Title
Reimaanlok: A national framework for conservation area planning in theMarshall Islands
Author(s)
Baker, N.;Beger, M.;McClennen, C.;Ishoda, A.;Edwards, F.
Published
2010
Publisher
Journal of Marine Biology
Abstract
The development of Reimaanlok, a national framework for the planning and establishment of community-based conservation
areas in theMarshall Islands, is outlined. A team composed of international experts and local resource management professionals
selected and modified an ecoregional planning approach, defined key concepts, selected conservation features and targets,
compiled biogeographical information from scientific and local knowledge and carried out a national-level ecological gap
assessment. Past development of community-based fisheries and conservation plans was reviewed and the lessons learned
informed the development of a robust community-based planning process for the design and establishment of conservation
areas on individual atolls, integrating ecosystem based management (EBM) theory, traditional knowledge and management,
and the particular socio-economic needs of island communities. While specific geographic, historical, cultural and economic
characteristics of theMarshall Islands have created a framework that is unique, several aspects of this process offer ideas for national
strategic conservation planning in other Small Island Developing States where there is a paucity of scientific data, significant and
increasing threats, and where decision-making about the use of natural resources occurs primarily at the local level.
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PUB13337