INTERNATIONAL WATERS
EXPERIENCE NOTES
2
http://www.iwlearn.net/experience









2007-001

Coastal Management: Using Community
Based Projects to Test Locally
Appropriate Technologies




Abstract: The regional project for the Implementation of the Strategic Action Program
(SAP) for the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden aims to improve the coastal and marine environments of the
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The SAP project was executed by the Regional Organization for the
Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia,
and involved the countries of Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The project was jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the World Bank. This note highlights how testing of locally
appropriate technologies has proved to be cost effective and self- sustainable through the implementation
of Community Participation Projects (CPPs) in various communities within the region. Targeted
populations included fishermen, women and youth in close coordination with Government and Non-
governmental support.

Lina Ibarra & Tracy Hart
libarraruiz@worldbank.org
thart@worldbank.org
World Bank
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Coastal Management: Using Community Based Projects to Test
Locally Appropriate Technologies

Experience of the GEF - sponsored

Regional Project for the Implementation of the Strategic Action Program for
the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

GEF ID: 340, WB Project ID: P063717, UNEP ID: 71, UNDP ID: 810GEFID: 2750, World Bank Project ID:
P086505

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

(PERSGA), which also serves as the secretariat
The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden supports the
of the 1982 Jeddah Convention. PERSGA is
some of the world's most significant marine and
mandated by its members to facilitate regional
coastal species, habitats, and related marine
cooperation and coordination toward the
resources due to its globally distinct
conservation and protection of the Red Sea and
oceanographic and geologic evolution and
Gulf of Aden's resources. PERSGA executed
location. The average width of the Red Sea is
the project as an integrated activity by
280km; its depth ranges from 500m to 2000m.
augmenting its core staff with a Project
The Gulf of Aden itself possesses depths
Management Team (PMT).
exceeding 3000m, but is heavily influenced by

seasonal upwelling. The Gulf is bound by
The project was executed jointly between the
1,400km of coast on the northern side and
three GEF implementing agencies UNDP, UNEP
800km along the southern coast. The project
and the World Bank. It benefited from the World
actions collectively addressed the transboundary
Bank's comparative advantage and experience
nature and sustainable development of marine
in dealing with trans-boundary water issues and
resources for the RSGA region as a whole.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).


The development objective of the project was to
THE EXPERIENCE
improve the coastal and marine environments of

the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden through a range
The transboundary water management issue
of activities under the Strategic Action Program
addressed was the testing and adoption of
(SAP), of which two would be carried out under
locally appropriate technologies to both improve
the GEF/World Bank administered project: a
coastal zone management. These technologies
program to reduce navigation risks; and support
can be defined as both technical improvements
for Integrated Coastal Zone Management
as well as improvements in education
(ICZM).
methodologies.


The Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the Red
In both of these cases, the basis for testing and
Sea and Gulf of Aden was conceived as
adopting locally appropriate technologies came
framework for the long-term protection of the
through establishment of an active community
region's coastal and marine resources. In a
participation program. This community
region that contains one of the world's busiest
participation program included "eco-clubs"
shipping lanes, the SAP's role was viewed as
established in over 150 schools throughout the
particularly important as those coastal and
region (reaching 4000 students), conducted
marine resources remained relatively pristine
largely through local NGOs and teaching
and under-exploited in comparison with other
groups. Each of the three countries had a total
parts of the world. The GEF Project to
budget of US$3000 to establish their clubs
implement the SAP was designed as a first step
(which meant that each club would cost between
towards meeting the SAP's overall objectives.
US$200 and $300). The clubs sustain

themselves currently and there is no need for
The SAP was prepared by the Regional
more money. The WHO is currently funding the
Organization for the Protection of the
eco-clubs in Djibouti with an annual budget of
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US$7500 dollars per year to open about 30
fisherman. This was a type of revolving fund and
clubs. UNDP in Sudan has provided each club
it is still in use by the farmers. Before they
with a solar energy unit. Additionally,
acquired twenty traps with US$100,000, and
Community Participation Projects (CPP) have
now, fisherman get a new trap every 8 months
allowed a range of trailing different Public
and the traps cost US$100 dollars. This project
Awareness and Participation approaches and
is an example of various benefits: in the case of
self/local management that has been welcomed
the NGO various exercises to help them build
in all regions. 26 CPP's were funded through
their capacity where conducted, including
micro grants which have been based on very
training for their staff to work closely with
small amounts of money. Each grant ranges
fisherman as well as improvement of their
between US$5,000 and $25,000. It is important
facilities and equipment to help disseminate this
to note here that these activities changed in their
alternative. In the case of the lobster traps,
name to CPPs funded through microgrants so
exercises were conducted for manufacturing and
that the focus could be on the activities and not
distribution of the traps, including public
only on the amount of the grant.
awareness campaigns and trainings. PERSGA

