Monitoring & Compliance Panel | |
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Year
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2010 |
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Proponent
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Monitoring & Compliance Panel (Administrative host - Fraser Basin Council) |
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Project type
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Governance |
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FSWP funding source
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DFO Fraser Basin Initiative |
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Grant amount
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$70,000.00 |
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Total project value
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$470,250.00 |
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ID number
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FSWP10-D58-P |
Location: Fraser River Basin,
Basin Wide
Project Summary
SUMMARY
The Monitoring and Compliance Panel aspires to promote fair, practical, and effective monitoring and compliance practices and policies critical to sound fisheries management. The Panel’s work is instrumental in building monitoring and compliance best practices, in promoting a widespread appreciation of the importance of these practices, and in addressing issues related to access, certification, traceability, and in season management. Credibility of our monitoring and compliance activities is the vehicle needed for public and sectoral accountability.
OVERVIEW
The Monitoring and Compliance Panel aspires to promote fair, practical, and effective monitoring and compliance practices and policies critical to sound fisheries management. Without widespread confidence (both among fisheries sectors and the public) that best practices of monitoring and compliance are being used, sustainable fisheries outcomes are doubtful. Credibility of our monitoring and compliance activities is the vehicle needed for public and sectoral accountability.
Building an effective regime of monitoring and compliance is not the only change required, but it is an essential starting point. The equation is simple: better, more timely information leads to better decisions, better decisions create more economically sound fisheries, and thereby better protect the environment, communities and fish. The Panel’s sole power lies in the credibility of its members, the credibility and competence of the Panel work, and the ability of the Panel to build a consensus that translates new ideas into constructive changes. The Panel’s work will be instrumental in building best practices, in promoting a widespread appreciation of the importance of monitoring and compliance practices, and in addressing issues related to access, certification, traceability, and in season management. Success will be realized when all sectors can “tell each other’s stories” about each other’s standards and practices, rather than disputing each other’s numbers, and confidently share those stories with the public.
The Panel is interconnected with the vision that has emerged from the Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum to improve decision-making associated with salmon through the development of other complementary tools essential to good governance. It is a living example of co-management in action, and is a cornerstone piece critical in the foundation on which future collaborative and improved decision-making efforts initiatives will be built on. The Panel provides a very real prospect of generating the most critical changes that are required - the ability to forge an effective collaborative management regime among all affected interests and to inspire joint problem solving needed to break through what have been historically regarded as intractable challenges to salmon survival.
The M&C Panel as constituted will be terminated after 3 years (2009-2012). This sunset provision is designed to force the Panel to prove its ability to make a difference in a timely manner. After three years a review is required to determine if sufficient support exists to carry on in the existing or an amended format, or to terminate the Panel. The development of the M&C Panel reflects an enormous investment of voluntary effort and time given by those who have participated in the ISDF and as Panel members - they have given it guidance and leadership. This process has brought together a remarkable group of people from all communities. Their commitment is rare and their courage to be open to criticism from their own communities measures both their commitment and belief in the need to fight for change. They are the risk takers that inspire all of us. They know what is needed and are committed to making a difference for salmon and all people whose well being depends upon sustainable stocks.
This is a multi-year project that will be in Year 2 for 2010-11. During 2009-10, the M&C Panel was a subset of the larger Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum workplan co-funded by FSWP and DFO.
M&C Panel results for the 2009-10 year included the following:
1. M&C Panel Establishment: Including: Panel Structure; Panel Terms of Reference; Panel Member Selection Criteria; Panel Member Code of Conduct; Initial Panel Member Selection and Roster of Panel Chair Appointments.
2. Development and Implementation of Panel Budget for 2009-10
3. Identification of Panel Priorities and Objectives for 2009-12
4. Identification and development of four key M&C Panel projects:
* Project 1 - Identifying Best Practices: Identify what is working in monitoring and compliance programs, where have we “got it right”, where there are issues we need to “get it right”, and what are the incentives and criteria to ensure economic, social and ecological viability.
