impacts, how it is already affecting us, and what we can do about it, is instrumental in having successful climate adaptation and sustained coastal and marine resource use. Fishers and tourism stakeholders will be versed in knowing what they can do to aid in more sustainable resource use and effective management of TAMR, which directly increases the quality and level of benefits that they derive from the marine reserve.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

While the project centers on a long term monitoring, the greater good of the project centers on securing the livelihoods of the Belizean grassroots entrepreneurs involved in fishing and tourism and their direct families and employees in the reserve and back home in the communities. The project also entails empowering the stallholders and involving them in the decision making in regards to the management of the marine reserve. Economic resilience underpins community resilience and continuity and ensure trust in the managers of the resources in order for sustainable management to actually take place. For a community to be resilient, its people have to have a strong and viable economic base with an emphasis on social connectivity. This also means that economic enhancement opportunities have to be built in if we cannot get the main stay on the communities to build resilience. The project is an indication of ensuring that the stakeholders participate as scientist and become equipped for adoptive management and also has some concentration on the issue of community resilience in relation to climate change, taking into consideration the gender dimensions.

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