Case Studies UNDP: ROUSH PROTECTED AREA COMMUNITY, Yemen

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: ROUSH PROTECTED AREA COMMUNITY, Yemen

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Yemen

ROUSH MARINE PROTECTEDAREA COMMUNITY,SOCOTRA

Empowered live

Resilient nation

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence toThe Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years

the Equator Prize, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa

Brandon Payne, Mariajos Satizbal G.

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the Roush Marine Protected Area, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Wa

Omar Ali Ahmed. All photo credits courtesy o Roush Marine Protected Area. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. Roush Marine Protected Area Community, Socotra. Equator Initiative Case Study Ser

New York, NY.
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/events/2012events/Book_Launch/power%2520of%2520local%2520action%2520final%25202013%25208mb.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYRoush Protected Area Community, Socotra, is located onekilometer north o Socotra, an island o the coast o Yemen.The marine protected area belongs to the communitieso Sacra and Diherhom villages, and was developed inresponse to an observed decline in marine resources andsh populations. A conservation area and eco-campsitewere established, and the initiative was later broadened toinclude conservation activities more generally.

The campsite has created local jobs and benets areshared equitably amongst participating communities. The

initiative ollows principles o environmental responsibility,using solar panels or energy and undertaking sustainablemanagement o water. In addition to the benets oecotourism revenues, Sacra and Diherhom villages havebenetted rom increased stocks o sh and other marineresources.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2010

FOUNDED: 2000

LOCATION: Socotra Archipelago, Gulf of Aden

BENEFICIARIES: Sacra and Diherhom villages

BIODIVERSIT Y: Socotra Archipelago, World Heritage Site

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ROUSH MARINE PROTECTED AREACOMMUNITY, SOCOTRAYemen

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 6

Biodiversity Impacts 7

Socioeconomic Impacts 7

Policy Impacts 8

Sustainability 9

Replication 9

Partners 9


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The island ecology o Socotraocotra is the largest o our islands that make up the Socotra

Archipelago. It is situated in the mouth o the Gul o Aden in the

orthwest Indian Ocean and o the coast o Yemen. The archipelago

as been called the Galapagos o the Indian Ocean or its exceptional

iodiversity and species endemism. It has also been classied as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site. Similar to the Galapagos, Socotra is

n the desert and xeric shrublands biome and contains diverse and

nique plant lie. Socotra is home to 825 plant species, 157 o which

re classied as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable,

ncluding eight species o rankincense, dragon trees, and cucumber

rees. More than 300 plant species are ound nowhere else in the

world.

he islands are home to 192 bird species, seven o which are endemic.

he archipelago contains 22 areas which have been classied as

globally important bird areas by Birdlie International. Over 1,000

ndangered Egyptian vultures live on Socotra, as well as six endemic

pecies and 10 endemic subspecies o birds. O 34 reptile species

n the island, 90 percent are endemic, including six species o

nakes, 15 geckoes, two skinks, two lizards, and one chameleon. The

sland also contains a labyrinthine subterranean cave system, which

as not been ully explored and which likely contains additional

ndocumented ora and auna.

Marine lie in and around the Socotra Archipelago is a unique

o species rom the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, East A

and the wider Indo-Pacic. The coastal waters contain 253 sp

o ree-building corals, 730 species o sh, and 300 species o

lobster, and shrimp. Importantly, two globally threatened spec

sea turtles green and loggerhead nest on the beaches o Soc

Because the marine environment and ree systems surroun

Socotra are less degraded than much o the rest o the Indian Oc

they serve as a signicant source o replenishment and dispers

surrounding areas.

Economic isolation

The same geographic isolation that has let Socotras m

ecosystems and unique biodiversity relatively untarnished

let the island population economically isolated and margina

Socotra is among the poorest regions o Yemen. A majority o

population lives below the absolute poverty line with limited ac

to sae drinking water, to basic education, or to health services.

livelihoods revolve around livestock rearing, date palm plantat

small-scale trade, household gardens, semi-nomadic pastora

and, in coastal areas, shing. Shark, king sh, and tuna are

staples o those on the island and the mainland, while lobster

Background and Context


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55

ee sh are generally sold to shing vessels rom other countries.

ocal shermen tend to be disempowered, lack agency and have

elatively little control over the sh market, as commercial traders

etermine the price, quantity, and type o catch they collect rom

oastal villages. Because these villages tend to lack adequate

torage and processing acilities, the bargaining position o local

shermen is compromised and weak, leaving them no choice but

o accept whatever price is oered to them. Above and beyond

ts marine resources, the local population o Socotra relies on itserrestrial orests or livelihood, ood security, nutrition, cooking uel,

onstruction material and heating needs. Growing pressure to meet

hese needs has increased the elling o trees (rather than just using

ead timber) and is threatening endemic species such as Maerua

ngolensis and Metaporana obtusa.

