Enforcement

Marine protected areas are only useful management tools if they are actually protected. PIMPAC and its partners recognize that effective enforcement of MPA's is a critical component to improving management. This is a new area that PIMPAC has just recently began investing in and the first Micronesian MPA Compliance and Enforcement Workshop was held in Palau March 28-April 2 2011.

The focus of the first workshop will be:

1) Sharing how others Micronesia and the wider Pacific approach compliance and enforcement activities, along with common success and challenges;

2) Learning or refreshing important compliance and enforcement skills and approaches, and;

3) Developing site plans and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for specific locations in order to achieve compliance and enforcement goals.

Over the period of the Palau workshop, participants will have the opportunity to share experiences and lessons in enforcing conservation rules and regulations in their respective areas.  Successes and particular challenges will be highlighted and discussed, along with potential solutions/strategies that applied at local sites.  To enhance the skills of conservation officers, a basic course in “Marine Law Enforcement 101” will be offered by professional marine law enforcement officers from the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (DAWR) Law Enforcement Section.  Additionally, principles and exercises in marine safety and survival for conservation officers will be taught. 

During the conclusion of the workshop, participants will be provided the opportunity to begin or review existing elements of a Compliance and Enforcement Plan for a site or program in their home jurisdiction.  These draft or revised plans will highlight specific compliance and enforcement goals, as well as identify particulars that are important to the successful enforcement of and adherence to conservation rules in the area.  Feedback on these plans will be provided by other workshop participants and trainers. It is expected that an additional output of the workshop will be the initiation of a general Conservation Officer Training Curriculum that can be customized to address the needs and particulars of various jurisdictions.  How to monitor compliance and enforcement success over time will also be discussed and recommendations shared.

Please see the training summary here: PDF

*New Enforcement Resource:

First Hawaii Marine Enforcement Conference: July 18-19th

Website:  http://hmrec2014.wix.com/hmrec
Password:  enforcement

Enforcement Planning Resources:

A Guide to Establishing a Program Compliance and Enforcement Plan

A Guide to Developing Effective Standard Operating Procedures

A Guide to Writing and Filing Incident Reports and Citations

Enforcement Training Reports:

Micronesia MPA Enforcement and Compliance Workshop, Koror, Palau
Daily Minutes and Activities March 28 – April 11, 2011

The 2nd Micronesia MPA Compliance and Enforcement
Training Workshop: Surveillance and Enforcement in Remote Coral Reef Settings, Colonia, Yap State, FSM June 19-25, 2011

Palau Conservation Enforcement Workshop on Standard Operating Procedures: November 30 – Saturday, December 3, 2011

Compliance and Enforcement Workshop, August 2012, Hawaii *Hyperlinks to vidoes of workshop presentations availabe in report

Federated States of Micronesia Compliance and Enforcement Training 2012Environmental Protection and Fisheries, Australian Centre for Environmental Compliance

CNMI Enforcement Officer Training March 2014

 Videos:

Hawaii Conservation Conference Forum on Community and Government Approaches to MPA Enforcement

Presentations:

Hawaii Compliance and Enforcement Training, August 2012

• Makai Watch by Jason K. Redulla, Hawaii DOCARE

• Mālama Pūpūkea Waimea Observation and Compliance by Drew Wheeler

Other resources and reports:

• Enforcement Chain Analysis of Aquatic Resource Enforcement on O'ahu Island and North Shore Maui. 12/28/12. Wayne C. Tanaka, Melissa A. Miyashiro, and Koalani L. Kaulukukui for Conservation International Hawaii Fish Trust.