provided the NGO with the money to purchase
Given that the communities became more
the raw materials for trap manufacture. The
engaged broadly in coastal zone management,
NGO then sold the traps to the fisherman and
these communities became avenues for testing
with the money collected from such sales they
both: 1) technical improvements and 2)
purchased more raw materials for the production
educational methodologies.
of the next traps. Hence the initial grant of

capital was renewed and enabled the fishermen
Two good technical solution examples are worth
to continue the process over a long period of
highlighting:
time. And finally, this little project also allowed

for the establishment of an Eco-tourism site,
a) In Yemen, a CPP promoted conservation of
called, "The Fishing Landing site at Shuhair".
lobster traps in conjunction with a local NGO,
This site is being used a place for general public
"The Friends of Environment Society in Shuhair-
awareness as well as a recreation area used by
Mukalla". In the past artisanal fisherman were
the local community. Users are being charged a
using gill nets in their lobster fishing practices.
very small entrance fee by the local NGO and
Such nets, adversely affect small sizes, graved
these fees are also being used for the revolving
females and lobster in molt. The use of lobster
fund and the manufacturing of the lobster traps.
traps as an alternative tool allowed the

fisherman to then return illegal sizes, soft
b) In Sudan, the nomination of a new Marine
shelled individuals and females with eggs back
Protected Area (MPA) fostered fear and
to the sea alive, thereby strengthening the
uncertainty in the local community; they saw the
stocks and increasing the percentage of survival
MPA as a mean to lose access to marine-based
of new recruits. Local fishermen were trained on
resources for their regular subsistence. Again, a
how to build and repair their own traps. At the
CPP invested in micro income generating
same time, they became active inside the NGO,
projects such as small sewing machines for
and they replaced their nets with the lobster
women to use in income generation purposes
traps. As a result, they also became more aware
and as a supplement to their marine-based
of acceptable levels of by-catch, and improved
livelihoods. This activity also diversified income
their standards without external enforcement.
generation in the family, as fishing is
Currently, they are being hired by the NGO to
predominantly a male activity and sewing a
produce the lobster traps. This alternative both
women's activity. This activity was carried out
results in local fisher employment, as well as
with the support of ACORD, a British- Sudanese
significant cost-savings relative to contracting
NGO. The community participation strategy did
with a commercial provider at a significantly
indeed alleviate the fear
higher cost. It is important to highlight how this is
and uncertainty and the protected area was
a cost-saving idea. The reason behind it is that
established.
originally in the SAP the idea was to buy the

traps and distribute them directly to the
Examples of local refinements in educational
fisherman, then the idea change and the raw
methodologies include:
materials were bought and distributed to a local

NGO who then through a "soft loan" sold it to the
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a) Dissemination of conservation of coastal
elevated the community-level learning involved.
areas in Djibouti, where computers were given
As a result, the microgrant component of this
and a computer lab was created for the
GEF project, which was initially $100,000, was
community to obtain access to international sites
increased to $300,000.
on coastal protection and other environmental

issues. Communities with little previous
It also became apparent that this CPP
experience using computers were trained using
component could serve as a useful vehicle for
materials (e-learning CDs, dedicated home
testing locally-based innovations on a small
pages, posters, etc.) which used information on
scale. Whereas similar projects may have
coastal zones as content materials for becoming
initiated technical improvements relating to
computer-literate. This in turn promoted a
coastal zone management through a "top-down"
community-wide base-level of knowledge on
process, starting with the preparation of national
conservation of coastal zones, which in turn
and regional strategies as prepared through
enabled communities to make better decisions
consultancies, this approach used participation
regarding coastal zone management and;
from the community to identify particular