Roush Marine Protected Area

oush is a marine protected area located roughly one kilometer

the northern coast o Socotra. The waters traditionally belong

o the Sacra and Diherhom villages, which have a combined 800

nhabitants. Environmental conservation and ecological restoration

nitiatives began in the early 1990s, in large part a response to

ecreased productivity in local sheries. Communities in the

egion began implementing strict rules on resource access based

on traditional knowledge and locally adapted community-b

natural resource management arrangements. Restrictions

placed on the use o certain types o (damaging and high-im

shing equipment, closed (or rest) periods and seasonal no-

zones were introduced, bans were imposed on shing vulner

species, and traditional shing technologies were promoted a

alternative to bottom nets. In 2000, Roush gained ofcial legal s

as a marine sanctuary, a designation which completely proh

shing in the area. The community monitors and guards the arensure enorcement o prevailing rules.

In 2008, a local resident announced plans to sell a strategi

important parcel o coastal land to an investor who in turn

plans to develop a large resort. The community intervened to r

control o the marine protected area. The landowner was convi

instead to participate in the establishment o an eco-campsite w

would generate income or the entire community, and which w

operate with the interests and needs o the marine protected

as its central preoccupation. With a start-up grant rom the U

implemented GEF-Small Grants Programme, and with de

support rom the Socotra Zoning Plan, the community laun

the campsite in 2009. The ecotourism enterprise oers visitors

accommodations, ood, souvenirs, and scuba-diving services, a

which emphasize environmentally sustainable approaches.

Everything we have comes from nature. In Yemen, as in other parts of the world, we tend to ca

too much about building and modernization. But nature is where it all comes from. We would b

wise to remember this fact every day, and at every new step in human development..

Wagdi Omar Ali Ahmed, Roush Community


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Key Activities and Innovationshe Roush community carries out a number o activities to ensure

he conservation o its marine protected area, the smooth operation

o the Roush eco-campsite, and the provision o alternative and

ustainable livelihood options or members o the local community.

n all o its activities, the community emphasizes participatory

ecision-making processes and operates according to benet-

haring principles which ensure the inclusion o all community

members in project design and implementation.

Conservation and monitoring

eore the marine protected area ofcially came into existence, and

beore the sanctuary status was legally codied in 2000, the Roush

ommunity implemented a customary resource management

ystem which adhered to strict restrictions on shing in the

oastal waters. Because modern shing methods, equipment and

echnologies were proving harmul to the overall sh supply, theommunity decided to reintroduce traditional, ancestral shing

ules which were originally developed so that the geographically

solated island population could be sel-sufcient and meet all o its

primary needs on a sustainable basis. These customary regulations

ncluded bans on nets that do not distinguish between mature and

nderdeveloped sh, on shing with nets during moon nights,

nd on harvesting sea cucumbers (as they are instrumental to

maintaining coral health). This community-based management

ystem was invaluable in allowing marine lie to regenerate, even

prior to the ban on shing in the sanctuary area. Today, community

members use boats to monitor and guard the marine protected

rea. Particular energy is invested in monitoring outside shing

essels and oreign shermen, specically during the sea cucumberarvesting season.

Operation o the eco-campsite

The community oversees the maintenance and manageme

the Roush eco-campsite and protection o the surrounding

The eco-campsite uses sustainable technologies that are in

with industry standards and makes use o traditional buil

techniques, using natural, locally-available materials. The struct

o the site are built in traditional stone and palm lea style to

Socotran environment. The campsite is powered by solar en

Rather than a conventional drainage system, water rom the

campsite runs into a system that irrigates a local orest area.

site also uses a sustainable waste management system to mini

negative impacts on the environment. The community h

regular meetings to evaluate the eco-campsites perormance

to engender a sense o shared ownership o the enterprise

community members engage with the business in some way, s

or orm some through direct employment, others by provisupplies, and others still by way o community benet sharing.

Community beneft sharing

In all o its activities, the community ollows a benet sharing prin

which dictates that both decision-making or and benets accr

rom the marine protected area belong to the entire community

benet-sharing principle is a guide or the community to distri

monetary and material benets rom their activities as equi

as possible. When divers hire the boats o local sherman, the

a community system in place to ensure this happens on a rota

basis or equal opportunity. Local goods and services prov

that ll eco-campsite needs are also sourced on a rotating bRevenues generated rom the eco-tourism venture are reinve

into community works projects, which have to date included w

pipes, a community reezer (to store sh), and conservation p

needs. Any revenues remaining ater investments are made

community inrastructure needs are distributed among comm

members according to amily size.

