At the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, as exciting commitments for increased ocean protections were announced, the Reef Resilience Network’s session highlighted the importance of also investing in quality management of marine protected areas by strengthening capacity of marine managers. During the session, the Network celebrated its 20th anniversary and its members who work to protect, manage, and restore coral reefs around the world. We also heard insights from panelists on how we can collectively advance locally driven, lasting, and equitable capacity in a changing ocean. Highlights from the discussion:
Allen Cedras, CEO, Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA) and President of Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Areas Management Network (WIOMPAN), shared advice from capacity strengthening efforts within SPGA and WIOMPAN, such as having managers conduct their own assessments to identify their areas for targeted capacity growth.
Monique Curtis, Ecosystems Management Branch Manager, National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamacia, shared that some of her team’s greatest capacity needs are related to MPA assessments and implementing management plans. Another big one is sustainable financing—and not just securing funds, but building the framework to receive, manage, and report to funding agencies.
Dr. Lizzie McLeod, Global Ocean Director, The Nature Conservancy, unpacked what is needed for an MPA to be effective. She emphasized that capacity strengthening is one of the most direct ways we can help shift power and support locally led adaptation and management, sharing guidance she had just heard during the Indigenous Peoples’ Network Forum, “Do not come to us talking about co-creation or co-management. Come to us with talk of co-governance.”
Lihla Noori, Capacity and Learning Lead, Blue Nature Alliance, reinforced that realizing the marine 30×30 goal with high-quality protected areas is possible with durable capacity development programming, and that support systems provided by MPA networks and conservation trust funds are vital to achieving this.
Strengthening Capacity for Management of Critical Marine Areas panel.
Two big needs to advance capacity strengthening work surfaced during the discussion: measures and funding. We need to show the impact of our capacity work and how it benefits the marine ecosystem and the people who depend on it. And, we need sustained funding to ensure MPAs have sufficient staff who are well equipped to be effective. Hear more from Reef Resilience Network Lead Kristen Maize in the Green Zone at #UNOC3.
Thank you to our panelists! This session, hosted in partnership with the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), built on other sessions during the week at UNOC aimed to strengthen MPA capacity, including the launch of the Scaling Global MPA Capacity to Reach 30×30 Initiative, being led by the Blue Nature Alliance in partnership with the Reef Resilience Network. If you missed the session and the overview of new and upcoming resources for marine managers and practitioners, explore other News pages.
Panelists from L to R: Dr. Lizzie McLeod, Allen Cedras, Lihla Noori, Monique Curtis, and Kristen Maize.
