The Sustainable Livelihoods Co-Investment Initiative is our pilot program in Bunaken National Marine Park, begun in early 2008. As a result of the community buy in for this project, RACI has opened access to alternative markets through communal channels by providing community-level support for sustainable economic development targeting the micro-entrepreneure.
During the past two years in Bunaken National Marine Park (BNMP), RACI has successfully completed phase I of a co-investment model formed in partnership with residents from the local community. In effect, the outcome will provide an organized means for alternative income through workshops, empower their commitment to eco-tourism as entrepreneurs, and enable the integration of traditional and cultural values into the marketplace in RACI’s Artisan Village, thus reducing dependency on fragile natural resources. In each of the project sites where we will work, a project proposal with key initiatives and an exit strategy are developed. An extension of RACI is then formed through the creation of a new non-profit organized under a local board of directors with inherent interests and representation in that MPA community. The condition of RACI’s direct involvement follows a timeline which lasts through the developmental phases of the initiatives. Meanwhile, during those phases, RACI helps to set up the direction and accountabilities of the operational structure on the ground at the project site, whom will be fulfilling those duties after the exit strategy. RACI’s capacity is therefore in our organization’s ability to implement a model where local people are empowered to make wise development choices, guided by their personal aspirations for their community. In this window of opportunity lies our work ahead. In most cases these are places still untouched by franchise prototypes, billboard marketing and the digital age. There is much work to be done to empower, mentor and support livelihoods that foster cultural traditions and maintain conservation efforts.
Allow us to explain how this approach has worked in BNMP:
25,000 people live within the boundary of this marine park, which hosts some of the richest marine biodiversity that we have on the planet. The national park decentralized its’ management, thus inviting local stakeholders into the decision-making process. When we arrived in Bunaken in Jan 2008, RACI’s first step was to elect the best possible representatives to establish a local non-profit organization that we would work alongside in Indonesia to fulfill our goals. Within a few months, Reef Artisan Collaborative of Indonesia (RACI:Indonesia) became official within a few short months, run by a board of directors including: the vice-chairman of BNMP Denny Tosliwongo; President of the Concerned Citizen’s Forum of BNMP Patris Tua; and the village Chief Om Pere Parige. RACI’s position is as researcher, fundraiser, and advisor to RACI:Indonesia. Leading that effort are RACI’s board members: Brad Wilcox, Executive Director, a marine specialist in MPA management and ethnographer; Michael Lawrence, Vice President, Management and Creative Director; Don Domoretsky, Secretary; Jim Collins, Education Coordinator, who has been working in Southeast Asia for the past 5 years consulting on marine policy related projects; Jesse Wicker, NOAA marine specialist.
RACI’s long-term challenge and goal is to inform the decisions made in BNMP related to balancing a wide range of socio-economic values and ecological values, and seeks to stimulate political support for its approach to economic growth and development. Building informed participation is a long-term process, requiring extensive capacity building and facilitation. Decentralized co-management of BNMP started as a progressive and innovative approach to conservation management that challenged a conservative, highly centralized policy. RACI believes that while theoretical arguments and technical analysis are important tools for stimulating policy reform, the greatest tool is field based success. By expanding the existing eco-tourism livelihood options in BNMP, this initiative will pave the way for creating new markets and revenue generating opportunities that will have a lasting impact on the community.
While RACI’s envisions that the conservation management initiatives tested and applied through this program will serve as a model for Indonesia’s national level policy reform for protected areas management, RACI and RACI:Indonesia’s main priority is its vision to unify the islands in the marine park by creating equal access to emerging ecotourism markets. The ultimate goal is to share the benefits of its community projects and ocean conservation efforts widely within the larger boundary of the marine park while ensuring that these benefits get passed on to Bunaken’s next generation.
RACI operates on the premise that alternative livelihood opportunities that build on local skills and cultural assets while fostering stewardship will ultimately prove to be a cornerstone for BNMP’s long-term ecological and socio-economic wellbeing.
