Kosrae Conservation and Safety Organization facilitates the Malem Community's MPA Management Plan. Story by Marston Luckymis, KCSO
KCSO, with the members of the Kosrae Climate Change team, selected the Malem community as a target group to incorporate the climate change aspect into consideration for their management plan, since this community is at the planning stage of developing their Marine Protected Area (MPA) Management Plan. The August 20, 2012, workshop was attended by approximately 28 people (community members and KCC).
The members from the community represented different groups in the community including Church groups, Women’s group, Malem Youth Council, Senior Citizens, Office of the Mayor and Council. The workshop identified the natural resource target, climate threats, and non-climate threats through break-out groups. There were three different groups during the workshop. The groups also did an exercise that shows how important the natural resources are, the level of dependency on the natural resources, its current status, trend, management agencies and activities implemented and the level of effectiveness to the natural resources.
The participants were able to discuss some of the potential adaptation strategies that would help to minimize both climate and non-climate threats identified during the workshop. Overall, the training program went well. The plan itself will be drafted to include all the information, issues, and strategies discussed during the workshop.
Follow-up meetings were held August 27, September 17, and September 27, 2012.