SPNL is participating in BlueSeeds training programme in Gokova, Turkey, on the effectiveness and durability of marine conservation projects.
Day 1 covered the theme of management effectiveness including area-based solution, MPAs benefits to biodiversity and society, designing MPAs, coverage versus effectiveness of MPAs in addition to the tools used to evaluate management effectiveness. As providing practical tools is one of the objectives of this workshop, participants experimented with BlueSeeds Sustainability Pathway Tool, which allows assessing the management effectiveness of an MPA and its sustainability following 5 main axes: Environment, Finance, Partnerships, Team and Innovation. SPNL applied Marine Hima Anfeh’s context to this tool.
Day 2 covered the theme of business planning, why it is important, how to move from a management plan to a business plan as well as developing and implementing a financial strategy through a detailed process. Among the tools for day 2 was the Business Plan tool developed by BlueSeeds. Generally, there is a gap in developing financial strategies among teams due to the complexity and time needed to accomplish such a task. BlueSeeds has addressed those challenges through providing a simple and user-friendly Business Plan tool and providing capacity building workshops, like this one, to encourage staff do the job. SPNL has successfully completed Hima Anfeh’ business plan during this training.
Day 3 covered the theme of self-financing mechanisms for MPA. Topics included reducing cost, reviewing income, seeking new sources of funding and diversifying the revenue profile to reduce financing gaps, estimated in the Business Plan tool. A step-by-step process was introduced on how to set self-financing mechanisms for MPAs. Participants then experimented and suggested to the group some self-financing mechanisms which could work in their context to address their financing gap, among which SPNL team exercised with Hima Anfeh profile.
Day 4 was about stakeholders engagement and its importance for a durable and sustainable management of MPAs. The day started with a field visit within AKD’s marine protected area to get a clearer idea on the implemented approaches to involve and communicate efficiently with stakeholders, manly fishermen. The trip in Akyaka’s marine waters was enjoyable and informative on some different and innovative techniques for MPAs zonation and management. After that, participants got the chance to share their experience where SPNL team was happy to present Hima Anfeh’s case study while focusing on the management plan development and SPNL’s adopted techniques for community involvement. The presentations received positive feedback and BluesSeeds team showed interest in our upcoming activities.
BlueSeeds is organising, with the support of the MAVA Foundation and in partnership with AKD and MedPAN, a 5-day training course on the effectiveness and durability of marine conservation projects. The purpose of the course is to train people who wish to build their capacity to manage marine conservation projects. After this course, trained participants should have the capacity and the will to train other people in their geographical area at national/sub-regional level. The training provides them with practical tools to better understand the working environment of applied marine conservation, including management planning to business planning, fundraising, self-funding mechanisms, stakeholder involvement, innovation, and community entrepreneurship.
