Coral reefs face mounting challenges, with many reef ecosystems now in the worst condition since scientists first donned diving masks. Redoubled efforts in climate change mitigation and ecosystem management, characterized by scaled-up investments, innovation, capacity building and greater participation by community and private sectors are all required if we are to give reefs the best chance of surviving this era of rapid global change. Reef Ecologic was established as a non-government organization to facilitate public-private partnerships necessary to address the challenges of contemporary coral reef management and sustainable development. In this seminar we will provide an overview of some of our recent work in Australia and overseas that will be of interest to staff of the GBRMPA, including coral bleaching surveys, tourism infrastructure assessments, assisted reef recovery at Magnetic Island, code of practice for recreational fishers, the Reef Manager’s Guide to Fostering Community Stewardship, management and leadership training for coral reef managers and strategic advice for Reef Trust investments.

1. Working
at
the
public-­‐private
interface
to
improve
the
outlook
for
coral
reefs
Dr
Paul
Marshall
Assoc
Professor
-­‐
University
of
Queensland
Director-­‐
Reef
Ecologic
Dr
Adam
Smith
Director
–
Reef
Ecologic
www.reefecologic.org

2. “ConservaAon
is
not
rocket
science;
Game
et
al.
2014
it
is
far
more
complex.”

3. Coral
reefs
–
unprecedented
challenges
Founda=on
of
sustainable
economy
Reef
management
must
adapt
Ø Investment
Ø Innova=on
Ø Capacity
building
Ø Partnerships
&
par-cipa-on
Key
points

4. Partnerships
–
cornerstone
of
the
Reef
2050
Plan
A
key
principle
outlined
in
the
Plan
is
adop=ng
a
partnership
approach
to
management,
where
decisions
con=nue
to
support
a
wide
range
of
sustainable
economic,
social
and
cultural
ac=vi=es
opportuni=es,
and
management
is
coopera=ve
and
fosters
stewardship
and
strong
community
support.
This
partnership
approach
is
central
to
taking
on
the
challenge
of
implemen=ng
the
Reef
2050
Plan.
AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT
(2015).
Reef
2050
Long-­‐Term
Sustainability
Plan

5. Reef
2050:
Principles
in
decision
making
Maintaining
and
enhancing
outstanding
universal
value
in
every
ac-on
Basing
decisions
on
the
best
available
science
Delivering
a
net
benefit
to
the
ecosystem
Adop-ng
a
partnership
approach
to
management
AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT
(2015).
Reef
2050
Long-­‐Term
Sustainability
Plan

6. GBRMPA:
focus
on
partnerships

7. • Encourages
governments
to
priori=ze
coral
reef
conserva=on
and
sustainable
management…
• Recognizes
that
educa=on,
capacity
building
and
knowledge
transfer
on
the
importance
of
coral
reefs
and
related
ecosystems
is
crucial
• Encourages
Governments….
to
further
develop
public-­‐private
partnerships
with
industry,
including
fisheries,
aquaculture
and
tourism,
and
civil
society,
to
protect
and
sustainably
manage
coral
reefs…...
United
Na=ons
Environment
Programme
(UNEP)
DraT
Resolu=on
on
Sustainable
Management
of
Coral
Reefs

8. Public-­‐private
partnerships
(PPP)
• Share
risks,
share
benefits
How
partnerships
can
help
• Incen=vise
investment
&
stewardship
• Access
exper=se
&
innova=on
• Increase
responsiveness
• Share
the
workload

9. Degrees
of
par=cipa=on
Arnstein’s
Ladder
of
ParAcipaAon
1969

10. Reef
Ecologic
–
Partnering
to
improve
the
outlook
for
coral
reefs
• Ecosystem
services
• Reef
Trust
–
projects
for
private
investment
• Belize
MPA
management
• Maldives
resilience
planning
• Guide
to
Community
Stewardship
• Capacity
Building
• Reef
recovery
• Code
of
prac=ce

