(The source for this section is: Margoluis and Salafsky, 1998, Chapter 4.) The co-management body has reviewed the situation and identified problems, threats, needs and opportunities. The challenge now is to design a management plan that will enable the community to address the situation.
The management plan includes goals, objectives and activities (Boxes 10.11 and 10.12). Since there are usually limited funds and resources available to address needs and problems, it is important for the plan to be focused on specific strategies. In addition, goal and objectives need to be clearly stated.
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In developing the plan, a number of participatory tools and methods can be used including focus group discussions, problem trees and preference ranking. It is important for the whole community to be clear about the goal and objectives and about what can be achieved in order to focus strategies. The more participatory the process of setting goal and objectives, the greater the community acceptance and legitimacy of the co-management programme. Often the process of arriving at consensus regarding goal and objectives is an effective means of promoting an exchange of information and understanding among stakeholders. If a trained planner is not available, a plan can still be prepared based on the stakeholders’
knowledge and participation.
As discussed in Berkes et al. (2001), fisheries management makes use of objectives in situations when a biological assessment, a Stock Assessment Driven management approach, is not feasible or affordable. Through a Management Objective Driven (MOD) approach, the focus of management is how to determine when the desired objective has been achieved; that is, how Box 10.11. Co-management Plan Outline.
A co-management plan includes the following basic parts:
1. Description of the area and resource. This includes geography, demography, important coastal resources and their condition, socio-economic status of the people, institutions and laws, and other relevant information for management. Use graphs and tables to present baseline data.
2. Maps of different scales. Include a map of the entire area and detailed maps of the coastal area with resource locations and use patterns, existing management interventions and other data.
3. Management issues/problems. Priority issues must be clearly stated along with their contributing causes and factors. Trends in decline of resources can be used to illustrate issues of concern.
4. Goals and objectives. Management goals and objectives should be derived from the main issues.
5. Activities. Activities for each objective with assigned responsibilities should address each major issue at the heart of the plan. The functions and responsibilities assigned to each stakeholder. The activities can also be considered as the management measures and alternatives to be undertaken.
6. Institutional and legal framework. This section explains the framework that supports the plan, what institution is responsible, and how it is supported by the law. Procedures for negotiating ongoing decisions and managing eventual conflicts. Procedures for implementing and enforcing decisions.
7. Timeline. A schedule for implementation helps organize all responsible parties to implement the plan in a timely manner.
8. Budget. Funding needs and sources are identified for each activity.
9. Monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring and evaluation must be included as a set of activities to provide feedback on plan implementation and impact on the environment.
Source: DENR et al. (2001b, p. 54).
to measure successful management. This approach requires the knowledge and information to identify variables that relate to the objectives, followed by the setting of target points on those variables. This MOD approach ensures that the management system focuses on the acquisition and analysis of data that relate to the objectives and control system. (For more on fishery management objectives see Berkes et al. (2001, Section 3.6, pp. 58–66).)
A goal is a general statement of the desired state towards which the stakeholders are working. A good goal meets the following criteria:
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Box 10.12. A Project Approach to Planning.
One approach to planning is to view management as a project. The value of approaching fisheries management planning as a project is the requirement that goal, purpose, objectives, activities, outputs and means of evaluation be clearly stated. It also puts the exercise in a specific time frame. Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) is a popular approach to developing, communicating and managing projects. Many donors require that projects submitted for funding are prepared in this format.
A full description of LFA would require more detail than can be provided here. Guides to the use of LFA in project planning have been developed by several agencies (Commission of the European Communities, 1993; USAID, 1994; IADB, 1997). The LFA consists of a series of processes:
● Stakeholder analysis;
● Problem analysis;
● Objective analysis;
● Analysis of alternatives;
● The logical framework matrix;
● Execution plan;
● Monitoring and evaluation plan;
● Project reports.
The logical framework matrix is peculiar to LFA. Its purpose is to summarize the project clearly and succinctly in a standard format. The rows of the matrix are referred to as the vertical logic. From the top down are:
● The goal that the project serves;
● The specific purpose of the project;
● The outputs that will be generated in order to achieve the purpose;
● The activities that will be carried out to generate the outputs.
The columns of the matrix are:
● The objectives;
● The indicators that the objectives have been achieved;
● The means of verifying the indicators;
● The assumptions upon which the achievement of the objectives is based.
The matrix also summarizes the resources that would be needed to produce the outputs.
Source: Berkes et al. (2001, pp. 46–48).