Executive Summary Application And Implementation Of A

Executive Summary
Application And Implementation Of A Conservation Action
Planning Methodology (Developed By The Nature Conservancy) At
The Boquerón Wildlife Refuge
The Interdisciplinary Center for Coastal Studies
(CIEL, Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios del Litoral)
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Submitted to:
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER)
San Juan, Puerto Rico
September 29, 2010
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Introduction
Over the past 10 years, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER)
have engaged in an active process of planning and development of management plans for
the 37 protected areas under its jurisdiction. Most of the plans have been developed in a
collaborative effort between the DNER and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), through a sub-contractor. The University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez,
through the Interdisciplinary Center for Coastal Studies (CIEL, Centro Interdisciplinario de
Estudios del Litoral), has contributed to the process, facilitating the participation of the
stakeholders in the preparation of the plans, through a consultation process. In the last five
years, the DNER, jointly with its partners, developed three management plans for the
following MPAs: Desecheo Island Marine Reserve, Tres Palmas Marine Reserve, and Canal
Luis Peña Natural Reserve. The following plans are in the works: La Parguera Natural
Reserve Management Plan, Caja de Muertos Natural Reserve, Bahía Mosquito Natural
Reserve and Mona Island Natural Reserve.
This history has been characterized by a planning strategy, the formulation of priorities,
capacity building and the transfer of information on a number of methodologies for the
enhancement of the management of protected areas. DNER staff received capacity building
in the socio-economic monitoring of communities related to coral reefs, known as SocMon,
and the incorporation of a comprehensive strategy for the development of conservation
measures, the Conservation Area Planning methodology (CAP), developed by The Nature
Conservancy. The DNER Division of Reserves and Refuges, jointly with NOAA and The
Nature Conservancy participated in the capacity building of administrators, protected area
managers and consultants, on the application of the Conservation Area Planning (CAP)
methodology (in Antigua, West Indies, April 2008 and La Parguera, Puerto Rico, June
2008). The objectives were: to train DNER staff and consultants on the use of the software
(a workbook on a Microsoft Excel© platform), and to stimulate managers to use the
methodology on their protected areas.
The DNER identified the wildlife refuge Refugio de Vida Silvestre Iris L. Alameda Martínez
(RVSILAM), in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, in Southwest Puerto Rico, as a high priority for the
application of the CAP methodology. The operational and management plan of this needed
a revision, due to the dramatic changes that the region experienced, in terms of urban
development, population growth, resource use and the increase in the number of pressures
on the surrounding habitats and resources (see Chabert et al 1982).
This report presents a summary of the activities and data sources developed by the
application of the CAP methodology at the wildlife refuge Refugio de Vida Silvestre Iris L.
Alameda Martínez (RVSILAM), in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo, in Southwest Puerto Rico. This
information will pave the way for a successful development and implementation of a
management plan, through a thorough review of the existing, but dated, management plan.
The refuge is one of the protected areas in a corridor of important coastal and marine
habitats, and protected areas of varied nature.
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Project Goal and Objectives
The main goal of this project consisted in the application and implementation of the
Conservation Area Planning methodology at the Boquerón Wildlife Refuge, to gather,
organize and use the best available information for the conservation, preservation and
restoration of the refuge. The CAP methodology has been tested in Latin America (TNC
2007) and the Caribbean region, and the procedures employed throughout the Caribbean
region were applied to the Boquerón case. Overall, the application and implementation of
the CAP methodology requires the following: coordination with the MPA officer, development
and implementation of a stakeholder’s consultation process, data mining, meetings with
stakeholders (resource users, scientists, researchers, staff) and the analysis of the data in
reports (based on tables and measures provided by the software) for its export, and
importation into a management plan or an operational plan.
The following table presents a list of the objectives formulated in the proposal, and the status
of their achievement:
Objectives
Current Status
To gather pertinent information
needed for theCAP process
To administer and implement the
CAP process
To fill the data and information
needs of the CAP through expert
opinion analysis and other
techniques
To discuss the results of the CAP
process with staff and scientists
of the DNER, TNC and FWS
Completed
Present a report on the results,
with recommendations for the
management plan for the
Completed:
A preliminary report
Comments
Completed
Completed
Interviews and focus groups produced
a large amount of data that has been
distilled into concrete synthesis of
recommendations.
