Project Detail

Future replication and expansion of SGP Artificial Reef Pyramids through enhanced communication material of the IRA-G52-2001-005 project

Project Location:Qeshm(26.9777280-56.1676030)-Nikshahr Sistan(29.4083380-60.8972170)-
Yakhkesh Behshhr(36.636395-53.585815)-Fereydonkenar(36.6496170-52.4432370)
?Brief Background
The catalyst for initiating the artificial reef pyramid ??project for rehabilitating the marine resources (IRA-G52-2001-005) was the deep ??concerns of the local fishermen in Salakh Village with the problem of depleting ??fish stocks, which they believed was the result of a long drought as consequence ??of climate change, the excess fishing (e.g. industrial fishing and trawling) as well ??as the unsustainable practices that have damaged coral reefs, the vital habitat for ??fish to nest and breed. Since December 2003, SGP has been backing a project ??in Salakh village in the southwest of the island to build artificial reefs in an effort ??to boost fish stocks. The goal of this project was to design reefs that could be ??built and deployed by the fishermen themselves, using their own capabilities. ??While the

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artificial reefs designed by the fisheries authorities (Shilat ? Iran ??Fisheries Organization) were far too expensive and heavy to handle, needing ??ships to deploy them, the local community and the consultant brought in by SGP ??were able to design a 100-kilogram cement reef that is compatible with local ??capabilities and technologies available at the site. The simple pyramid designs ??meant fishermen could build them on their own, transfer them in their pick up ??trucks, load them on their dhows with the winches available at the wharf and ??deploy them in the water using the cranes on their dhows.
Two other project ??were initiated to further the success of this project with an Environment Impact ??Assessment (EIA) in collaboration with the Khorramshahr University of Marine ??Science and Technology, IRA/05/08(56th) and
a documentation of this ??project for future expansion and replication, IRA/05/07(55th) ?

The success of ?the SGP Artificial Reef Project; IRA-G52-2001-005, is its innovative technology ?that has combined scientific studies with the local knowledge and hence the ?design of the model is in consideration of the local capability and availability of ?local resources.
There has been many requests from other local ?communities, official agencies such as the Iranian Fisheries Organization as well ?as international programs such as IUCN and other SGP countries for any sort of ?documentation on ?How? the Artificial Reef Pyramids produced in this project ?were built, submerged and maintained by the fishermen community of Salakh. ??
As a first step towards replicating and extending this project, the following ?activities will be implemented in this project:
1.produce a bilingual manual on ???How to??? with comprehensible and simple texts to used by other ?communities (At its final stages)
2.translate the Farsi brochure of IRA-G52-2001-005 so that it ?will be produced in English for further international advocacy(1000 copies were produced and widely distributed)
3.launch a ?website for this project (initial pages designed http:\\sgp-reefpyramids.ir and will be completed after the EIA results are finalized)
4.empower the community in producing this literature ?and recording their lessons learned by providing computer classes for the ?involved locals(training completed for 16 girls and 14 boys)
5.empowering the youth in producing clay miniature models ?of the reef pyramids (as decorative pieces in aquariums) for a double goal of advocacy ?and income generation(equipment procured and training has started)
Additionally the project contributed to enhance the short film of Artificial Reef Pyramid as part of the communication package required for advocating the expansion and replication of this project.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Salakh Fishery Co-operative in partnership with a team of Environmental Experts

Country:

Iran

Area Of Work:

International Waters

Operational Phase:

OP3 - Y1 (Mar 05 - Feb 06)

Grant Amount:

US$ 10,000.00

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 1,000.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 1,000.00

Project Number:

IRA/05/07(55th)

Start Date:

9/2005

End Date:

4/2009

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

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Future replication and expansion of SGP Artificial Reef Pyramids

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Project Characteristics and Results

Gender Focus

An important social factor that should be taken into consideration to understand ‎the context of all SGP projects in Qeshm Island is the strict religious code of ‎morals observed by the community; hence there is a segregation of men and ‎women in social activities. Due to its nature and the social norms there was no ‎significant presence of women in the previous project (IRA-G52-2001-005) other ‎than the initiation stage and submission of the proposal to SGP by Ms. Zeenat ‎Daryaie. In this project however, the training for youth in computer skills and ‎pottery is designed to include an equal mix of the gender. The fact that the ‎Village Council gave priority to the young girls? computer class over the boys? ‎class (due to financial constrains of the project funds) and that these girls were ‎allowed to travel to Qeshm Town is truly an indication of subtle but extremely ‎positive change within the community perspectives that has resulted from the ‎innocuous and non- threatening activities of all the SGP projects in the Island to ‎involve women within the allowed social norms.‎

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

The initial project (SGP Artificial Reef Pyramid) was designed as a pilot to ‎provide a model for sustainable management of the marine resources on which ‎such communities are heavily dependent. With the consensus of the local ‎fishermen, the area in which the artificial reef pyramids had been placed was ‎declared as no fishing zone. Fishermen are well aware of the fact that the area is ‎currently used for the study of the artificial habitat (EIA of Artificial Reefs ‎IRA/05/08(56th)). If the project is upscaled by national authorities it will act as a ‎massive reproductive bank of spawns for the purpose of the rehabilitation of ‎marine resources ensuring a better sustainable income for these coastal ‎communities. The Environment Impact Assessment and the enhanced ‎documentation of the Artificial Reef Pyramid Project will assist these communities ‎in seeking the support of national authorities in replicating and upscaling this ‎project.‎

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

The project is completely managed and run by the village council and members ‎of the community. All the project activities are carried out via local resources ‎‎(boats and divers for underwater photography, translator, web designer, trainers ‎and etc), which not only builds on the experience of these local resource people ‎but also strengthens the project?s in kind support due to their sense of pride and ‎ownership and hence enables better financial management of the cash ‎resources (e.g. the funds for the boys computer classes materialized from the ‎discounts given by the translator and web designer). This and other such ‎examples in many other SGP projects only goes to prove that while in kind ‎contributions are often dismissed or over looked, they are in fact an ingenuous ‎mechanism to increase the scope and desired impact of a project.‎

Notable Community Participation

Capacity - Building Component

Training for young boys and girls in computer skills has been designed in the ‎project to build the capacity of the community to reach out to the outside world ‎and document their lessons. This training along with the pottery classes for clay ‎miniature models of reef pyramids will also improve their capacity in generating ‎income for their families. The community arranged the transportation to Qeshm ‎Town where the project funded computer classes for 16 girls and 14 boys. The ‎material and equipment for the pottery classes have been procured and the ‎classes will start once free enrollment is completed by the Village Council.
At ‎the same time this project is providing a chance to the project manager and the ‎community members involved in the artificial reef project to review and analyze ‎their strengths and weaknesses of their past experience and assess their ‎acquired skills in building and deploying the artificial reef pyramids through the ‎documentation of a ?How to?? layman?s manual. ‎ ‎

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