# Presentation: 483514

## Ecoregional Planning: Developing a Blueprint for Biodiversity Conservation in Micronesia

**Bill Raynor**
**Micronesia Program Director**

**US Coral Reef Task Force Meeting, Oct. 3, 2003, Saipan, CNMI**

## Conservation by Design

**ECOREGIONAL PLANNING**

**CONSERVATION AREA PLANNING**

**MEASURES OF SUCCESS**

**STRATEGIES**
**& ACTIONS**

***Conservation by Design***

**(Single- & multi-area)**

## Steps of Ecoregional Planning

- 1.	Determine the region of interest. ***ECOREGION***
- 2.	Define the representative ecosystems, natural communities, and selected species that should be conserved. ***CONSERVATION TARGETS***
- 3.	Delineate the healthiest examples of these ecosystems, communities, and species. ***VIABLE OCCURRENCES***
- 4.	Decide on how many examples of these ecosystems, communities, and species need to be conserved. ***GOALS***
- 5.	Determine the areas that capture the most and best examples of these ecosystems, communities, and species. ***AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE***
- 6.	Determine which of these areas are of highest priority to conserve. ***ACTION AREAS***
- 7.	Develop actions that will help to conserve many areas of biological significance. ***MULTI-AREA STRATEGIES***

## Why Ecoregional Planning?

**Planning at regional scales rather than specific sites allows for conservation of a full range of biodiversity**
**Many key threats operate at multi-site scale**
**Coordinated efforts can facilitate partnerships and increase strategic use of conservation resources (strategic vs. opportunistic, proactive vs. reactive)**

## Step 1 - SELECT ECOREGION

**Step 1 - *****SELECT ECOREGION***

## Federated States of Micronesia

- An island nation in the western Pacific
- An archipelago of 607 islands (271 sq. miles of land)
- 2,700 sq. miles of lagoons and coral reefs spread across 1,000,000 sq. miles of ocean

## Background

- FSM National Government received UNDP-GEF assistance to do their National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)
- TNC was undergoing a national/regional expansion, and needed to do Ecoregional Planning
- FSM NBSAP Task Force adopted the ecoregional planning effort
- State BSAP teams assisted with ecoregional planning process as experts and advisors

## Step 2 - CONSERVATION TARGETS

*Upland broadleaf forest*
*Lowland broadleaf forest*
*Montane cloud forest*
*Fern/Sedge Savanna*
*Limestone forest*
*Ivory nut palm forest*
*Clinostigma palm forest*

**Terrestrial Ecosystems**

*High island nearshore marine (coral reefs, lagoons, sea grass, etc.)*
*Atoll nearshore marine*
*Atoll/Beach forest*
*Atoll inland mangrove*
*High island mangrove*

**Marine Ecosystems**

*Chuuk flying fox*
*Pohnpei short-earred owl*
*Giant Micronesian gecko*
*Manta ray*
*Turtle nesting beaches*
*Giant clams*

**Selected Species**

*Freshwater stream*
*Terminalia swamp forest*
*Riparian forest*
*Montane perched Freshwater swamp*
*Coastal freshwater marsh*

**Freshwater & Wetland Ecosystems**

## Step 3 -VIABLE OCCURRENCES

-  How big?
-  How fragmented?
-  What % agriculture?
-  How many invasives?

***Upland Broadleaf Forest***

-  How big?
-  Water quality?
-  Intact watershed?
-  Resilience?
-  Connectivity?

***High Island Nearshore Marine***

## FSM Data Gaps

- Inshore marine systems/communities - lack of updated maps and health/viability data
- Outer islands - lack presence and health/viability data
- Open ocean - over all lack of data
- Submerged reefs - little data on biodiversity and health/viability
- Marine Species - lack updated surveys

## Step 4 - GOALS

***How much is enough?***

## Step 5 - AREAS OF BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

***Pick places that are the most HEALTHY***
***Pick places that capture the MOST number of ecosystems, communities & species***
***Pick places RESISTANT to large scale threats such as bleaching***
***Pick sites that have CONNECTIVITY***

## Step 6 - ACTION AREAS

***Number/diversity of targets***
***Health or integrity***
***Urgency of threat***
***Feasibility***
***Leverage***

**Step 6 - *****ACTION AREAS***

## Slide 14

## Meeting conservation goals

- 100% (4 out of 4 total) of marine system targets
- 100% (4 out of 4 total) of special ecological target species
- 100% (3 out of 3 total) of marine target species targets
- 100% (2 out of 2 total) of freshwater/aquatic species targets

## Step 7 - Multi-Area Strategies

**Strategies must respond to key marine threats:**
**Overfishing- 50%  of ABS sites**
**Coastal Erosion/Sea Level Rise - 26%**
**Water pollution - 16%**
**Destructive harvesting - 15%**
**Erosion and sedimentation - 12%**

## Partnerships

- FSM National Government (NBSAP Task Force, Dept. of Economic Affairs, NORMA)
- Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap, and Chuuk States
- NGOs - CSP, KCSO, GATA,YESC
- College Of Micronesia - FSM
- UNDP-GEF
- Regional Universities (UoG, UH)
- US Federal Programs (DOI, USFS, USDA-NRCS, NOAA)
- The Nature Conservancy

## Other Linkages

**Micronesia Conservation Trust** - “location in an ABS site” as grant criteria
**Micronesia Leaders in Island Conservation** - focus on leaders and organizations working at ABS sites
**Compact Environment Sector** - provide funding for recurrent activities (e.g., protected areas management/enforcement) focussed in ABS sites

## Benefits of Linking ERP to NBSAP

- Government and community ownership of ecoregional plan (shared “map of success”)
- Focus all stakeholders on priority sites, species, and long-term biological viability
- Build partnerships to deal with multi-site threats
- Increased strategic use of limited conservation resources
- High visibility to potential donors

## Slide 21

## Slide 22