Pending
This activity will be achieved through a
two-day workshop, to be held when all
the information from the focus groups
is processed. At the present time we
have a synthesis of the data and
recommendations.
A full report will be completed when all
the data is analyzed.
RVSILAM
To achieve the goal and objectives of the project, our team (CIEL-UPRM & DNER) designed
and implemented a five-step approach:
(1) Development of a planning (working) group for the CAP for 2009-2010. A team with
members of the academia (CIEL, Departments of Biology and Marine Sciences at UPRM),
independent scientists and researchers, DNER staff, FWS and planners, and a manager of
one of the protected areas of the Division of Reserves and Refuges. Following the CAP
methodology recommendation, our team selected the following members: (i) A project leader
who understands the methodology, and can be responsible for the quality of the end
product, (ii) Biologists with expertise in the area and the target resources, (iii) a GIS expert to
organize the data geographically, (iv) Social scientists (members of the CIEL Team) with
expertise on environmental issues, resource users and the historical and social trends of the
region, (v) An administrative office to manage the finances (purchases, contracts) of the
process, (vi) Planners from the DNER. The team will develop the work plan for the year,
and the activities for the mining and gathering of the information needed for the CAP.
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Name
Agency
Expertise
José Chabert
Oscar Díaz
Ernesto Otero
Lisamarie Carruba
Darién López
Francisco Rosario
Herbert Raffaele
Michelle Schärer
Idelfonso Ruíz
DNER
USFWS
UPRM
NOAA
DNER
Business
USFWS
CIEL
DNER
Management, botany, ecology and planning
Environmental Sciences
Chemical Oceanography
Fisheries Ecology
Limnology, management and fisheries
Recreational fishing
Ornithology and resource management
Marine ecology
Marine Ecology and management
(2) Data mining. Information for the support of this project was mined at various libraries
(UPRM, DNER, and Internet sources, with access to scientific articles, reports, archival data,
and newspaper clippings.
(3) Incorporation of SocMon Data. One of the key components of the CAP methodology
consists of the incorporation of the knowledge, information and perceptions of the
communities surrounding (and using) a protected area. This analysis benefitted from the
implementation of a socioeconomic monitoring project at the RVSILAM. Interviews with
stakeholders, focus groups with community members and analysis of historical data
produced information critical for the management plan. In fact, the SocMon Report for the
wildlife refuge will feed most of the RVSILAM management plan sections on the sociodemographic components of the region.
(4) USFWS funded, under a different proposal, a socioeconomic project to assess the needs
and perceptions of the most important group of users of the reserve: fowl hunters. The
information from that study, carried by the Center for Applied Social Research (CISA UPRM,
Centro de Investigación Social Aplicada) with the collaboration of the CIEL, is providing
critical information for the CAP process.
(5) The CAP Process. Our team, after the examination of the existing data, identified the
following potential variables for analysis and discussion: conservation objects, ecological
attributes, natural range of variation, pressures on the ecosystem and resources, sources of
pressure and stress, the human context, strategies to tackle the problems, institutional and
community capabilities for conservation, measures of success in conservation, among
others (TNC 2006).
(4) Request for additional information. Based on the data mining and the administration of
the CAP process, the team will identify the data gaps, and will design a methodology to fill
the gaps, through additional information search, consultation with the established
committees, and to engage in meeting with experts and stakeholders to obtain the needed
information and request from them a valuation of the different variables incorporated in the
CAP analysis.
(5) Preparation of a report on the results. The report will contain recommendations for the
outline and information to be included in the revised management plan for the Boquerón
Wildlife Refuge.
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Pending activities
(A two day workshop of the participants, with DNER staff and FWS and TNC observers to
present the findings, the valuation of processes, and the results of the CAP analysis, for a
review and critique. This activity will be re-scheduled for early 2011, and funded by CIEL.
An On-Going Process
Conservation Area Plans, as well as management plans for protected areas take a great
amount of time and effort, from the MPA’s staff, as well as from the stakeholders,
contractors-partners and the agency personnel. We expect that the application and
implementation of the CAP provides us with a more rational and precise tool for the
management of the refuge, through the systematic establishment of priorities, development
of strategies, recommendations for decision making, and measurement of success, based
on the best available data. The CIEL team will continue with the analysis of the information,
and will provide the DNER with an Excel matrix containing the CAP variables, and the
measurement of the levels of importance and priorities.
