Marine

There are eleven Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that have been designated by law. CSP currently works in close collaboration with seven of these areas: Nahtik and Kehpara in Kitti, Dehpek/Takaieu and Mwand (Dekehos) in U, Sapwitik in Net, and Namwen Na and Namwen Nanhngih in Madolenihmw. The goal is to establish a collaborative MPA management network. This entails the building of community support for the MPAs, the education of citizens to improve their compliance, and the development of the capacity of conservation enforcement officers to impose the established rules and regulations.

CSP along with the help of the community Youth Conservation Corps and the Pohnpei State Office of Marine Conservation demarcated the MPA’s with boundary markers, no-take signs and mooring buoys, which are now maintained. CSP works with the government and community partners to develop and strengthen the network of the local marine protected areas. The main goal of the local network is to increase compliance and/or enforcement in the MPAs by involving and building the management capacity of the state conservation officers, municipal police and community leaders/conservation officers. This network will provide a forum where conservation managers can share and learn from each other, as well as from other MPA networks in the Asia-Pacific region, and work collaboratively to gain support from traditional and government leaders. This will include funding to support MPA management, on and off-island trainings and learning exchanges, and allocation of necessary equipment and supplies to managers/enforcement officers.

It is also important for CSP to monitor and record the current state of Pohnpei’s fish populations, coral reef, and sediment build-up in order to keep track of any positive or negative changes over time. In partnership with the community, CSP conducts fish monitoring in the five MPAs. Monitoring fish populations measures the effectiveness of the MPAs management systems and occurs bi-monthly, in and around the MPAs, in order to show significant changes that occur over time. The outcomes of the fish counts can be used to prove if the fish stocks are increasing or decreasing inside and outside of the MPAs. The monitoring focuses on three of the preferred local market fish families - Scaridae (Parrots), Lethrinidae (Emperors), and Siganidae (Rabbit). CSP currently monitors the coral in three MPAs including Dehpehk, Dekehos, and Sapwitik to determine yearly changes in the coral community due to environmental and physical factors. The monitoring of the exterior coral serves as a control to determine the factors that are changing the reef composition. Another factor for a healthy coral environment is water quality, which CSP measures by the amount of sediment in the water. Coral sedimentation monitoring occurs in the Lenger MPA, as well as in adjacent reefs to the sand mining areas. All samples are collected, dried, and the weight is recorded. The resulting data is plotted to determine sediment load throughout the year.

On October 2007, CSP and partners received some of the most exciting news ever. After countless hours of hard work, the partnership between the Nanpei Family, UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) program, and Pohnpei State Government finally paid off. And Atoll was finally nominated becoming the nation’s 2nd Biosphere Reserve following Utwe/Walung Biosphere Reserve in Kosrae. And Atoll is one of the most significantly unique islands in Micronesia. The reserve will contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity. On a global scale, the oceanic islands of the FSM are home to some of the most biologically diverse coral reefs in the world. Its proximity to the Indo-Malay region, and the vast distances between the islands favored high endemism and species diversity. Unlike Pohnpei’s existing Marine Sanctuary System, And Atoll Biosphere will consist of three zones. Core Zones, where strict protection measures will be applied to protect the key fish spawning and turtle and bird nesting areas; the Buffer Zones adjacent to the core zones to regulate fishing activities, and encourage non-damaging activities such as recreational diving, snorkeling, etc; and the transition zones to allow for better management of the fish stocks. CSP and partners are proud to be partnering with the Nanpei Family and are keen to work alongside UNESCO-MAB program on this newfound initiative.

Sea grass monitoring has been carried out on Pohnpei since 2001 by Mr. Ahser Edwards (COM-FSM). In 2007, as part of our expanding role in the protection of Pohnpei’s marine resources, CSP partnered with Mr.Edwards at the two existing seagrass sampling sites, Ipwal-Sokehs and Rohi-Kitti, and added a new site, the Marine Protected Area of Sapwitik Island. As part of this expansion CSP and partners added a sea grass monitoring project to the monitoring program in association with SeagrassNet. SeagrassNet is an expanding global monitoring program that investigates and documents the status of seagrass resources worldwide and the threats to this important and imperilled marine ecosystem. The program started in 2001 in the Western Pacific and now includes 60 sites in 20 countries; a global monitoring protocol and web-based data reporting system have been established. SeagrassNet’s ultimate aim is to preserve the valuable seagrass ecosystem by increasing scientific knowledge and public awareness of this threatened coastal resource.

SeagrassNet teams composed of scientists and managers from participating countries conduct synchronous quarterly sampling of selected plant and environmental parameters to determine seagrass habitat status and trends. A lack of information exists on the status and health of seagrasses worldwide, particularly in less economically developed regions. SeagrassNet's efforts to monitor known seagrass areas and to investigate uncharted seagrasses are important first steps in understanding and sustaining the seagrass resource. From Brazil to the U.S. to Vietnam and many Western Pacific island nations, SeagrassNet is collecting information with the goal of elevating awareness of seagrasses and providing a "global report card" on the health of seagrass coastal habitat.

CSP continues its aim in promoting alternative economic development with MPA communities. CSP completed yet another great year in 2006, in close partnership with the Marine Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP), through working with community members in establishing and maintaining sponge farms. A farmer’s mini cross-site visit was hosted by MERIP in 2006 to update farmers on the status of sponge farming in Pohnpei, to exchange lessons learned, to share the importance of practicing environment-friendly aquaculture integrating with the importance of MPAs and to establish a network of farmers to help enhance the practice of compatible economic development in Pohnpei. Currently, there are 13 farmers with 19 sponge farms around Pohnpei. Most of these farmers are connected to Pohnpei’s MPA Network, which includes MPA communities of Enipein, Lenger, Parem, Mwahnd, Dehpehk/Takaieu and Namwen Na. CSP will aim to help MERIP to improve sustainable economic development. In addition to sponge farms, MERIP and CSP have pioneered the culturing of soft corals. Only a few soft coral farms have been initiated with plans to expand throughout MPA communities around Pohnpei.

The markets we have developed include local hotels and restaurants, U.S. private interests in Washington D.C., the Community Conservation Network in Hawaii, The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, and Swatch supporting conservation work located in Tokyo Japan. The sponges can be purchased in the CSP office or on-line at merchandise@tnc.org.

Seagrasses absorb nutrients from coastal run-off and stabilize sediment, which helps to keep the water clear.

Seagrass/algae beds are rated the 3rd most valuable ecosystem on earth (per hectacre), preceded only by estuaries and wetlands.

During a Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) conducted in 2006, the Ant channel was recorded having one of the highest levels of biodiversity in Pohnpei with an estimate of over 165 species of fish.

The community of Enipein got creative in their efforts to combat illegal fishing. This permanent raft has helped them comfortably monitor the MPA and as a result has almost eliminated illegal fishing in their MPA.

And is a privately owned atoll with no permanent inhabitants.

The CSP Marine Program combines elements of traditional marine resource management with modern scientific methods to empower local communities to protect Pohnpei’s marine biodiversity. CSP’s ultimate aim is to assist Pohnpei State Government, the municipal governments and the local communities in developing sound management for all of the inshore habitats and resources within state waters. Currently, the program’s main focus is: Marine Protected Area (MPA) network management and monitoring, including Grouper Spawning and Aggregation (SPAG); fish and coral monitoring; and community outreach and involvement.

VIEW THE SHORT MOVIE DETAILING THE AND BIO-SPHERE PROJECT.