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Community and Stakeholder Activities

Involvement of local communities is a key element of the project and several different approaches are being used in order to reach and involve as many people as possible. One strategy is to run workshops and Stakeholder Meetings where issues and management options can be discussed, and the other is to organise Boatshows (marine Roadshows) and awareness activities that reach out to people living on the islands and mainland in the vicinity of the Park.

Boatshow Sebangkat 2006 © Elizabeth Wood

Three workshops have been held in Semporna and have been attended by SIDP and Sabah Parks staff, local government agencies and about 30 local community participants, representing the Local Community Forum. During these meetings the draft management proposals for the Park have been reviewed and objections, concerns and points of agreement documented.

Boatshows in the Park

Three four-day boatshows were held in the first 9 months of the project and entailed travelling round all the settlements in the Park with information and inviting people to participate in discussions and provide feedback. All seven inhabited islands were visited, together with many of the separate groups of stilt houses on the Sebangkat-Selakan reef top.

The display material prepared for the boatshows informed and involved local communities in a variety of ways. Explanatory leaflets were produced in four languages – Malay, Bajau, Suluk and English, and large colour posters were developed to explain the proposed zoning plan and regulations.

The Boatshow presented a number of interactive activities. One was a large satellite image of the park overlaid with aerial photographs on which participants were asked to record place names, including beaches, headlands and so on. The aim of this is to ensure that local knowledge is recorded and used, so that the area maintains its identity and roots, rather than being given newly invented names by visitors.

Another map-based activity was designed to encourage local people to share and record their knowledge. People living in the Park know a great deal about their local environment and wildlife which is of immense value in the joint efforts to manage the Park and its resources. In this exercise, people were invited to mark the location of 5 rare or endangered species (reef shark, bumphead wrasse, mouse grouper, giant triton shell and green turtle) with small coloured stickers. Drawing competitions and sticker book activities were organised for children, the aim being to for the participants to have fun and also to learn about the way that humans interact with the reefs.

Structured questionnaires have been used for the consultation exercise. Several hundred people have been interviewed and efforts made to include all ethnic groups and ensure that women are well represented. The main aim is to record people’s opinions on aspects such as the Park zoning plan, fishing regulations and protection of endangered species. Participation has been good, and the overall results show a positive attitude towards the introduction of conservation measures.

An additional community programme has recently begun, specifically involving the Bajau Laut. This group are amongst the heaviest users of marine resources, relying on fish, shells and other produce for family consumption or sale, and having few other means of making a living. This group are sometimes marginalised because they are nomadic and do not own land, but in terms of Park management, it is vital that their activities and needs are fully considered, and that they understand the objectives for the Park.

SIDP Education and Awareness Roadshow Jan-May 2007

One of the main aims of this Roadshow is to increase awareness of the existence and relevance of the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, and to ensure that people inside and outside the Park are aware of the regulations and understand the zoning plan. Most importantly, the Roadshow will be spreading the message that fishing and harvesting of natural resources in the Park is restricted and will be allowed only under permit from Sabah Parks. It is also promoting the message that everyone can help make the Park a success by adhering to the regulations and reporting illegal activities such as fish blasting, and that this approach will bring benefits to local communities in the long term.

All the settlements in the Park will be visited during the Roadshow, together with 43 selected kampongs on the mainland and adjacent islands. 17 schools have also been selected, and in addition, the Roadshow will visit government offices, army and police posts, local tour companies and other commercial operations associated with the Park.

A range of materials has been developed, with the aim of providing information, variety and interest – these include a DVD, posters, competitions and interactive activities. Some of the materials are being left behind – for example the Colouring Books, while others are taken away to use at the next venue. All the written materials are in Bahasa Malaysia. The 20-minute Project DVD was produced in BM, Suluk and Bajau, and the appropriate version is selected, depending on the target audience.

A short Roadshow ‘Feedback Form’ is also being used to provide information about current knowledge and level of use of the Park and its resources by different communities residing outside the Park. This will help to indicate where enforcement measures may need to be concentrated over the next few years.

The 18-page A4 colouring book aimed at children aged 6-12 years has been designed and produced by MCS/SIDP in collaboration with the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN). The cartoons portray a simple story, based around the ‘adventures’ of two key characters – a green turtle and a coral reef fish - that come face to face with fish blasting, nets and rubbish in the water and on the reef. They eventually manage to escape and reach the safety of a protected reef in the Park where they can live peacefully and raise their young.

email:: info@sempornaislandsproject.com

Designed and compiled by Eliz abeth Wood & Andy Davies

URL http://www.sempornaislandsproject.com