* Project 2 - Communications, Awareness and Recognition: About telling each other’s stories and rewarding good behavior; ensuring the use of effective Communications & Public Awareness approaches as well as providing recognition for Monitoring and Compliance leadership and excellence by individuals and organizations.
* Project 3 - Collaborative Management and Governance: Find areas where we can develop and build principles and examples of good collaborative management and demonstrate a new way of working collaboratively together (M&C Panel is an exemplar of this itself).
* Project 4 - Achieving High Levels of Compliance: Encourage the use of restorative justice processes by affected communities and organizations to handle violations of fisheries laws and regulations to achieve high levels of voluntary compliance, develop active collaborative partnerships between compliance agencies and affected communities, and develop widespread community and public confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of compliance policies and practices.
5. Collaboration on Development of DFO Strategy Roadmap for Monitoring and Compliance: The M&C Panel is working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada in a collaborative effort to map a better pathway for monitoring and compliance in the Pacific Region. The roadmap document explores how to define principles, objectives and standards that will lead to the development of a more robust and inclusive monitoring and compliance framework and outline steps that Fisheries and Oceans and the M&C Panel believe are required to produce practical necessary changes.
6. Fraser River Salmon Table / Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum Field Trip: A field trip was conducted on the Harrison River/Lower Fraser gravel reach fisheries on October 21, 2009 to observe FN and Recreational fisheries. It was then followed up by public workshop on Oct 22, 2009 on Monitoring and Compliance of salmon fisheries in the Fraser River hosted by the Chehalis First Nation at the Chehalis Healing House (Sts’ailes Lhawathet Lalem). The FRST and ISDF co-hosted and shared costs for the field trip and workshop.
7. Development of Discussion Papers on Compliance: Development of three discussion papers on the following compliance related topics: Appropriate Incentives and Penalties for Achieving High Levels of Compliance; Guidelines and Principles for Community Based Justice in Fisheries; and Building a Coordinated Approach (linkages to ongoing ISDF Governance Framework/Guidebook work being explored at present and as project is further developed).
8. Phase 1: Community Based Peacemakers Initiative: Initial efforts underway to engage key experts in Community Based Restorative Justice to identify and leverage existing training needed provide identified leaders from various communities to become Peacemakers and assist in mediating and resolving conflicts between communities as needed.
OBJECTIVES
Objective #1 Promote an understanding of, and confidence in, monitoring and compliance practices within all sectors and the public.
Objective #2 Promote collaborative decision making processes that generate opportunities for meaningful participation in monitoring and compliance decisions, and provide a foundation for building broader collaborative management structures, processes and activities.
Objective #3 Foster the use of monitoring and compliance practices that incorporate best practice standards, and involve transparent decisions that are fairly and equally applied.
Objective #4 Identify and champion the vital changes needed to support monitoring and compliance initiatives in each sector to sustain wild salmon.
METHODS
Dialogue Circles - The M&C Panel is utilizing various techniques and principles to ensure authentic, respectful and constructive dialogue and dialogue between Panel members and other community representatives. The Panel is putting in to action the following principles for building momentum regarding of:
1. First talk about how we are going to talk to each other (establish respectful & constructive dialogue)
2. Build relationships and trust between participants and communities
3. Create safe places to have difficult conversations and work out issues
4. Leverage the relationships and trust built into shared and collaborative action at regional and local community levels to address and resolve issues.
Online Meeting/Collaboration Technology - The M&C Panel is leveraging available low-cost online meeting and web collaboration tools alongside traditional tools to make the most effective use of Panel member’s time, reduce travel costs and associated carbon emissions, and improve communications and collaboration for meetings, Sub-Team discussions and project deliverables.
