(CaMMESEC) Bulletin - International Coral Reef Action Network

Following are highlights from our Vincentianand St. Lucian colleagues’ presentations.Accomplishments and Lessons Learnedfrom the Tobago Cays Marine ParkThe Tobago Cays Marine Park (TCMP),located in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,houses a series of globally significant habitatsincluding coral reefs, sea turtle nesting sitesand feeding areas, and small systems ofmangroves.• the development and endorsement of anew management plan• the establishment of a user fee system• the development of a zoning plan• the authority to enforce the TCMP’sregulations• a doubling of its staff from seven (7) tofifteen (15) which is inclusive of aMarine Biologist• an increase in infrastructure and assetsto include an interpretation centre, anew patrol boat and a garbage facilityon Union IslandAlong with its successes, the TCMP haslearned many a lesson spanning all areas ofmanagement. They note the importance ofstakeholder involvement and communication atall stages of decision making; and the need fora high level of transparency in dialogue withstakeholders as areas they will be seeking toimprove on. Additionally, the TCMP is strivingto improve the systematic collection andanalysis of biological resource data,socioeconomic data of the various users, andenforcement data that will inform TCMPmanagement’s decision making.Aerial view of the Tobago Cays Marine ParkThe marine portion of the park (95% of thepark’s total 66km 2 area) surrounds fiveuninhabited cays, the island of Mayreau (est.population 280), and three islets.This precious gem has been protected since1987 but did not recognise many of theadvances in management effectiveness andstaff and stakeholder capacity until 2006, oneyear after being selected as an OPAAL 1demonstration project site. Under OPAAL, theTCMP received resources for and technicalassistance in strengthening protected areamanagement, the development of sustainablelivelihood opportunities, and capacity building.As a result, the Park can now boast of1 the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS)Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods (OPAAL)projectExperience brings wisdom to guide the pathforward and the Tobago Cays Marine Park ismoving full steam ahead.The Helen of the West: A beacon ofMarine management Success…SimplySuccessful!For many of us within the Caribbean, and morespecifically within marine science andeducation, the Soufrière Marine ManagementArea (SMMA) and effective co-managementhave become synonymous. The SMMA’ssuccesses stand tall on the pillars of Comanagement,Science, Sustainability andInstitutional Arrangements.The early years saw a very involved multistakeholderconsultation process whichgenerated a sense of ownership. This led to avery stakeholder centric user based zonationplan, where the related user was given prioritywithin each zone. The spatial separation of the2