Understanding the Social Science behind Coastal & Marine Conservation

Understanding the Social Science behind Coastal & Marine Conservation

The earth will continue to regenerate its life sources only as long as we and all the peoples of the world do our part to conserve its natural resources. It is a responsibility which every human being shares. Gerald Ford
The social sciences help marine and coastal managers to better understand the reasons behind the human-caused threats to marine resources. They also contribute to finding the best-fit solutions that ensure effective management of the area and engage local communities.

The social sciences provide tools and methodologies that support the efforts of coastal zone and MPA management teams. The role of a social scientist or community engagement team is crucial: they help inform and guide the type of management systems needed for an area. They also help practitioners effectively engage and involve local community members and resource users in the management processes. Finally, social science research allows practitioners to assess whether management efforts are successful, or need to be adapted.

Our social science courses help practitioners gain an understanding of the social dimensions of the natural resources in an area. This is critical for understanding what management mechanisms are appropriate for the respective area.

COURSES AVAILABLE
Perception Monitoring

Perception monitoring was originally designed as a tool to measure local communities’ perceptions towards MPA establishment and management. MPA managers need to get feedback from communities living inside and around an MPA in order to effectively undertake adaptive management and ensure that the goals of the MPA are achieved. By participating in this training, MPA managers and practitioners will be able to design questionnaires, conduct surveys, analyze and interpret survey results, and adapt outreach and awareness strategies for their future work.

Objectives
  1. To teach one social survey method to measure attitude, knowledge, and behavior.
  2. To teach one social survey method to measure attitude, knowledge, and behavior.
  3. To demonstrate the administration of survey questions and result interpretation.
Intended Audience
This training is tailored to suit technical staff, particularly from:
  • Government agencies
  • Government agencies
  • NGOs
  • Academic institutions or universities
Minimum Requirement
  • S1 (BSc) or equivalent, preferably with basic knowledge of English
  • S1 (BSc) or equivalent, preferably with basic knowledge of English
  • Participants preferably to have basic knowledge of marine ecosystems and fisheries management
  • Prior completion of MPA 101 training course
  • Familiarity with computers, particularly MS Excel, MS Word
Language
This training can be given in Bahasa Indonesia and/ or English.
Duration
Four full days
Marine Resource Use Monitoring

Resource use monitoring (RUM) is a method of monitoring socio–economic activities being conducted in relation to MPA management. The monitoring is conducted to assess and understand the range of different types of activities being undertaken in an MPA in relation to the utilization of marine resources at the site. RUM is an important tool for MPA managers, and the data from the monitoring is useful to support MPA managers and decision-makers to develop appropriate, considerate, and robust MPA management plans, and improve MPA management implementation.

Objectives
  1. To provide participants with the skills needed to develop their own on-site protocol for long-term in situ monitoring of the levels, rates, and trends of natural resource use being undertaken by people actively utilizing resources within an MPA.
  2. To provide participants with the skills needed to develop their own on-site protocol for long-term in situ monitoring of the levels, rates, and trends of natural resource use being undertaken by people actively utilizing resources within an MPA.
Intended Audience
This training is tailored to suit technical monitoring and surveillance staff particularly from:
  • Government agencies
  • Government agencies
  • NGOs
  • Local communities
  • Universities
  • Marine research centers
  • Related stakeholders
Minimum Requirement
  • Prior completion of MPA 101 training course
  • Prior completion of MPA 101 training course
  • High school degree
  • Ability to operate GPS and camera
  • Basic communication skills sufficient to undertake interviews
Language
This training can be given in Bahasa Indonesia and/ or English.
Duration
Four full days, but can be extended to six days with additional field activities.
Other Courses
Coral Triangle Center