Within the framework of the project “Adaptation to the impacts of climate change on the marine coastal ecosystem of Peru and its fisheries”, which aims to support the Peruvian State in reducing the vulnerability of coastal communities to the impacts of climate change on marine-coastal ecosystems and their fishery resources, Profonanpe, the environmental fund of Peru, organized a virtual event to learn about recent evidence and findings on the success factors for the design and implementation of participatory environmental monitoring initiatives in marine coastal areas.
The webinar featured the participation of Luisa Saavedra, expert in Coastal Ecosystems and Environmental Change from the University of Concepción in Chile; Adriana González-Pestana, Associate Researcher at Pro Delphinus, and representatives from the Peruvian Marine Institute (IMARPE) and the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP).
Jorge Tam, head of the Oceanographic, Ecosystemic, and Climate Change Modeling Laboratory at IMARPE, explained that monitoring is the process of observing, collecting data, and analyzing information about fishing. This initiative also allows for research into the ecosystem, evaluation of management measures and adaptation to climate change, among other things.
For her part, Adriana González-Pestana detailed the benefits of participatory monitoring for fishing communities. She pointed out that, with the implementation of this initiative, whose main actors are the fishers themselves, the communities become engaged and empowered in the management of their resources, motivating them to promote more responsible and sustainable fishing. She also emphasized that it is an opportunity to expand their knowledge, as they also collect scientific information. Later in her presentation, she noted that the implementation of this initiative should leverage technology, particularly smartphones, as they are a tool that could help monitor the fishery resources themselves, collect fishing data, and create new communication opportunities.
In her presentation, Luisa Saavedra, an expert in Coastal Ecosystems and Environmental Change from the University of Concepción in Chile, explained that, based on the positive experience of the execution and development of the Local Environmental Monitoring project to Improve Adaptation to Climate Change in Fishing and Aquaculture, which has been carried out in the marine coastal areas of Chile from 2018 to 2020, it is essential to integrate the historical knowledge of the populations and scientific knowledge in order to implement adaptation strategies.
Finally, Profonanpe CEO Anton Willems highlighted the organization of the event and considered it necessary to promote spaces for dialogue and horizontal exchange that respond to the intersectoral needs of our national community, with a view to building an environmental agenda for the sustainable development of the country.
Watch the webinar here
About Profonanpe:
Profonanpe has established itself as the most important private environmental fund in Peru. Since its founding, it has been characterized as an institution specializing in creating, developing, and implementing innovative processes in administrative and fund management, and in coordinating with all public and private stakeholders working to conserve biodiversity and mitigate and adapt to climate change.
