Case SL-1 Co-management in the Marine Protected Areas in Sierra Leone

【7. Sierra Leone】

Context	Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated areas where communities have exclusive rights and control for conserving their resources. The Scarcies River, Sierra Leone River, Sherbro River, and Yawri Bay were proposed as MPAs in Sierra Leone from 1972. The four proposed areas were officially declared as MPAs by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) in 2012. In 2009, during the implementation of the Institutional Support for Fisheries Management (ISFM) project, the need for community-based management of resources of fisheries in Sierra Leone was identified. Under the MFMR, this project supported the organisation of coastal communities adjacent to the designated four MPAs into Community Management Associations (CMAs), in accordance with the developed MPA establishment and management strategy plan. Following ISFM, the West African Regional Fisheries Management Project (WARFP) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), both funded by the World Bank, aimed to institutionalize coastal communities for sustainable increase in fishing incomes. Moreover, they sought to reduce illegal fishing and increase the local value-added fish products for the benefit of local communities. WARFP/GEF (2012–2018) supported the formation of CMAs and further divided the adjacent fishing communities and villages into clusters across the coastal district. This strategy was recommended for the organisation of coastal communities into clusters of CMAs that would manage the MPAs through a co-management process. These MPAs are expected to eventually graduate into Territorial Use Right Fisheries (TURFs) by the end of WARFP/GEF, where they would have demarcated an area in the coastal marine space adjacent to their communities, granting them full access rights for resource exploitation and management responsibilities.
Content	It was not possible for a limited number of fisheries personnel to manage satisfactorily the fisheries resources in the scattered adjacent villages within the MPAs of the Sierra Leone coastal districts. The fisheries personnel on the ground were aware of this limitation and believed that it was necessary to establish a fisheries resource management system led by the indigenous people of the coastal community. Between 2012 and 2018, WARFP/GEF formed CMAs in all coastal districts under the auspices of the Marine Artisanal Unit of MFMR. WARFP/GEF, in cooperation with MFMR, helped the CMAs establish bylaws at the cluster level and, thereafter, at the district level for better management of resources of fisheries. These bylaws included the following: 1) maintaining clean beaches, 2) maintaining hygiene standards, 3) prohibiting fishing activities in the MPAs, and 4) restricting certain fishing practices in the MPAs, such as regulating fishing nets (with a standard below 45 mm being prohibited). For instance, fishing with hook and line alone is allowed in MPAs. Violators of the bylaws are subject to fines, and 30% of the fines collected from defaulters are allocated to the CMAs for their implementation budget. Additionally, WARFP/GEF and MFMR introduced a participatory fisheries community surveillance team, headed by the Fisheries Officer, along with the CMA members, Marine Police, and Navy personnel, to assist with the territorial usage rights of the adjacent coastal resources. Reports are submitted after each patrol, providing evidence related to violations of community bylaws and conflicts, to prevent or manage them. Furthermore, migrant fishermen are fully involved in community decision-making and co-management of resources of fisheries. They are considered as members of the CMAs as they play a key role in resource management. People from Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, and other countries come to fish and benefit from the resources of Sierra Leone. Some of them have wives and children in the localities where they practice fishing activities. Despite language barriers, meetings are held with different community members to discuss and raise awareness on the issues, bylaws, and the management and preservation measures. At one point, there was a conflict among fishermen along the Sherbro River estuaries. The primary cause of the conflict was that fishermen from the Tombo and Shenge fishing communities were using undersized mesh, which is illegal according to the Acts and Regulations governing fisheries, to catch juvenile fish in the Sherbro River in Bonthe district. The fishermen were from three fishing communities: Tombo, Shenge, and Bonthe. However, the conflict was peacefully handled with assistance from the CMAs of these communities. The CMAs were able to intervene, negotiate, and resolve the crisis. Other initiatives by the CMAs include the introduction of a one-month biological rest period and the reforestation of mangroves in the MPAs. There was a subsequent project (GEF-SL) that substituted the WARFP project after it ended in 2014. Some of the most significant current challenges related to CMAs are as follows: 1) how to strengthen their functions democratically, as there has been no re-structuring or re-election of new CMAs since their establishment, and 2) how to harmonize the by-laws across the country.
Lessons Learned	The case highlights the importance of involving local communities in the management of resources of fisheries. The establishment of CMAs empowered coastal communities in Sierra Leone to accept responsibility for the management of MPAs and fisheries resources. Various initiatives of CMAs demonstrate the benefits of a co-management approach where both government agencies and community-based organisations cooperate to manage fisheries resources. The collaborative approach improves compliance and helps prevent conflicts and violations.
Guideline chapter relevant to this case study	Chapter 2 Establishing and strengthening the resource management implementation system 2.1 Establishing and strengthening resource management organisations 2.3 Strengthening the collaboration between several fishing villages 2.4 Involvement of migrant fishermen 2.6 Securing and managing funds for activities Chapter 3 Implementation of resource management measure 3.1 Resource management measures 3.1.4 Monitoring and control activities
Situation to which this case study could refer	This case study could be referred to in various situations related to the management of MPAs and community-based fisheries resource management, which include the development of effective and inclusive policies that promote sustainable resource management, conflict resolution, and securing funds for fisheries resource management.