All male members o the community participate in decision-ma

or the marine protected area. Decisions are taken both by conse

and majority. Social and religious norms on Socotra tend to exc

women rom participation in public lie. However, the R

committee has incorporated women into community activ

and small-scale business development opportunities. Womenparticipate in trainings, awareness campaigns on conserva

and management discussions when the projects in question

seen to directly relate to womens domains. This can also hap

on a demand-driven basis rom local women. For example, a

widows group put in a request to the Roush committee or sup

opening a vegetable arm to produce ood or the eco-campsite

the market in Hadibo (Socotras capital). The arm is now a prior

the village development plan.


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7

Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS

ocal residents and shermen note an increase in sh variety

nd abundance since the area was declared a marine sanctuary.

pecically, the area now contains larger populations o grouper

nd white sh, lobster, sea cucumber, and sharks. The nal report

o the Marine Habitat, Biodiversity and Fisheries Surveys rom 2002

eports 250 species o sh in the sanctuary. Eleven o these 250

pecies are buttery sh, which are considered indicator species o

healthy coral rees. Local shermen also note an increase in daily

atch size in waters outside the protected area.

The eco-campsite plays an important role in protecting marinebiodiversity, giving visitors a place to stay as they bring non-

shing income into the community. This enterprise reminds

ommunity members o the economic benets associated with

heir conservation eorts. The community has also constructed a

unique system or recycling water used in the campsite, which then

rrigates local orests (or tree stands). This system supports the

growth oAdenium socotranum andJatropha trees, both o which are

endemic to Socotra. The roots o the Adenium Socotranum protect

gainst soil erosion and its trunk oten houses shellsh. Revenues

rom the ecotourism enterprise also allow the community to pursue

expanded conservation activities, including most recently special

protections or lobster habitats and construction o a jetty which

llows boats to anchor without damaging coral rees or vulnerablehoreline areas.

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The island archipelago is home to 44,000 people, most living on

ocotra near the capital Hadibu and the town o Qalansya in the

east. As the capital city, Hadibu is the commercial center o Socotra

nd where local shermen sell their products. The villages o Sacra

nd Diherhom have been the principle drivers o the initiative.

The socioeconomic benets resulting rom their action, how

have extended well beyond these locales. Greater sh stocks

resource abundance have translated to improved livelihood

local shermen and ood security or the entire local popula

Operation o the marine protected area has created a conserva

economy, where new jobs and alternative livelihoods come

restoring local biodiversity and ecosystems rather than

exploiting them. The socioeconomic benets resulting rom

project have also been equally distributed amongst the

population through the application o a benet-sharing princip

The best illustration o the conservation economy in practi

community operation o the eco-campsite. In its rst year alone

eco-campsite brought in 1.5 million rial (equivalent to USD 7,

The ecotourism enterprise has created jobs and income-gener

opportunities or a population with ew alternative livelih

options. The eco-campsite directly employs ten members ocommunity on a ull-time basis. The business also sources its

materials and services rom the local community, which has cre

indirect employment and income-generating opportunities.

On a rotating basis, individuals and suppliers rom the local vil

provide sh, meat, vegetables, artisanal handicrats, gu

services, boat rentals and more to the eco-campsite. Local wo

also produce traditional souvenirs such as woven belts (hab

hand-made carpets, blankets, and rankincense in palm lea b

which are all sold at the campsite. One popular item amongst vis

tourists is the so-called dragons blood: a bright red resin colle

rom the Dracaena cinnabaritree, which is endemic to Socotra

resin was a valuable trade product in ancient times and was both as a dye and or its medicinal properties.


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We are grateful on Socotra to have the support of our government. Having supportive polici

in place that are responsive to our needs makes all the difference in the world for our capaci

to conserve biodiversity.

Wagdi Omar Ali Ahmed, Roush Community

Two thirds o revenues rom the eco-campsite have been reinvested

nto the enterprise to enhance its services and to und community

works projects, including a water pipe system, purchasing a

communal reezer or shermen to store their products, and

construction o a sae anchoring spot or boats (to limit damage

o local coral rees). As one example o how these seemingly small

nterventions can be transormative, by purchasing a communal

reezer, local shermen are now in a much stronger bargaining

position with traders and middlemen and have managed to even theplaying eld or what was an asymmetrical power relationship. With

no storage and reezer or sh and marine resources, community

shermen were disproportionately dependent on middlemen

o purchase their catch; they did not have the luxury o time to

negotiate better prices or their products. These same shermen

can now store their products and demand more equitable prices or

heir catch. Ecotourism revenues have also been reinvested in local

conservation eorts, such as the restoration o lobster habitats.

Roush community marine conservation initiatives have also provided

he local population with access to training and workshops, which

have built local capacity and transerred new skills to economically

marginalized villages. Trainings have been oered in protectedarea management, eco-tourism, ood preparation and catering,

computer literacy and English language instruction.

