Ecora: An Integrated Ecosystem Management Approach

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and natural resources; Legislation and regulations that support IEM ◦ ◦ plans, major stakeholders, and their interests; How local communities and other stakeholderswill ◦ ◦ be involved in the planning and implementation process; The current institutional capacity for implementing ◦ ◦ IEM plans, and any plans for improvement; and Mechanisms for interagency coordination. ◦ ◦ Each IEM strategy and action plan will describe • priorities for actions and will also contain plans for financial sustainability, monitoring and evaluating, conflict resolution approaches, and public participation and consultation. Status: Draft IEM strategy and action plans have been developed and are in various stages of approval with the relevant administrative bodies of the Model Areas. 6.4 Pilot Projects The purpose of conducting pilot projects is two-fold. First, it provides an opportunity to test the strategies for implementing IEM plans and modify them accordingly. Secondly, it allows stakeholders to see some early results from the IEM. This, in turn, helps build support for their continued participation in the implementation of IEM. An attempt was made to select pilot projects that would: Be of a short duration so that the demonstration • activities can deliver early results and build confidence amongst stakeholders; Produce tangible and measurable results; •

Status: Community monitoring programs have been • established in all three Model Areas and work will continue in 2009. Community monitoring data collected by the • Sakha Republic/Yakutia Ministry of Nature Protection will be used as baseline information for identifying harvest limits for waterfowl hunting. The community-based monitoring programs are • enabling the Model Areas to participate actively in international projects and programmes, especially in the Barents region and the Bering Sea. 6.3.Development of IEM Strategies and Action Plans An IEM strategy and action plan will be developed for each Model Area. Each plan will contain overall ecosystem conservation and management objectives, targeted actions to meet the objectives, necessary agreements amongst stakeholders, and an implementation and monitoring/evaluation plan. Results: Final IEM plans for each Model Area will build • upon information collected under project activities, information from other relevant research and studies, and input from stakeholder consultations. Each IEM plan will include information on: The principal ecological systems and the overall ◦ ◦ environmental status in the Model Area; The principal social, economic, and institutional ◦ ◦ issues in the Model Area and their implications for the IEM plan; Local concerns and development priorities; ◦ ◦ The current use, constraints, and opportunities of ◦ ◦ ecosystem services obtained from ecosystems

Denis Litovka