18/07/2025
MES Attends Pilot Workshop for the Micro-Qualification on Scaling-Up Community-Based Fisheries Management
The Mamanuca Environment Society (MES) was honored to participate in a week-long pilot workshop on Community-Based Fisheries Management (CBFM), held at the Nalagi Hotel from June 23rd to 27th, 2025.
In the Pacific context, CBFM represents a community-driven, ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. It aims to sustain marine resources, support livelihoods, and build resilient island communities. This workshop provided an invaluable platform for knowledge exchange and capacity-building, offering participants a comprehensive understanding of CBFM at both sub-national and national levels.
Through interactive sessions, case studies, and strategic planning exercises, participants enhanced their expertise, built confidence, and developed strategic insights to better support and promote CBFM initiatives in their communities.
The workshop was facilitated by the Institute of Marine Resources (IMR), the University of the South Pacific (USP), and Pacific TAFE. It brought together representatives from key regional institutions and organizations including the Pacific Community (SPC), Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA), CChange, the College of the Marshall Islands, the National University of Samoa, the Vanuatu Institute of Technology, Fisheries departments, and the CBFM-1 and CBFM-2 projects, alongside MES.
A key component of the workshop involved reviewing and providing feedback on the Learning Outcomes (LOs) of the proposed CBFM micro-qualification framework. These include:
LO 1.1: Understanding the current status of CBFM practices
LO 1.2: Identifying key challenges and needs in current CBFM contexts, including Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) considerations
LO 1.3: Reviewing fisheries rules, policies, and legislation relevant to CBFM
LO 1.4: Applying inclusive and practical participatory management tools for CBFM
LO 1.5: Designing a costed implementation plan for scaling up CBFM at sub-national or national levels
The development of this micro-qualification is in line with the Pacific Framework for Action on Scaling-Up CBFM, endorsed by Pacific Fisheries Ministers in 2021. This framework recognizes the urgent need to expand CBFM efforts as a key strategy to address the ongoing decline of coastal fisheries resources.
MES remains committed to supporting community-led marine resource management and is proud to contribute to regional efforts to strengthen and scale up CBFM across the Pacific.
