Targets:
Start date: January 2002
Completion: December 2002

Action 2.1.
Formalise new Advisory Committee

During the course of the Semporna Islands Project the Advisory Committee (AC) provided expert, independent advice on many issues and proved invaluable during the evolution of the management plan.

Once the Park has been gazetted, action will be taken by Sabah Parks and the existing AC to formalise the group and assess its roles and responsibilities. Membership of the AC will be revised as appropriate, with the agreement of Sabah Parks and existing members.

Action 2.2.
Establish Management Committees

A number of Management Committees will be established to help with development and management of the park, enforcement of regulations and other aspects. This will entail co-opting people and organisations from outside Sabah Parks, and will require funding. The following were recommended in the draft Management Plan:

Fisheries Committee to discuss harvesting of marine resources in the park, agree on harvesting methods and catch limits and organise a system for recording catch and monitoring stocks. This should include Sabah Parks, the Department of Fisheries, Sabah Fisheries and Fishermen's Development Corporation and representatives of the various fishing groups and local communities.

Mariculture Committee to discuss culture of marine resources in the park, and how best to prevent environmental impacts while maximising opportunities for local people. This should include Sabah Parks, the Department of Fisheries, Sabah Fisheries and Fishermen's Development Corporation, managers of the various mariculture operations and representatives from the workforce.

Land-use Committee to look in detail at the best ways of using the land currently under cultivation and the measures that should be taken to prevent environmental degradation. This group should also have the mandate to address land-based pollution (e.g. sewage, solid waste, pesticides, fertilisers) and co-ordinate monitoring programmes. This should involve Sabah Parks, agriculture experts, District Office, relevant local authorities and local communities.

Tourism Development Committee to help direct implementation of the tourism plan for the park, formulate guidelines, co-ordinate monitoring programmes and deal with management issues. This should involve Sabah Parks, the District Office, Ministry of Tourism Development, Environment, Science and Technology, Sabah Tourism Council, tourism enterprises and local communities.

Culture and Heritage Committee to help promote cultural aspects and traditional activities. This should involve Sabah Parks, local communities, Sabah Museum and the Ministry of Tourism Development, Environment, Science and Technology.

Environmental Awareness and Education Committee to promote and co-ordinate educational activities. This should involve Sabah Parks, the Education Department, District Education Office, local schools, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and non-governmental organisations such as WWF Malaysia and the Sabah Nature Club.

Action 2.3.
Establish a 'Fisheries Management Forum'

Virtually the only aspect of the Management Plan that that will have a negative impact on people's livelihoods (at least in the short term) will be the closure of certain reef zones to all fishing and harvesting of reef life. This will mean that people who currently fish in these zones will either have to fish elsewhere or be provided with alternative livelihoods (it is relevant to note that not all the current fishermen are Malaysian citizens).

A 'Fisheries Management Forum' will be established to promote continuing discussion about harvesting of marine resources in the park. This should include Sabah Parks, fishermen and women, and the Fisheries Department. The aim of the forum would be to ensure fair access to fishing grounds by local communities, increase awareness of conservation issues, develop policies for managing fishing activities, and organise a system for recording catch and monitoring stocks.

A number of prescriptions for ensuring that implementation of fishing restrictions does not cause dissent and hardship are outlined in Briefing Notes: Key Issues (p. 9).

Action 2.4.
Meetings of Management Committees and Fisheries Forum to work on the Development Plan for the Park.

Each of the Committees mentioned above will be responsible for further expanding and developing the concepts and outline plans presented in the Management Plan.

At the first meeting each group will establish its terms of reference and membership, and begin to formulate an operational plan to achieve the objectives laid out in the Management Plan. In the process of producing this plan they will identify priorities, key targets and funding requirements for their particular speciality (e.g. mariculture).

The Committees will also look at the regulations proposed in the Management Plan to see if these need to be adjusted or developed further, and whether any additional ones are required. They will meet about once a year, depending on needs.

Action 2.5.
Meeting[s] of Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee (AC) will play an important role in the co-operative management scheme. It will hold meetings at least annually to help ensure that the actions recommended by the specialist committees are co-ordinated and that proposed activities will compliment each other. The AC will review the outputs of the Committees to make sure that there are no overlaps, omissions or conflicts between the groups.

Action 2.6.
Develop Financial Plan

Sabah Parks will develop a detailed financial plan for the Park, based on the staff, infrastructure and other development requirements laid out in the Management Plan and further discussed by the Management Committees.

It is anticipated that income will be raised through a combination of government funding, private investment and public contribution through visitor fees. A priority will be to ensure sufficient funding is made available to develop alternative-livelihood schemes, such as the giant clam farm.

Funds raised by visitor fees will be channelled directly back into conservation and education initiatives in the park. It may also be appropriate to set up a Community Fund that receives a percentage of the income generated by tourism and is used specifically on projects and activities that will benefit local people.