Results
The results of the application of the CAP methodology to the RVSILAM are spelled out in the
report Informe Final del Plan de Conservación de Área, written in Spanish, due to the nature
of the information gathered, and the functionality to its incorporation into a management or
operational plan for the refuge. The report is presented as a separate document. In this
executive summary we present the outstanding findings of the CAP process. Each finding is
backed by a wealth of qualitative information gathered at the meetings of the working group.
Although the information presented here appears to be schematic, it is the result of a
thorough data mining process, and discussions and debates from members of the team,
who also contributed with (a) concrete information, (b) references, and (c) a rationale for the
selection of the conservation targets, threats, stakeholders, conservation goals and
conservation strategies. Each item selected by the working team represents a distilled
process, a priority and a mandate for the management and conservation of the resources
and habitats represented at the RVSILAM.
Conservation targets and threats
Conservation targets (equivalent to key protected area values): Focal conservation targets are a limited
suite of species, communities, and ecological systems that are chosen to represent and encompass the
biodiversity found in the project area. They are the basis for setting goals, carrying out conservation
actions, and measuring conservation effectiveness. In theory – and hopefully in practice – conservation
of the focal targets will ensure the conservation of all native biodiversity within functional landscapes
(The Nature Conservancy 2007).
The coastal wetland, habitats and species represented at the RVSILAM feature a wide
range of options for the development of a conservation strategy. The Working Group
selected those who are critically, and that require immediate action on behalf of the DNER.
For each conservation target, selected as per the criteria indicated by TNC (2007), the team
also matched, after lengthy discussions, the threats. Threats are defined as:
The proximate human activities or processes that have caused, are causing, or may cause the
destruction, degradation, and/or impairment of biodiversity targets (e.g., unsustainable fishing or
logging). Direct threats are synonymous with sources of stress and proximate pressures. Threats can
be past (historical), ongoing, and/or likely to occur in the future. As discussed later, natural phenomena
are also regarded as direct threats in some situations (Salafsky et al 2008).
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The conservation targets identified for the RVSILAM, by the Working Group, are the
following:
For each conservation target, the Working Team identified the threats and the rationale for
the selection. Information on priorities will be part of the information that the CIEL team will
provide the DNER, along with the qualitative information on the discussions. There is, in the
raw data collected, a wealth of detail and information for each target, threat and strategy.
Each strategy was thoroughly discussed by the Working Group, and the recordings of the
meetings and transcripts, serve as archival information, for the preparation of the
management plan, or any other documentation on the operation of the refuge. The next
section of this executive summary, synthesized the information on the threats and the
strategies.
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Conservation Targets, Threats and Strategies
Mangroves: The RVSILAM is characterized by a dense mangrove forest, that shapes the
coastal landscape of the area and provides an important habitat for the marine and estuarine
biodiversity. Protecting the mangrove forest, as a critical habitat is important to maintaining
the integrity and health of all habitats in the refuge.
Targets Mangroves Threats Strategies Global warming Monitoring Water quality and quantity Conservation measures Invasive species An erradication strategy 8
Waterfowl: The gradient of habitats at the RVSILAM, from inland, to the coastal areas
dominated by the mangrove forest, and shoreline, is an important area for a diversity of
resident and visiting birds. Birds are the main economic resource of the refuge, due to
hunting. Keeping a healthy amount of birds in the refuge is desirable for biological,
conservation and economic reasons.
Targets Threats Strategies Growth of typha Restoration of habitat functionality (nursery) Water quality and quantity Conservation and management measures Invasive species An erradication strategy Food availability Develop "food plots" Waterfowl 9
Recreational hunting: The gradient of habitats at the RVSILAM, from inland, to the coastal
areas dominated by the mangrove forest, and shoreline, is an important area for a diversity
of resident and visiting birds. Birds are the main economic resource of the refuge, due to
hunting. Keeping a healthy amount of birds in the refuge is desirable for biological,
conservation and economic reasons.
Targets Threats Strategies Predation from invasive species Monitoring Water quality and quantity Conservation measures Invasive species An erradication strategy Growth of mangroves Prunning Recreational hunting Number of hunters Carrying capacity analysis and implementation of results Amenities: boardwalks, trails and blinds 10
Water: The RVSILAM contains a number of water-based habitats in the coast, that have a
connection with the marine waters, as well as a connection with the inland wetlands, such as
Cartagena Laggon. The system was also connected to the thalweg, creeks and the seasonal
flooding that made the inland region from Boquerón to the Guánica Laggon (to the East) a
large wetland. Water is the main element here, and a challenge in conservation and
management. The health and physical integrity of local flooding-prone, poor communities
surrounding the refuge depend on the management of water.