Communications Design/Production - A number of products and messages developed by the M&C Panel will be directed at diverse audiences (non-fisheries, non-technical, public at large, etc.) and will require proper communications expertise to assist in the design, development and delivery of these final products for them to be effective. Panel members have begun developing avenues for in-kind donations from experienced videographers, photographers and post-production individuals and organizations that may be able to assist the Panel in developing products during 2010-11.
BENEFITS
* Acts as a forum to identify, develop and promote the use of best practices in monitoring and compliance that will support conservation and salmon management efforts region-wide as well as build trust and confidence in numbers across all harvest sectors
* Provides practical information on effective tools and best management practices associated with monitoring and compliance that will directly assist all harvest sectors in planning and implementing more effective monitoring programs, and will facilitate solutions to the critical challenges with making monitoring affordable.
* Develops improved relationships among resource users may help to reduce in-season conflicts over access to resources (e.g., Fraser River Salmon Table / Integrated Salmon Dialogue Forum October 2009 field trip and dialogue session conducted on the Harrison River/Lower Fraser gravel reach fisheries - result of an incident between First Nations and members of the Recreational Community).
* Contributes to raising awareness and understanding regarding the importance of effective catch monitoring and compliance practices so we can “get past the numbers” and begin to trust each other’s catch data.
Advocates for the role of community self-policing in achieving high levels of compliance which are critical to building confidence in each other’s numbers and supports the desire and capacity of communities to take responsibility for implementing practices on the water and dealing with non-compliance in a meaningful and effective manner.
Engage First Nations, government agencies and community groups/NGOs
The M&C Panel is comprised of senior representatives from Governments, First Nations, Commercial & Recreational fisheries, Conservation & Environmental non-profit sectors who are experienced in matters related to the conservation and sustainability of salmon and other species, are committed to working towards understanding all related issues, have credibility within their constituencies and are also able to communicate effectively to their constituencies.
Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans)
* The M&C Panel complements and enhances the ongoing work by the DFO PICFI Initiative in 2 of the 4 key elements (Co-Management and Enhanced Accountability).
* M&C Panel objectives and deliverables also directly support the ongoing development of participatory decision-making and governance structures at various scales throughout the Pacific Region.
The M&C Panel has been collaborating with other initiatives such as Fraser River Salmon Table to deliver coordinated and collaborative efforts on monitoring practices, and sees potential for similar collaboration with other locally focused initiatives and bodies throughout the Pacific Region.
Value-added aspects
* Capacity Building - Project 4 directly engages all harvest sectors and communities in obtaining input and guidance on effective compliance incentives and penalties for their community, and then builds capacity in representatives through training and skills transfer to provide ability to act as Peacemakers/mediators in conflicts between various parties. The second component of this project will look at Aboriginal Guardian programs alongside other agencies to evaluate and advocate potential extension to other communities and sectors.
* Mentoring & Leadership - The M&C Panel engages with a variety of harvest sector and community leaders and representatives regarding often difficult conversations on monitoring and compliance issues. Through this engagement and dialogue, the M&C Panel is demonstrating an active collaborative and cooperative approach to resolving disputes and providing safe places for these individuals to step into leadership roles around these issues.
* Participation/Engagement of Under-Represented Groups - The M&C Panel aspires to promote fair, practical, and effective monitoring and compliance practices and policies critical to sound fisheries management. The Panel will engage and work with individuals and leaders from a broad spectrum of groups in the Pacific Region, and provide a place where groups that feel they may not be heard through other processes to speak to their concerns and ideas towards improving monitoring and compliance practices locally and region-wide.
* Strengthening Organizational & Institutional Relationships - The M&C Panel works co-operatively in support of other institutions, local groups and processes to share workload and avoid duplication of effort regarding realizing change in compliance and monitoring practices region-wide.
Influences Policy and Decision-Making - Through the promotion of a consistent approach to determining the level of information requirements and the associated monitoring programs (as per the M&C Roadmap Strategy developed collaboratively by DFO with M&C Panel input and advice), harvesters will develop a more complete understanding of the range of management options available to manage conservation risk and the support of decisions in that regard.
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