Vanuatu - rich & diverse cultural heritage

1. Revival of traditional marine resource management & how this fits in with global MPA targetsFrancis Hickey, Vanuatu Cultural Center-2012

3. Vanuatu - rich & diverse cultural heritage • Some 120 different social/linguistic groups (pop. 250K) • Independent in 1980-Land & Marine tenure in Constitution • Ancestors were ‘natural scientists’-did research & encoded TK & environmental management in oral histories • Rich heritage of traditional governance in communities • Rich corpus of TK associated with environment & resources • Tradition remains a central theme in most peoples lives – “Traditional Economy” =Informal economy of rural areas – 80 % of population • Traditional Resource Management (TRM) strategies central part of cultural norm - includes traditional fishing practices

8. TRM Strategies • includes ‘sacred sites’ • regular area, species & seasonal closures • gear and access restrictions through CMT • behavioral & cultural prohibitions e.g.,totemic affiliations, traditional calendars, custom rules • Monitored & enforced by communities • TRM -holistic, diverse & flexible in contrast to MPAs

9. Equitable distribution of benefits Reinforces traditional governance systems Doesn’t require much technical or outside support-is a tradition! Decentralized system-CBD Highly cost effective & sustainable/holistic More effective than PAs People can manage tabu; >Sustainable Other positive aspects of TRM

10. TRM - a living tradition of resource management as part of ‘kastom’ & CMT • Have closed seasons, species, areas, gear restrictions, size limits, restricted access, etc. • Strategies used in Western management already found in Oceania - and long predate them • Rooted & integrated into the cultural norm (‘tabu’) & strengthens traditional governance systems • Is a living, flexible system that considers socio-cultural, economic & food security links with env. • Doesn’t take Western model of locking up resources for biodiversity protection but overall balance of sustainable resource use; better?!

11. wealth of TK associated with env. & resources to draw upon yet MPAs are typically “science-based” MPA approach may create lopsided relationship with communities; donors control the money, “technical expertise” & prefer to institutionalize a fluid & dynamic system!!! Communities acquiesce to donors to access support Global MPA’s Target Goals in Vanuatu-Melanesian context

12. Global MPA/PA Target Goals in Vanuatu/Melanesian context • “Protected areas are a tried and tested approach that has been applied for centuries to conserve nature and associated cultural resources by local communities, indigenous peoples, governments and private organizations. They remain one of the most diverse and adaptable management & institutional arrangements where commitments can be measured, evaluated and enhanced over time.” • Diverse or single-pronged?!? PA’s primarily being promoted as they are quantifiable for administrative ease & target calculation purposes?!

13. Cont’d • Biodiversity changes can be also easily measured by before & after resource surveys & CPUE studies • Data-less management also effective using cooperative management techniques & combining this awareness with TRM-leave the final decision to communities the best strategies to employ! • PA approach promotes quantity, not always quality-many MPAs too small to be effective • Melanesia-CMT often limits size of MPAs- need work within socio-cultural norms of Oceania-not force Western ‘science-based’ approaches • communities trust their own TK more than science

14. Article 11 - consider • “Protected areas are a tried and tested approach that has been applied for centuries to conserve nature and associated cultural resources….” • BUT the primary indigenous equivalent to long-term/permanent PA’s are ‘Sacred Sites’; • Sacred sites - associated with a spiritual dimension & transgressors sanctioned by ancestral spirits • not the case with science-base MP’s established at a particular site for their biodiversity values! • So MPAs not so clearly linked with tradition • Needstrengthen respect for Sacred Sites!

15. Summary • TRM employs a variety of strategies including CMT (limited access), species, area or seasonal closures, food & behavioral prohibitions, gear restrictions, size limits, etc making it a highly diverse tool box for communities to draw up to fine tune management • Contrasted by the single-pronged PA’s model promoted by donors to achieve seemingly over-ambitious targets (in that we never reach them) • Despite 20+ years of PA creation, biodiversity continues to disappear-wrong prescription?!!! • Must recognize limited capacity of PIC Gov’ts in monitoring/enforcing MPAs in remote archipelagos

16. Summary - cont’d • PA’s tacitly erode & subsume extant traditional tabu’s & other practices that manage resources • PA’s may lead to the erosion of CMT when management/enforcement is turned over to the state or hybridized to require by-laws, etc. • PA’s do not address the ongoing issues of overfishing, pollution, sedimentation, over-development, strip-mining, clear cut logging & deforestation that continues unabated globally & undermines MPA’s biodiversity conservation value! • Need address these issues first not last! • PAs currently consume nearly all donor funds!!!

17. Recommendations • Strengthen and revive land & marine tenure systems - let them decide what strategies best suit them • Support, revive & strengthen TRM practices and not just create MPA’s for administrative ease. One can also measure increases in biodiversity in measures other than in area!!! • Draw more upon community strengths & capacity like traditional governance, TK, data-less & cooperative management and avoid a purley ‘science-based’ PA prescription!

18. Recommendations (Finale!) • We must be mindful of the long-term impact MPA’s are having on Oceania’s TRM heritage & legacy • TRM simply needs acknowledgement, support, strengthening & recognition by donors!!! (KISS) • Simply support the strengthening & revival of TRM, CMT & traditional governance systems!!! • Need to stop diverting all resources to MPAs while eroding TRM-one of the greatest legacy’s of Oceania-it is from the past & for the future

19. Acknowledgments Many thanks to UNU & partners for organizing the session Many thanks to The Christensen Fund for financial support Many thanks to the people of Jeju & Korea for hosting the Congress Tangio tumas!

21. Article 11 cont’d • Sacred sites are respected due to their spiritual quality that are linked with monitoring & sanctioning of transgressors by interventions from the spirit world - hence their strong compliance • Science-based PA’s chosen for their biodiversity qualities have no such spiritual dimension • Enforcement increasingly thru state intervention with by-laws, regulations, etc. - compliance is often low & ‘Paper Parks’ persist to be set up to satisfy requirements to reach PA’s targets! • This is why compliance in MPA’s is problematic • Solution-strengthen respect for sacred sites!!!