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Rest of the world
RNRRS legacy

Research reports for Caribbean

Fisheries: what's not measured can't be managed
Basic tools to collect and record information on fisheries, designed specifically for developing countries, can now be downloaded from the internet. Previously, assessing fisheries was expensive, time-consuming and needed to be done by experts. This left 70% of the world's fisheries badly managed and seriously threatened. Now, using these tools and with a little training, fisheries managers can work out what is happening in a fishery. Using this information, they can then develop plans that take into account not only the physical resources, but the social, economic and environmental aspects as well. Fisheries managers, fishers and community groups in the Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Kenya, Vietnam, India and the Caribbean have already proven these tools' value. FAO is championing their use in the Atlantic and hundreds of copies of the software have been downloaded all over the world. (Ref: FMSP05)
Keeping watch on agrochemicals
New tools are helping Caribbean countries introduce effective controls on agrochemicals. A policy and management strategy document provides key recommendations. A toolkit for National Plans of Action supports national level implementation within the regional strategy and to satisfy international regulations. Although, these documents were developed in the Caribbean, they are generic and can be applied more widely in other developing countries and to African and Pacific States faced with the threat of losing market access to Europe. The tools are used extensively throughout the Caribbean, promoted by regional organisations. Nationally, implementation of the strategy has spread from two countries in 2003 to eight (St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Dominica, Antigua, Belize, Jamaica and St. Lucia) in 2006. (Ref: NRSP11)
Policy reforms lead to improved livelihoods
New guidelines show how to promote integrated pro-poor natural resource management, supporting sustainable traditional and alternative livelihoods, in the coastal zones of the Caribbean. Previously, there was a large gap between existing policy and its implementation, and these guidelines aim to help fill this gap. The central point is collaboration and partnerships among key stakeholders to carry out activities to cut poverty through better livelihoods for the poor. Community Based Sustainable Tourism (CBST) is an example of a framework within which natural resource based livelihood options - fishing, farming, agro-processing and tourism - are considered. The guidelines are in use in Belize and Grenada. In St. Lucia, the Heritage Tourism Programme used the findings to validate some of their own priorities. (Ref: NRSP10)
Promoting the use of research in coastal resource management
A communication strategy to promote integrated and equitable (pro-poor) coastal resource management and development is responding to the needs of different stakeholder groups. It's vital to transfer the lessons, methods and tools gained from field experience and research projects in ways that influence policies and practice. The process used in this multi-stakeholder strategy focuses on the identification, testing and dissemination of a series of products (like policy briefs, presentations, posters, websites, courses) and pathways (like meetings, community events, ministerial briefings), each tailored to the different needs of the different stakeholders. The strategy was developed in the Caribbean and although until now it is only used in the region, the experience gained is applicable in similar locations around the world. (Ref: NRSP07)
199 suggestions for adding trees to farms
A method has been developed to collate practical information about the benefits of trees and how best to integrate them on farmland - and to transfer this knowledge to farmers. Central to this was the 'Central American Trees Sourcebook' produced by the project, which covers 199 tree species popular with farmers. It also identifies the native tree species best suited for different uses, such as living fences and perennial crops. Also available are decision-support tools and a digital image library useful to extensionists. The Sourcebook is being used widely in Central America, and over 1400 extensionists and farmer leaders have already been trained to use it. A website is also used for dissemination. Such a successful approach could be applied in many other regions of the world. (Ref: FRP09)
Quick, accurate tests identify plant diseases
Easy-to-use test kits now help laboratory staff in developing countries diagnose diseases rapidly. The traditional tests are expensive and time-consuming. This means that diseases, such as bacterial wilt in potato, groundnut and tomato, and leaf spot in banana, are often not correctly detected, or not detected in time. So, crop losses from these diseases in Africa and Asia are devastating. Now, laboratories in Mauritius, Malaysia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Trinidad use cost-effective kits to detect these diseases quickly and accurately. The design of the kits takes into account the often poor conditions in these laboratories. The tests have great potential for certifying crops for export and import, as well for meeting food safety standards. Many plant pathology laboratories around the world have already asked for them. (Ref: CPP79)
Firm foundations for future development
Various linked projects have been working to provide firm foundations for livelihood-improving efforts to manage forests and land in upper water catchments. Known as the FRP-FLOWS studies, the projects are providing in-country government departments in Grenada, South Africa, Tanzania, Costa Rica and India with much-needed facts and policy-guiding information. They've also been demonstrating that hydrological models like HYLUC, SWAT and ACRU really do work. Outputs from the projects include workshops for ministers and policy briefs that give decision makers key insights into payment for environmental services schemes. The projects have also developed a new dissemination tool known as EXCLAIM, as well as the so called 'Rapid Quadrant' approach - which is helping in the design of new interventions in 100 watersheds in support of two $200-million World Bank-funded watershed development projects. (Ref: FRP31)
Managing fisheries when there's not much data
Tapping into fishers' knowledge opens the door to a wealth of data. This is invaluable in fisheries where there may be very little information or no records at all. As new fisheries are still being discovered in less-developed countries - and there's very little information about many existing fisheries - asking fishers to share their knowledge helps managers quickly weigh up the state of a fishery. In Namibia, Zanzibar, the Galapagos, Kenya, India, Gabon, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and the Seychelles fishers have shared important information with scientists, managers and stakeholders and helped develop plans for fisheries. Namibia, St Helena and Tonga have adopted precautionary management based on fishers' knowledge, and the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago are planning to adopt this approach too. (Ref: FMSP06)
Practical hints for user-friendly field guides
Foresters, botanists, herbalists, park managers and many others often have to prepare simple handouts, leaflets, guides, posters and public information materials about plants and trees. Now, a new manual gives them practical hints on how to tailor information materials to particular audiences. Plus, there's a website where they can find information to help identify flora and download copyright-free pictures. Semi-literate villagers in southwest Ghana could name 80% of the trees in the forest after just a short session with a farmer-friendly photo guide prepared with the help of the manual. Before, they could name less than 5%. In Sierra Leone and Tanzania, other guides are also already in use. (Ref: FRP45)
Cascading knowledge: training fisheries trainers
Programmes to train trainers can cascade knowledge and skills through a system quickly and strengthen independence - there's no longer the need to rely on trainers from outside. So, to boost skills in fish stock assessment and fisheries management, workshops were held to develop cores of trained people. The trainee trainers also received quality training materials, such as presentations, course outlines and guides to writing fisheries management plans, to help them pass on their knowledge and skills to others. Leading national training centres - universities, and national training and research institutes - in East Africa, South East and South Asia, and the Caribbean are now using the training materials in formal courses. Plus, the materials are also widely used and spreading in grass-roots training. (Ref: FMSP12)
Floating traps help small fishers catch large fish
High-value ocean fish such as tuna have previously been difficult or impossible for Pacific, Indian Ocean and Caribbean islanders and coastal fishermen to catch. But the near-shore reef fisheries on which these fishers depend are overexploited. Now, floating traps help them catch deep-sea fish and tap into under- or less-exploited resources. The traps withstand strong ocean currents and are widely used in the South Pacific, East Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and Reunion. Governments in several South Pacific states and Zanzibar, and development agencies in Tanzania now include these traps in their development plans. Sport fishing and organic trade organisations have also shown interest, and the use of traps is expected to spread, potentially benefiting many more fishers and coastal communities. (Ref: FMSP11)

RNRRS legacy: Rest of the World

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