Assessing the Financial Sustainability of LMMAs
paul baraka
Research Assistant
Amina Haribu, 50 years of age, is a resident of Kisiwa Panza in Pemba, Tanzania, and a member of the local marine management authority, the Kukachoki Collaborative Management Group (CMG). A gleaner by trade, Amina’s involvement with the Kukachoki CMG began in the year 2021-2022 when illegal fishing practices was increasing in Kisiwa Panza. She voluntarily joined the monitoring and patrol team of the area and dedicated her time to tracking individuals engaging in prohibited fishing activity. Since then, she has actively participated in donor and government funded conservation interventions such as mangrove restoration, additionally offering mentorship to other local community members on the collaborative management of marine resources.
Amina can testify to a critical problem faced by CMGs such as hers: limited funding that hinders the sustainability of management interventions. Since the conclusion of a funding agreement between the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Kukachoki CMG, the community-led management authority has been unable to effectively monitor and patrol Kisiwa Pwanza.
“We used to receive boat fuel from FAO, which facilitated effective monitoring. However, since the end of the funding arrangement, patrol activities have been disrupted. Our monitors have been conducting voluntary patrol for 6-10 hours with no pay, which demoralizes most of them. Some end up quitting.
The problem is not unique to the Kukachoki CMG, with the array of local conservation groups across Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) in the Western Indian Ocean faced with the same challenge. With conservation initiatives typically facilitated by time-bound or flexible grants (to governments or local non-governmental organizations), their long-term viability is always at risk.
The sustainable financing of LMMAs aims to secure stable and sufficient long-term financial resources, allocated in a timely manner and appropriate form, to cover the costs of community-based marine management (direct and indirect) and to ensure that LMMAs/other forms of community-based marine management are managed effectively and efficiently with respect to both conservation and any other specified objectives. As community-based approaches to marine and coastal management gain traction with coastal communities across the Western Indian Ocean, the need to secure the financial sustainability of conservation initiatives and interventions becomes paramount.
CORDIO is making the effort to elaborate LMMA financing contexts across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) in order to outline pathways for their long-term sustainability. Sustainable financing assessments help establish requisite financing instruments, priorities and solutions across key nodes of local marine management such as Beach Management Units (in Kenya) and Shehia Fishing Communities (in Tanzania). These assessments reveal conservation finance pathways that can both enhance livelihood opportunities for local community conservation participants and unlock conservation revenue streams. Our investigations contextualize financing structures that can ensure the systematic sustainability of LMMAs in the WIO.
“Tumerithishwa na tuwarithishe.”
“We inherited a clean and healthy ocean from our forefathers. We shall, therefore, engage in sustainable practices for our kids so that they too inherit a clean and healthy ocean.’’ – Ali Shaban Zahor, Kisiwani SFC, Pemba.
The Beach Management Units (BMUs) and Shehia Fishing Communities (SFCs) assessed in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively, have so far have identified potential opportunities for income-generation that can be channelled into sustainable conservation financing. These prospects include business and levies from mangrove restoration, tourism, mariculture and temporary closures. Such schemes are to be implemented as conservation enterprises, with revenue to derive from access and parking fees as well as educational/research tours. Other identified revenue streams include apiculture and trade in blue carbon credit. Apiculture provides a diversified income stream: the communities can establish apiaries in mangroves to leverage natural flora and biodiversity resulting in unique honey production that can be harvested and sold for profit. Additionally, apiculture can be incorporated into eco-tourism endeavours, BMUs and SFUs to offer guided tours and educational programs about bees and their role in ecosystems. Visitors can learn about beekeeping practices while supporting the conservation efforts of the BMUs/SFCs. Beyond offering similar services via their mangrove ecosystems, BMUs and SFCs assessed in Kenya and Tanzania can also leverage their conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems for grants and funding. This funding can help support their overall activities besides conservation.
More photo highlights from the assessment, conducted with my colleague Samson Obiene (striped/grey shirt)
While challenges may always remain in the sustainable financing of LMMAs, close collaboration and commitment from the government (both national and county/district), NGOs working in the communities and private sector can go far in helping optimize what is available. Look out for our complete assessment reports on https://cordioea.net/local-marine-resource-management/sustainable-financing/
Many thanks to the Blue Action Fund and Arcadia fund for funding the activity, and to Mwambao Coastal Community Network Tanzania and Fauna & Flora for technical support.