Available Science to Policy Decision-making and to Changes in Societal Behavior. He was re- appointed to the SCC for a three year term and will serve on the LOICZ Executive Committee.
Olsen also attended the global Symposium on Integrated Coastal Management in Arendal Norway, where he was a keynote speaker and chaired the session on Coastal Governance.
9.2 Publications
CRC finalized and disseminated The Fisheries Opportunity Assessment Report. USAID commissioned CRC to lead development of this report to identify and recommend opportunities
for the Agency to contribute to Improving Management of Fisheries to Enhance Conservation, Ecosystem Health and Productivity. The report informs why small-scale fisheries are important
and the relationship to biodiversity conservation. It describes issues affecting the sustainability of fisheries and associated threats to biodiversity. It includes a review of past and current activities
of USAID and others in order to identify strategic opportunities for USAID. The final section of the report offers recommendations for action at global, regional, and national levels.
As a member of The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Capacity Building for Ocean and Coastal Stewardship, Olsen worked extensively on writing and editing sections of a report on
this topic. He was also lead author of the two final chapters. The report is out for external review.
10. Cross-Cutting Elements
10.1 Gender Mainstreaming
In SUCCESS field sites, women usually have few educational opportunities and little political representation, access to income, and say in natural resources decision-making. Therefore,
SUCCESS focuses on working with women to overcome gender-based barriers to resource management and increase their engagement in income-generating activities. For example, in
Tanzania, SUCCESS is working with women to pilot bivalve grow-outs, half-pearl farming, and seaweed farming both men and women, with the latter comprising more than 50. In Ecuador
and Nicaragua, women comprise the majority of the cockle harvesters in SUCCESS sites and, thus make up a large share of key stakeholder groups and targeted program beneficiaries.
The expectation is that supporting livelihoods for women and vulnerable groups will build their income and sense of empowerment, improve their overall awareness of ICM, and increase their
willingness and interest in participating more fully in other aspects of the Program’s ICM activities. The microenterprise learning agenda explores the extent this expectation is being met.
CRC made a presentation at the Woodrow Wilson Centers program for Environmental Change and Security highlighting CRC’s gender mainstreaming efforts including those supported by the
USAID global programs, and using examples from SUCCESS and the completed PEACE project. In this reporting period, women comprised 33 of the individuals participating in coastal
resources and conservation planning initiatives, 60 of those trained, and 75 of those benefiting from natural resources based enterprises. Over the life of the project, women comprise
41 of the individuals trained, 47 of those participating in coastal resources and conservation planning initiatives, and 69 of those benefiting from natural resources based enterprises.
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10.2 Health and HIVAIDS
As part of its learning agenda, SUCCESS compared two forms of seaweed farming as an alternative livelihood activity for HIVAIDS affected households. The assessment concluded that
the higher value “cottonni” variety of seaweed is a better alternative for these households than is the “spinosum” variety as cottonni requires less labor for the same level of earnings and less
labor-intensive livelihoods have been recommended as a coping strategy for HIVAIDS affected households. While there are complexities to growing the cottonni variety, SUCCESS conducted
trials of alternative technologies, which demonstrated that use of these technologies can help overcome some of the complexity issues. Diffusion and adoption of these new methods will make
cottonni farming a more realistic alternative for HIVAIDS households. In Nicaragua, illnesses such as hepatitis and diarrhea are common in coastal communities.
SUCCESS has been investigating whether the consumption of cockles from estuaries may be a contributing factor. Preliminary results of a study to assess water quality in cockle growing areas
for E. coli contamination have documented levels well above US standards for safe harvest and consumption of shellfish during rainy periods. This information will help in setting the stage for
further discussions concerning management of shellfish beds to ensure safe and sanitary harvests.
10.3 Priorities for Next Quarter July1 – September 30, 2007