11. Services
from
marine
ecosystems
increasingly
important
Healthy
reefs
=
healthy
people
Nature-­‐based
adapta=on
Coral
reefs
key
to
(sustainable)
growth

12. Ecosystem
services:
connec=ng
the
dots
Natural Capital
biodiversity &
ecosystem processes
Wellbeing
economic activity
& non-monetary benefits

13. Natural
capital
(the
building
blocks)
Ecosystem
services
(the
products)
Human
wellbeing
(the
benefits)
Natural
capital
–
the
source
of
ecosystem
services
&
founda=on
of
community
wellbeing

14. Ecosystem
degrada=on
as
a
business
risk
From “Natural Capital at Risk”, KPMG et al 2014

15. Can
ecosystem
services
help
with
GBR
management?
• Catchment
management
&
restora=on
• Reducing
stakeholder
conflict
• Biodiversity
offsets
• Trade-­‐off
decisions

16. Reef
Trust:
Investment
opportuni=es
project
Project
Purpose:
IdenAfy
projects
that
may
be
a[racAve
to
private
investment
to
leverage
Government
funding
and
help
achieve
goals
of
the
Reef
2050
plan.

17. Reef
Trust:
Investment
opportuni=es
project

18. Reef
Trust:
Investment
opportuni=es
project

19. Partnerships
for
management
in
Belize

20. Partnerships
for
management
in
Belize

21. Partnerships
for
management
in
St
Lucia
Fisheries
priority
areas

22. Resilience-­‐based
MSP:
the
Maldives

23. Resilience-­‐based
Management
Increased
Governance
Marine
Protected
Areas
(Government)
Marine
Managed
Areas
(Resorts)
Locally
Managed
Marine
Areas
(Communi=es)
Resilience-­‐based
MSP:
the
Maldives

24. Maldives:
resilience
to
climate
change?
1998
2010
2016

25. Maldives:
Planning
for
social-­‐ecological
resilience

26. Sustainability
through
Stewardship
Reef
Guardian
Program
in
GBR

27. Reef
Guardian
Programs
in
the
Caribbean
Sustainability
through
Stewardship

28. Reef
Guardian
Programs
in
the
Caribbean
Sustainability
through
Stewardship

29. Partnerships
for
capacity
building
Sustainability
through
Stewardship

30. Capacity
building
Coral
reef
management
&
leadership

31. DEPARTMENT
OF
FOREIGN
AFFAIRS
AND
TRADE

35. TRAINING
–
CORAL
REEF
MANAGEMENT
AND
LEADERSHIP
2015
State
Private
Federal
QPWS
REEF
ECOLOGIC
INNER
COMPASS
MARINE
CONSERVATION
FINANCE
DFAT
REDLYNCH
STATE
COLLEGE
QUICKSILVER
PASSIONS
OF
PARADISE
SAILAWAY
GBRMPA
REEF
HQ
CAIRNS
MARINE
AIMS
JCU
NQCC
ABC
HOSTS

36. Numbers
Indicators
Number
Plans
2
Capacity
building
interna=onal
11
people
Presenta=ons-­‐workshops-­‐industry
50
people
+
Time
21
days
Loca=on
North
Queensland
Communica=on
TV,
radio,
newspaper,
social
Sa=sfac=on
8-­‐10/10
Public
funding
$160,000
Private
funding
Est
$250,000

38. ü Community, scientists, industry and government working
together by sharing knowledge, monitoring and taking
action to restore coral reefs to a healthy state around
Magnetic Island
We have a plan to help local reefs

39. Magne=c
Island
5
10
2
Study sites (quadrats) Magnetic Island

40. Nelly
Bay

41. Quadrat
sampling
Research
ques-on
1.
Which
method
is
best
to
remove
macroalgae?
1. Hand
removal
2. Small
tool
removal
2
X
2m
quadrat
-­‐ Before
-­‐ AUer
-­‐ Macroalgae
removed
-­‐ Wt,
number
-­‐ Damage?
-­‐ Other?

