PERSGA organized a regional workshop on “Review of Fishery Legislations, Policies and Management in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden” during 10-12 November 2014 at PERSGA HQ in Jeddah. The workshop was attended by national experts from PERSGA member states and regional and national consultants.The workshop was organized in the framework of conducting a regional comprehensive study focusing on review of national and regional legislations, policies and management related to regulation of fishery and protection of marine environment in the region.
The review study is planned to be finalized by next April 2015, and is anticipated to assist member states in their systematic national efforts to review and promote existing laws to mainstream relevant international and regional conventions; coping with emerging environmental issues; and facilitate adoption of new concepts and approaches, such as the ecosystem based management (EBM). Integrated and updated legal systems are considered essential cornerstone for sustainable management and protection of marine environment and living resources. The current regional review study is one of the activities undertaken by component (2) of the “Strategic Ecosystem Management of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden” regional project, which is executed by PERSGA in collaboration the World Bank (WB) and support of the Global Environmental Facilities (GEF). The project is implemented during 2014-2017 and addresses regional capacities to implement EBM in management of living marine resources, protected areas and environmental monitoring.The workshop program chiefly included training f regional study team on the conceptual approach and research methodology for data collection and review study.
A three day regional workshop on Guidelines for Ecosystem Approach, Comanagement and Livelihoods of Coastal Communities in MPAs was held at PERSGA Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia during the period June 8th – 11th 2015. The workshop joined about 20 specialists from Djibouti, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The main objectives of the workshop included:
- introducing national specialists and community trainers to the guidelines, training modules, topics, approaches and protocols.
- Providing the participants with required theoretical background and additional resources and materials that assist with implementation of training programs at national levels.
- Discussing the draft manual through consulting the participants views and remarks, and emphasizing gaps to be considered in preparation of the final draft of the manual
- Provide background on the relevant international/ regional conventions and protocols, policies and initiatives, case studies and options for regional and international collaborations/ linkages.
- Discuss the way forward for finalizing the draft manual and the work plan for implementing training programs at regional, national and local community levels; and monitoring progress with the capacity building process in the region
As an outcome of workshop review and discussions, revised structure of the training modules and contents of the manual were agreed on. The regional consultant has revised the manual accordingly, and has recently submitted a comprehensive final draft, which will be reviewed to finalize the manual, to be used as main reference in national training , which will assist technical staff and trainers undertaking capacity building workshops targeting local user groups and stakeholders at project sites in the future.
This workshop in Jordan, comes in this framework of organizing national follow up activities in order to discuss and validate the national legislation assessment findings and recommendations, and to build up momentum for the follow-up actions in the member states, in order to support mainstreaming EBM principles in national laws, policies and management plans. The workshop was held on 2nd November 2015 at Aqaba, and attended by 22 participants, including representatives of national agencies and national stakeholders, the national consultant, the SEM project national coordinator and PERSGA PCU members.
Presentations in the workshop were delivered by the national consultant and the regional PERSGA/ LMR coordinator, which were followed by discussion sessions. The main outcomes of the workshop included validation and enrichment of the national assessment results and recommendations on policy and legislation required to mainstream of EBM and co-management principles; and formulation of a road map and plan for follow up activities regarding LMR legislations/policies and management reforms. Following the workshop, the national coordinator worked to establish a national committee of all relevant stakeholders with ToR of proposing legislation reforms and follow up with national legislative authorities to back up the proposal.
This workshop in Sudan, also comes in this framework of organizing national follow up activities in order to discuss and validate the national legislation assessment findings and recommendations, and to build up momentum for the follow-up actions in the member states, in order to support mainstreaming EBM principles in national laws, policies and management plans. The workshop was held in combination with the 1st capacity building workshop focusing on applying Ecosystem Approach principles in identification of livelihoods subprojects during 14-16 December 2015. It was attended by 45 participants, including representatives of national agencies and stakeholders, the national and international consultants of components 1 and 2, national coordinator and PERSGA PCU members. It has thus provided an excellent platform to discuss all legislation and governance issues related to fishery management and the draft management plan of Dungonab National Marine Park.
Presentations in the workshop were delivered by the international consultants, national consultant and the regional PERSGA/ LMR coordinator, which were interconnected by discussion sessions. The main outcomes of the workshop included validation and enrichment of the national assessment results and recommendations on policy and legislation required to mainstream of EBM and co-management principles; discussing governance and related organizational issues as part of the MPA management plan; and a road map for follow up activities regarding LMR legislations/policies and management reforms. Furthermore, experts from the UNESCO Chair for Marine Science and National Committee for Education, Science and Culture, who are in charge of national submission of application to consider Sanganeb Marine National Park and Dungonab Bay – Mukkawar Island Marine National Park as a World Heritage (natural) Site were invited to participate in the workshop, whereby part of the discussion was focused on synergies between SEM interventions and the recognition process, particularly the tangible impacts of these interventions in supporting the MPA management capacities and strengthening overall governance through legislation and policy reforms
Following the workshop, the national consultant worked to collect remarks by key agencies and stakeholders to be considered in the national assessment report. The final report will be then submitted to A national committee of all relevant stakeholders with mandate of proposing legislation reforms and follow up with national legislative authorities to back up the proposal; which will be formed and coordinated during the next phase of the project.