News


A Lindsay

Innovative tools to be the focus in 2017


As we come to the end of another busy year, it is wonderful to see the efforts of our team coming to fruition with the first tools, models and knowledge products emerging.  

Our project’s objective is to develop and promote the use of innovative tools for valuing coastal ecosystem services to improve ecosystem health and community welfare.  By the end of 2016 we will have nine CCRES tools, models and knowledge products ready for testing and validating with our end users (i.e. coastal and marine policy makers, planners and managers) in early 2017.  

These include:

  • Planning tools – fisheries models, coral reef models gauging responses to different management interventions, the value of reefs and other ecosystems as shoreline protection
  • Economic models – which will help to understand how tourism can affect overfishing and poverty, and assess ecological and local economic impacts of a new marine protected area
  • Systems models – mapping tools and scenario models which explain to decision-makers how the interactions within their environment affects behaviour of the system over time
  • Business models – which enable better evaluation of value chains, pricing, competitive dynamics and profitability, and assess how changes to businesses can better align local economic activity with long-term marine ecosystem health and value
  • Behavioural change interventions – understanding how we motivate individuals to behave sustainably in their interactions with coastal ecosystems, and mapping and guiding social and policy behaviours of decision makers.

The testing and validation phase is critical in ensuring the tools meet user demands and can be applied in a practical, management context.  Furthermore, the tools need to be assessed against the four criteria of applicability, usability, transferability and scalability.  

It is here that our partners in the Philippines, Indonesia and across the broader East Asia-Pacific region will lend their expertise in applying the tools to their planning processes and projects over the forthcoming six months.  Following their testing and validation, the tools will be packaged and broader dissemination will take place in 2017.

In other news, our Mid-term Review is close to being finalised. This has assessed progress against our objective and performance indicators, as well as looking at effective pathways for the validation, dissemination and uptake of the Project’s outputs. We look forward to implementing the recommendations and ensuring the CCRES Project moves forward seamlessly into the delivery phase.

Lastly, an enormous element to success is the ongoing support, interest and enthusiasm provided by a myriad of individuals and organisations with whom we work closely. Without our supportive and energetic researchers and institutional partners we would not be able to operate as smoothly as we do.  Thank you all for your support and efforts in helping us achieve on our mandate.

We look forward to catching up again in 2017 and keeping you in touch with the latest news from CCRES.  

Melanie King
Project Director