Operation Wallacea. Scientific Conservation Expeditions . The Operation Wallacea Trust
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The Darwin Initiative

What is The Darwin Initiative?
(klik untuk Bahasa Indonesia)

The Darwin Initiative was launched at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, this small grants programme has supported around 250 projects covering a wide range of subjects related to the conservation of biodiversity in over 80 countries around the world.

Projects funded under the Darwin Initiative help developing countries address their commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Biodiversity Convention, which is also celebrating its 10th anniversary since being signed at the Rio Summit, was the first global agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. It has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources. Over 180 of the world's governments have committed, in general terms, to undertaking national and international measures aimed at achieving these goals.

Although the responsibility to implement the Convention lies with the individual countries, many of these countries suffer from a lack of financial resources and expertise that severely restricts practical action. The Darwin Initiative was developed in recognition of this problem and co-funds projects developed and implemented in partnership with these countries, relying on the wealth of relevant expertise available in the UK.

The Initiative is open to applications from UK institutes in partnership with organisations from countries that are rich in biodiversity but poor in resources, including the Overseas Territories of the United Kingdom. It funds projects focusing on a huge range of issues concerning the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, drawing on the UK's scientific, educational and commercial strengths in the field of biodiversity and a wide range of other disciplines to support this work. As well as the more popular subjects for study, there are many Darwin projects that focus on lower-profile species and habitats which, despite considerable ecological significance, may otherwise have little chance of attracting funding.

Who is the Darwin Initiative?

The Darwin Initiative is a grant funding body managed by the Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra), the primary UK Government organisation regulating agriculture and fisheries.

The objectives of the Darwin Initiative are:

  • To assist countries rich in biodiversity but poor in resources with the conservation of biological diversity and implementation of the Biodiversity Convention.

  • To draw on British expertise in the field of biodiversity.

  • Projects funded under the Initiative will be collaborative, involving either local institutions or communities in the host country.

  • Projects will have a real impact on the ability of the host country to meet its obligations under the Biodiversity Convention.

  • Projects will be of high quality and scientific (or other appropriate professional) excellence.

  • Whenever possible, Darwin funding will be used as a catalyst to lever additional funding for project work, which would not otherwise be forthcoming.

  • The outputs and outcomes from projects should be additional to that from work being funded through other mainstream environmental or research programmes.

  • Projects funded under the Initiative will demonstrate good value for money.

 

The Darwin Initiative and the Kaledupa Fisheries project (klik untuk Bahasa Indonesia)

Click to visit the Darwin Initiatives page on "Building Capacity for sustainable fisheries management in the Wallacea region"

 In 2005 the six month pilot project by Operation Wallacea Trust with assistance from FORKANI made the following conclusions:

Fisheries scientists believe that the nearshore traditional fisheries around Kaledupa are declining. Social data has identified a perceived reduction of species diversity and the size of fish in catches over previous decades by fishers. Fisheries catch per unit effort data, percentage of mature fish caught, species composition and boom and bust cycles of export fisheries indicates that current fishing is not biologically sustainable. This inability of Kaledupa fish stocks to replenish themselves is mainly attributed to an ever increasing number of fishers using an increasing number of highly efficient 'traditional' fishing gears in conjunction with the ability of certain traditional fishing gears to catch fish below the size of maturation.

It is concluded that current unmanaged traditional fisheries threaten food security, coastal livelihoods, culture and marine biodiversity on the island of Kaledupa. Presently there is limited capacity or funds to manage the fisheries and little has been done to address the core issues of unsustainable fishing gears or increasing numbers of fishers causing over fishing. Factors contributing to stock decline and suggested management approaches were discussed in detail during focus group discussions with fishers. These focus groups worked well as an example of the formation of village level legislation with high legitimacy among the fishing community and demonstrated willingness for traditional fisheries management by communities.

Based on these findings a 4 year Darwin Initiative project 'Building capacity for sustainable fisheries management in the Wallacea region' was initiated in June 2007 by Operation Wallacea Trust (UK) and Indonesian project partner FORKANI.

The Darwin Project will work with communities through FORKANI to develop sustainable fisheries management at a village and island level to protect food security, coastal livelihoods and culture but with a final result to protect biodiversity. This will provide a model for other parts of the Wakatobi and other national parks on how to balance biodiversity protection with the aspirations of the communities in areas where there are no local ownership agreements. Desa and Island legislation will be developed with communities to licence Kaledupan fishers to ensure no outside fishers use Kaledupa waters and to help identify fishers using bombs and cyanide. Furthermore it will be established that fishing around Kaledupa is a privilege for those who do not abuse the resource not a right to everyone.

High fishing pressure (numbers of fishers and their fishing gear) will be reduced by offering alternative incomes to fishers in return for their fishing licence. These alternatives will include aquaculture, micro finance schemes, carbon trading, ecotourism and increased prices for current non fishing products. Local communities will be empowered at a village and island level to manage their own fisheries via: information on the status of the fisheries and solutions generated from self collected fishery monitoring data; and a self driven Kaledupa Island Fisheries Forum to co-ordinate management.

Training will be given to establish a Kaledupa Island Fisheries Forum with a capacity to create and enforce village level legislation in co-management with local government. Additional support for development of legislation, surveillance and community policing will be supplied through the ongoing COREMAP project.