42. What
will
success
look
like?
Individual
• Learns
skills
• Have
fun
• Changed
behaviour
Project
• 100
divers
in
year
1
• 2
science
projects
• 500
kg
macroalgae
removed
• Percentage
cover
of
coral
increased

43. REEF
RECOVERY
AT
MAGNETIC
ISLAND
2016
State
Private
Federal
PORT
OF
TOWNSVILLE
REEF
ECOLOGIC
Consultants
GBRMPA
REEF
HQ
TOWNSVILLE
LMAC
MAGNETIC
ISLAND
STATE
SCHOOL
SEALINK
QLD
BUNGALOW
BAY
AIMS
JCU
AUIP

44. Numbers
Indicators
Number
Plans
3
Capacity
building
interna=onal
&
local
94
(10)
people
Research
6
days
Environment
64
sq
m
habitat,
62
kg
seaweed
Communica=on
TV,
radio,
newspaper,
social
Sa=sfac=on
8-­‐10/10
Public
funding
$1000
Private
funding
Est
$30,000

46. 1. Desktop*
• Literature*review*
• Tabulate*fishing*COPs*
• Tabulate*best*prac=ce*COPs*
• March*2016*
2.*Expert*panel*mee=ng**
• Feedback*on*report*1*
• Workshop*COP*messages,*
audiences*and*products*
• May*2016*
3.*Consulta=on/Agreement*
process*
• List*of*stakeholders*and*
recommended*process*
• DraN*COP*products*and*
feedback*from*fishers*
• July*2016*
4.*Final*COP*product*suitable*for*
communica=on*strategy**
• October*2016*
Na=onal*Recrea=onal*Fishing*Code*of*Prac=ce*Project*

47. Effec=veness
of
a
COP

48. The
Power
of
Partnerships

49. Next
steps
Founda=on
Document
Simple
messages
Exis=ng
COP,
COC,
COE
and
best
prac=ces
Partnerships
Consulta-on
Products
Resources
Champions
Launch
Measurement-­‐
Relevance,
Currency,
Review

51. CODE
OF
PRACTISE
FOR
RECREATIONAL
FISHERS
2016
State
Private
Federal
QLD
FISHERIES
NSW
DPI
REEF
ECOLOGIC
C2O
CONSULTING
BYOGUIDES
RYAN
DONNELLY
DAWR
AFMA
GBRMPA
ARFF
BIAA
WWF
FRDC
(INDUSTRY)
FRDC
(GOVERNMENT)
AFTA

52. PARTNERSHIP
LESSONS
1. Iden=fy
idea,
PARTNER
and
COST-­‐BENEFIT
• Priority,
opportuni=es,
values,
scope,
risk,
KPIs
• Private
do
significant
‘Pro-­‐bono’
• Private
can
be
innova=ve,
fast,
adap=ve
and
efficient
2. FRAMEWORK
• Planning
is
key
• Communica=on
plan
• Adap=ve
3. CONTRACT-­‐
• People,
roles,
milestones
and
budget
• Tender?
4. REVIEW

53. Capacity
building
Sustainable
ac=vi=es
Coopera=ve
management
Community
support
Habitat
restora=on
Local
business
Posi=ve
media
$
1:1.5
-­‐30
ra=o

54. Reef
ecosystems
under
pressure
Wellbeing
&
economies
depend
on
reefs
Management
challenges
Investment,
innova=on,
capacity
Partnerships
Summary
paul.marshall00@gmail.com

55. Ques=ons
and
informa=on
www.reefecologic.com.au

56. Raw
data
Loca-on
Before
%
algae
AUer
%
algae
Weight
(kg)
Number
Picnic
67.5
7.5
10.8
256
Arthur
45
7.3
16.8
143
Arthur
45
5
5.6
99
Nelly
31.25
5
10.2
367
Nelly
23.5
6.25
11
278
Nelly
37.5
7.5
7.8
135
Averages
41.6
6.4
10.3
213