An Overview Of Our Solution
Reef to Ridge
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Océanie
Describe the problem
Coral reefs around Vanuatu's Pele Island are threatened by ongoing outbreaks of corallivorous Crown of Thorns starfish (Acanthaster Planci). Active removal of the COTs is time and energy intensive. Our impoverished islanders have little incentive to altruistically cleanup COTs as they need to spend time generating income. Our solution was to develop a valuable COT value added product: composted COT fertilizer. To increase soil fertility, the removed COT is converted into rich mulch for planting food trees and crops, thus enhancing food security in the face of climate change. Proceeds from fertilizer product sales are used to pay Islanders to collect more COTs from the reef. Our solution is a win-win for coral reefs, local incomes, food security and climate change adaptation.
Biodiversity Impact
Pele Islanders focus heavily on marine resources for income generation. Alternative sources of income are few due to the small land area of the island. Traditionally local fisheries were sustainable due to the subsistence nature of the activity for local consumption. Today however local fishermen are bringing their catch to markets in Vanuatu's capital city, exerting never before experienced pressure on the island's fishery. To supplement low incomes, this heavy fishing pressure extends from reef fish to reef-cleaning giant clams, to COT-eating Triton conchs. Local fish stocks (and general reef health) have been declining markedly, and although islanders recognize the problem, financial pressures on the impoverished population create perverse incentives to continue over-harvesting. Our solution breaks the cycle of over-harvesting by providing an alternative source of income, and putting an economic value on a corallivorous species (crown of thorns starfish) that would otherwise be left untouched to destroy local reefs. Removing the crown of thorns starfish is alternative and income generating activity in contrast to over-harvesting fin and shellfish. Local fishermen are happy because they maintain their traditional fishing livelihoods, but simply change the focus of their harvest. This shift keeps fish and reef populations intact, reef ecosystems healthy and at the same time relieves ecological damages caused by the COTs.
While global warming is considered a global threat, its impacts are felt locally. Rising sea temperatures (and associated coral beaching events) are making Pele Island's reefs less resilient to other direct threats. The most severe threat to our reefs is overharvest from fishermen seeking to sell products to an ever-growing population in the capital city. Fishermen use a variety of unsustainable gears, and islanders are slowly but steadily destroying the biodiversity of the reef ecosystem. To earn money, fishermen are collecting fin fish with coral breaking nets and spear guns, and smashing the reef with crowbars to collect giant clams and octopus. One of the most valuable reef products now harvested is the triton's trumpet conch, which is sold into the tourist curio trade. Removing the conch puts the reefs in double jeopardy as this species is a natural predator of the crown of thorns starfish. Our solution protects biodiversity by providing an alternative harvest focus for local fishermen (crown of thorns starfish) leaving the most important biodiversity on the reef (fish, clams, octopus and conchs). Most importantly for reef biodiversity is our solution's direct removal of the crown of thorns starfish which eats most of the over 350 species of coral growing on Pele's coral reefs. Finally, by giving fishermen a relatively easy target, there is less need to use destructive fishing gears for harvest. Crown of thorns are harvested by gently lifting them off the reef with bamboo tongs with no damage to the reef or other organisms (unlike nets or spear guns). // Nguna and Pele Islands lie of the North coast of Vanuatu's principle island of Efate. Local fishermen routinely access reefs in an area approximately of 2500 hectares. Outbreaks of COTs in Vanuatu cover substantially more, with up to 40% of the nations coral reefs affected. We developed our crown of thorns eradication and fertilizer product solution in July of 2010. It has now been successfully applied for over one year. The entire population of Pele has benefited directly through this solution (4 villages and 300 people) as well as the member communities of the Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network (16 villages and 3500 people), and the wider population of the North Efate Area (10,000+ people in 35 villages). Once our solution proved successful, other fishing communities with crown of thorns starfish problems began engaging in the activity. Through the conservation networks already established by local communities on the islands of Nguna, Moso, Emao and Efate, the Pele Island innovation has been rapidly replicated. Because the solution has little no set up costs, and builds on cultural practice and conservation aspirations, it is very easily disseminated to even the most remote and under resourced communities.
Replicability
How many years has your solution been applied? 1 year // Have others reproduced your solution elsewhere? Yes // The Pele Island Forestry Association has built a forest nursery and composting facility in the center of Pele Island. Endemic fruit tree species are grown there including citrus and tamarind, which are provided to local farmers as part of a food security and climate change adaptation initiative. Because they island’s soils are sandy and inadequate for seedling growth, a composting facility was established to increase soil fertility. Thus crown of thorn starfish are harvested on the reef and brought to this facility for conversion into fertilizer. A full time nursery technician is responsible for the physical management of the composting process. The Forestry Association and its executive committee take decisions and manage finances related to the nursery and compost products.
Human Well Being and Livelihood Impact
Our solution is particularly novel in its human-centered focus on marine conservation and reef adaptation to climate change. In total over 10,000 people have been direct beneficiaries from this solution. It is often difficult for villagers to engage in conservation activities (even if they support them ideologically) because most of their time and energy must be spent earning income or searching for food and materials for the family. While cleanup campaigns and volunteer programs are essential, they are limited in scope because they do not provide a sustainable and long term engagement. We bridge the gap between conservation and economics. When fishermen remove crown of thorns from the reef, they are paid for their time through the sales of the COT fertilizer product. Farmers save money too by purchasing the COT fertilizer in lieu of expensive fertilizers imported from overseas. The outcome of the fertilizer use on local crops is more agricultural productivity on the island and increased food security in the face of climate change. Finally, our solution offers fishermen the opportunity to maintain their reef-going way of life. Elsewhere, fishermen are being forced to look for other-unrelated forms of employment, often with breakdowns in fishing culture and social ties. But by finding a niche market for a previously unharvested (and ecologically dangerous) species like the COT we have enabled income generation, cost savings, food security, reef ecosystem conservation and the maintenance of traditional livelihoods and cultural fishing practices. // Communities on Pele Island are members of a long-term community-based conservation network called the Nguna-Pele Marine and Land Protected Area Network. This network serves as a coordination body among individual community protected areas. The network is wholly ni-Vanuatu managed and implemented, and sits under the traditional chiefly systems of the island. As a major focus of the protected area network is on area reefs and reef conservation, the COT fertilizer solution is a key demonstration activity of the network. The Network meets monthly to discuss conservation-related issues, including providing steering and guidance to the COT initiative. This network is the first of its kind in Vanuatu and demonstrates the commitment of the people of Nguna and Pele Islands to sustainable resources management. Under the umbrella of the NPMLPA Network is the Pele Island Forestry Association, which has established the COT composting facility for use in its climate adaptation forest nursery. The Forestry Association physically governs the compost process, and makes decisions regarding the collection, storage and conversion of COTs to soil fertilizer. The NPMLPA Network is officially recognized by the Vanuatu government and plays an important role in disseminating novel conservation ideas and practices to other communities throughout the archipelago.