Action 2.7.
Establish staff requirements for phased development, and begin appointments

Additional staff will be required as soon as the park is established, and subsequent recruitment will need to be phased to match the rate of development of the park. Eventually, the park may employ in the region of 60 - 80 staff (134 are currently employed in the Kinabalu Park) but it will take some years before this figure is reached. Local people will be employed where possible.

The following posts are anticipated:

Park warden
Assistant Park Warden
Senior Park Rangers
Park Rangers
Community development officer(s)
Education officer(s)
Education assistants
Research officer(s)
Research assistants
Clerical staff
Drivers
Boatmen
Field staff
Temporary assistants

Action 2.8.
Train Semporna Islands Park staff

Management of the Semporna Islands Park will present many new challenges, particularly because this will be the first park in Sabah that has a resident population, and supports activities such as mariculture that are not permitted in other State Parks. Park Staff will be trained so that they can implement the plan and deal effectively with a wide range of management issues.

The aim of training will be to ensure that Park staff have the capacity to implement the management plan, monitor its progress and respond to events and changing needs. Training will be carried out at all levels, from senior management to field staff and technical assistants. It will be an on-going process, and not confined just to the first phase of Park development.

At the outset, all staff will be trained (probably from within Sabah Parks) to ensure they are familiar with the objectives for the park, the zoning scheme, regulations and other aspects. The type of further training required will depend on the responsibilities of the member(s) of staff concerned, but could be expected to cover aspects such as resource management, conflict resolution, effective communication and interpretation, how to deal with infringements and so on. Staff will receive training from external sources as appropriate.

Action 2.9.
Plan Environmental Awareness and Education programme

The overall aim of the environmental awareness and education programme will be to continue to provide people with information about all aspects of the park and its management. The programme will be designed to help promote a better understanding of natural features, ecology, resources, human interactions, culture and history of the area.

Objectives for the park will be met only if there is good compliance with the regulations. Another aim of the awareness and education programme will be to ensure that everyone is aware of the regulations. This should increase compliance, reduce misunderstandings and misinterpretations, and reduce the numbers of infringements.

Outline ideas for the Awareness and Education Programme are in Section 12 (page 157) of the Management Plan, but a more detailed programme needs to be put together early on in the development of the Park, and the first activities begun. Overall planning would be the responsibility of the Environmental Awareness and Education Committee.

Action 2.10.
Develop strategies to ensure that fishermen and others affected by Park regulations will be gainfully employed through alternative livelihood schemes

Some people who currently earn a living from fishing will have this means of livelihood reduced or removed because of the policy of limiting fishing effort in the Park. Introduction of fishing regulations will be phased to ensure that the interests of those who currently use the area have been catered for.

Jobs will be created in various sectors as the park develops (e.g. park management, mariculture, tourism development), but there is a danger of time lag. The promise of a job in the future is no use when the job needs are immediate.

Action will therefore be taken to bridge the time gap. One way of addressing the problem will be for Sabah Parks, in collaboration with the Fisheries Department, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and other experts, to assist fishermen by diverting fishing effort to the pelagic and deeper zones of the park.

This can be done relatively easily, for example by deploying fish aggregation devices (FADs). The fishermen could be paid to build the FADs, and in due course the FADs would become productive (so bringing in an income). Until this time, the fishermen could be employed to begin collecting information on the effects of implementing the zoning scheme (training would be provided). This type of approach would be ideal because it:

• provides fishermen with an income.
• increases awareness about the park and its aims.
• involves people in the day-to-day operations of the park.
• makes use of traditional knowledge.
• increases the capacity of the fishermen to manage local resources.

These possibilities will be discussed by the Fisheries Forum and the Fisheries Management Committee, and the chosen options implemented as soon as possible.

Action 2.11.
Prepare Development Plans for giant clam and pearl farming

These activities have been accepted as appropriate for the Semporna Islands Park, but the Pearl Farm is fairly close to starting production whereas the Giant Clam Farm is still only at the planning stage. Both will be important in providing alternative livelihoods for fishermen, which is why plans need to be taken forward at an early stage in Park development.

When the new lease for the Pearl Farm is signed it is important that conditions are applied to the lease, for example strict building and operational requirements and a guarantee to employ and train local people.

Further consideration needs to be given to obtaining start-up funds for the Giant Clam Farm. There are experts in Sabah who can run this operation, but financial support from the government or a grant from a funding agency would be appropriate to get the scheme off the ground. There are various reasons for this, for example it will:

• Be the first, flagship, giant clam farm for Sabah
• Be crucial in promoting recovery of wild populations, and
• Play an important role in the education and environmental awareness programme.

The Farm should become economically self-sufficient after about five years, when the first clams have grown to a marketable size.