POLICY IMPACTS

The Roush community experience in marine protected

management has had a number o policy impacts, with implica

or resource management and conservation not only in Socotra

across Yemen. Both the Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

the Ministry o Water and Environment have expressed intere

using the project as a model or replication and best practice tran

The community has also assumed a leadership role in pushinstricter regulations over marine resource access and extraction

one example, shermen in Roush agreed to a ban on line shing

diving or sea cucumbers within the marine protected area.

community action and leadership resulted in the ormal adop

(and subsequent regulation) o this ban by the EPA. Similarly

Roush community successully lobbied the EPA to outlaw

chewing o qat in the marine protected area; a regulation w

has been adopted by all protected areas in Yemen. Quat leav

legal and commonly-used narcotic stimulant in Yemen, are sold

distributed in plastic bags which were being discarded and cau

problems or marine biodiversity.

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Sustainability and ReplicationSUSTAINABILITY

he Roush marine protected area, along with the community initiative

which brought it into being, is designed to be environmentally,

ocially, and nancially sustainable.

he approach taken to construction and operation o the eco-

ampsite make it sel-sufcient and sel-sustaining rom the

est o the island. Solar panels, waste water systems, and waste

management procedures have all been put in place to ensure

ong-term sustainability and as little impact on the surrounding

nvironment as possible. With uture revenues rom the ecotourism

enture, the community has ambitions to extend renewable energy

ervice to the villages as well.

n terms o social sustainability, the initiative has succeeded (and

will hopeully do so into the uture) as a result o communitywnership o and participation in project activities, decision-making

nd strategic planning processes. Social solidarity underpins the

apacity o the community to take collective strides towards a

ommon vision. This solidarity and local commitment has been

einorced and incentivized through a benet-sharing principle. By

eaping the economic, social and environmental benets that result

rom equitable benet-sharing, community members are motivated

o conserve biodiversity instead o exploiting it in destructive ways

or personal and short-term benet. This is true at the level o the

ndividual and at that o the village. Benet-sharing has created

reater income or individuals, but has also resulted in the channeling

revenues into village inrastructure and service provision (as in the

ducation and health sectors).

he nancial sustainability o the project is closely tied to

nvironmental sustainability in the region, and in particular the

ngoing protection and restoration eorts being undertaken

n the marine protected area. The sanctuary is among the most

valued scuba-diving sites in the region, and will continue to at

tourists who have an interest in experiencing and seeing its un

biodiversity rst hand. Tourist dollars will continue to come

the community, so long as ecosystem integrity and biodive

richness is maintained. The business model is sound; ater only

year, the eco-campsite has achieved operational sustainability.

community also has plans to expand the enterprise to provid

even wider range o services.

REPLICATION

The Roush community initiative has actively reached ou

neighboring communities who hold similar conservation, m

resource management and sustainable livelihoods goals but

have not yet set up initiatives o their own. Two communit

Agales and Timre have created marine protected areas in the m

and image o the Roush model. Knowledge exchange and peepeer site visits have been critical in the transer o good prac

know-how and lessons learned. This has also resulted in impr

overow capacity or handling scuba-diver tourists; when Rou

overwhelmed with more than ve scuba-divers (this is the maxim

limit in the marine protected area), they send overow to Timr

this way, neighboring communities are proting rom ecotou

and seeing rst-hand the benets that come rom conserva

This has spawned ve other protected are campsites on Soc

including Wadi Ayhat near Hadibo.

PARTNERS

The UNDP implemented GEF-Small Grant Programme in Yemenprovided technical and nancial support to the community, and

particularly helpul during construction o the eco-campsite

with lobster habitat conservation projects.

The Environment Protection Authority o Socotra and the Min

o Water and Environment have provided workshops and lect

or members o the community. They also provided legal

administrative support in creating the protected area and

campsite, and were instrumental in codiying a number o bans

regulations, including diving or the collection o sea cucum

in the marine protected areas, net-shing, and chewing o

in the protected area. The Ministry o Tourism in Socotra was

cooperative in setting up the qat-chewing ban, and has also provadvice and cooperation in eco-tourism issues generally.

UNDP-bilateral donors, including Socotra Conservation

Development Program (SCDP), supported the Roush initi

rom 2003 until 2009, when the UNDP-GEF Socotra Govern

and Biodiversity Project became involved. In 2008, SCDP don

unding toward the construction o the eco-campsite. UNDP

Socotra Governance and Biodiversity Project has played an adv

role in Roush. They have assessed and enhanced managem

capacity in the protected area.


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FURTHER REFERENCE

Video: Concern as Yemen ecotourism grows, 2010 (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18OUnhB9wwo

Roush Protected Area Community Photo Story (Vimeo) http://vimeo.com/15748106

Socotra Governance & Biodiversity Project website http://www.socotraproject.org/

Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1 646 781-4023

www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change and

necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

2012 by Equator Initiative

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Case Studies UNDP: ROUSH PROTECTED AREA COMMUNITY, Yemen