Targets Threats Strategies Sedimentation Dikes and management Salinity Water quality monitoring Contamination from the old garbage dump Water Impacts from local communities Education program for the local communities Discharges from Boquerón water treatment plant Lack of appropriate connections in the irrigation system 11
Re-­‐engineering of the system Marshes: The RVSILAM is an area dominated by water, and by wetlands in the inland
portion of the refuge. As stated before, the refuge contains a number of water-based
habitats that are connected to marshes and the Cartagena Laggon. The marshes are a
critical habitat for a number of bird species.
Targets Threats Strategies Water management: Water quantity and quality Lack of a buffer zone with the surrounding urban growth Dredging, Elimination of obstacles to water Plow Municipal and regional planning (and zoning) Marshes Sedimentation Lack of diversity in the vegetation 12
A planting strategy Scenic value: The highly impacted and managed landscape of the RVSILAM, presents a
number of features (natural and artificial, such as amenities) of high scenic value for the
visitors: trails, a view from the wetland, a panoramic view of the mangrove, the channels and
clam waters of the refuge, and others.
Targets Threats Strategies Channels and use of water crafts Access to the different areas Boardwalks Signage An interpretative program Trash Daily operations Lack of view due to vegetation Prunning of the mangrove area, and other vegetation Scenic value 13
Fisheries: Recreational and subsistence fishing are important economic activities for the
local population and visitors to the refuge. In the future, recreational fishing may be an
important source of revenues for the management of the area. Local fishers, mostly
mangrove oyster harvesters, use the shoreline area to gather the bivalve Cassostrea
rhizophorae, an important item in the gastronomy of the Boquerón area.
Targets Threats Lack of enforcement Fisheries Strategies Improve Enforcement Open access to the refuge Enforcement Water contamination Water management Health of the stocks Restoration of the habitat functionality (as a nursery area) Poaching Enforcement 14
Fishes: The local fishery depends, of course, on the biodiversity of fish and shellfish found
in the area. These species depend, for their health and survival on a number of
management actions due to the fact that fishing is only one of the many threats they face at
the RVSILAM.
Targets Threats Strategies Poaching Enforcement Water quality and quantity Water management and channel maintenance Fishes Obstructed channels Food 15
Water management and channel maintenance Restoration of the habitat functionality (as a nursery area) Manatees: Once a keystone species of the coastal and estuarine Caribbean waters, this
marine mammal is now a threatened species protected by Federal and Commonwealth law.
Manatees are exposed to a number of anthropogenic threats that contribute to the
diminution of its population. The mangrove area of the RVSILAM is an important habitat for
this species, in terms of food and protection.
Targets Threats Strategies Enforcement Boat trafPic Manatees Education to visitors Food Conservation measures Freshwater availability Water management 16
References:
Bunce, L., P. Townsley, R. Pomeroy, and R. Pollnac. 2000. Socioeconomic Manual for
Coral Reef Management. Australian Institute of Marine Sciences
Chabert, J., A. Molinares, I.J. Rodríguez. 1982. Plan para el manejo del Refugio de Aves
de Boquerón. Technical report, Department of natural and Environmental Resources.
Granizo, T., M.E. Molina, E. Secaira, B. Herrera, S. Benítez, O. Maldonado, M. Libby, P.
Arroyo, and M. Castro. 2006. Manual de Planificación para la Conservación de Áreas,
PCA. Quito, The Nature Conservancy and USAID.
Salafsky, N. Daniel Salzer, Alison J. Stattersfield, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Rachel Neugarten,
Stuart H. M. Butchart, Ben Collen, Neil Cox, Lawrence L. Master, Sheila O'Connor, David
Wilkie. 2008. A Standard Lexicon for Biodiversity Conservation: Unified Classifications of
Threats and Actions. Conservation Biology, Volume 22, Issue 4, pages 897–911, August
2008
The Nature Conservancy (2007) Conservation Action Planning: Developing Strategies,
Taking Action, and Measuring Success at Any Scale. Overview of Basic Practices Version:
February 2007.
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