activities and technologies where they wanted to
b) Innovations in environmental learning
experiment or improve existing use. The
materials: An initially designed environmental
communities were able to become more
education learning kit entitled "I Love the Sea"
knowledgeable about their own resources, to
was modified to become "Because I Care", an
learn more about how to make use of them as
educational program for sustainability. This
well as how to preserve them. Once they
modification allowed for a value-based
understood this, they themselves have been the
statement, which reflects more the dedication
best disseminators of the strategies used in their
and interest to the resource to help preserve it.
areas. These projects have become examples in
The kit includes an e-learning version. This
their region and have helped capture the
learning kit was adapted as needed for use with
attention of policy makers, in turn influencing
environmental school groups in the Red Sea
local and national strategies.
and Gulf of Aden region, with higher and lower

technological applications. Initial successes
REPLICATION
attracted private sector financing to underwrite

further reproduction of learning materials.
(i) Public participation: this element was seen
Additionally, USAID is expanding the use of the
as an integral part of both the ICZM and the
learning materials to a national-level in Djibouti.
poverty reduction agenda. All community
The private sector in Saudi Arabia has shown
participation projects reflected this aspect.
deep interest in the reproduction of the kit and
The ICZM component was seen not only as an
the expansion of the programme.
environmental or technical exercise but also as

a community engagement mechanism.
RESULTS AND LEARNING


(ii) Enhancement of local systems at the local
The regional social marketing study prepared
level: PERSGA worked in full collaboration with
early in project implementation was tasked with
local administrations, taking into account their
how to link the microgrants to the Strategic
capacity instead of relying only on foreign
Action Program objectives. In the course of this
models;
social marketing study, the microgrants program

was linked to an initially-separate community
(iii)
Regional Agency: PERSGA faced
participation component. The social marketing
challenges to better involve the countries in
study also identified regional priorities for testing
project implementation. This country-to-regional
and technology adoption through the preparation
link was made stronger by local-level successes
of a subsequent road-map for CPP
in the CPP component;
implementation. Whereas the initial emphasis

on the microgrant program was the
(iv) Partnerships: various public and private
disbursement of seed funds to eligible
partnerships were created among institutions
applicants, this idea of CPPs became
and with PERSGA, either as local partners in
community participation projects (CPPs) as
supporting implementation of the CPPs (e.g.
sustained by microgrants. This de-emphasized
ACORD), or as financiers to scaling up
the monetary value of the intervention and
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successful technologies (e.g. USAID,
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/essd/redseawork
ARAMCO).
space.nsf/pages/homepage


Things to Improve
PERSGA site:

www.persga.org
Documentation and International

dissemination: the project has faced a lack of
KEYWORDS
experience exchange with other regions. This

note intends to promote the lessons learned and
S Integrated Coastal Zone Management
best practices of this project to also allow for
S Microgrants
further dissemination.
S Community Participation Projects (CPP)

S Locally Appropriate technologies
SIGNIFICANCE
S Environmental Education and Awareness


This project promoted environmental
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
management at the local level by setting up
International Waters Experience Notes series
participative mechanisms at the municipality and
helps the transboundary water management
community level for decision-making,
(TWM) community share its practical
implementation, and management of natural
experiences to promote better TWM.
resources. This is a significant feature given the
Experiences include successful practices,
tradition of centralization in the region.
approaches, strategies, lessons, methodologies,

etc., that emerge in the context of TWM.
The project is a pioneer in the region. It is an

example on how a complex transnational project
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can work efficiently even in the face of cultural
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and institutional challenges. The project is
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unique in the region and has allowed for the
info@iwlearn.net.
establishment of a consolidated regional
institution that continues to work in the region
even after project implementation.

REFERENCES

World Bank Documents:

S Implementation Completion Report (ICR)
S Strategic Action Plan (SAP) Terminal
Evaluation Report

Interviews with PERSGA Officers:
S Khulood Tubaishat
khulood.tubaishat@persga.org
S Mohamed Satti

Interview with WB project Task Team Leader:
John Bryan Collier Jcollier@worldbank.org

Useful Websites:
World Bank external website for project
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/T
OPICS/ENVIRONMENT/EXTCMM/0,,contentM
DK:20538188~menuPK:1261636~pagePK:1489
56~piPK:216618~theSitePK:407926,00.html

SAP site
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