Upon the completion of the project, the USAID SEA Project is expected to successfully achieve these following high-level results:
- Improved fisheries management of at least six million hectares in the target FMA or sub-FMA 715 is achieved through ecological and social impact measurement. The result is measured through the MMAF EAFM (Ecosystem Approach for Fisheries Management) and Marine Protected Area (MPA) Index Score or other approved national or international standards.
- 2. At least six policies, laws, regulation, and or operational protocols in support of marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management are created, strengthened, promulgated, and enforced at all levels
- 3. Key drivers and highest-rated pressures to marine biodiversity are declined in the target areas
Activities and interventions designed and implemented to achieve the three high-level results are based on five strategic approaches namely:
- Creating demand for marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management through awareness raising and advocacy efforts
- Improving ecosystem management in the Fishery Management Area (FMA) 715
- Increasing incentives for marine stewardship.
Through this approach, the USAID SEA Project is engaging with private sector, civil society, and university partners in efforts to achieve biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, developing incentives and facilitating the delivery of co-benefits (economic and social) to key stakeholders to secure their long-term support and commitment - Advancing the development of marine and fisheries policies and regulation. It is implemented through a series of policy dialogues on further policy and regulatory needs for the marine and fisheries sector.
- Institutionalizing training and capacity building for fisheries management and marine conservation. The USAID SEA Project will design and implement training on conservation, MPAs, and fisheries management and strengthen the capacity of marine extension programs that ultimately will result in well-capacitated stakeholders to assess performance and nurture them to become a “learning community.” The aforementioned stakeholders are relevant government agencies at the district, provincial, and national levels as well as several strategic universities offering degrees on marine and fisheries management.
The five strategic approaches are translated into four thematic work areas or technical approaches:
