Terrestrial biological studies in Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica.

The biota, comprising the bryophyte flushes on continental Antarctica, are specialized organisms adapted to the rigorous conditions imposed on them by the environment. Ice free areas of continental Antarctica provide the few habitats suitable for colonization by plants and invertebrates. The presence of free water and certain climatic conditions are essential features. This report investigates bryophyte flushes in two ice free areas in Southern Victoria Land. The first is within the Lake Fryxell Site of Special Scientific Interest No.12 adjacent to the Canada Glacier in the Taylor Valley, one of the so called Dry Valleys. The second is at Granite Harbour approximately sixty kilometres north of the Taylor Valley site

Models for an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries

This document is one outcome from a workshop held in Gizo in October 2010 attended by 82 representatives from government, NGO's private sector, and communities. The target audience for the document is primarily organizations planning to work with coastal communities of Solomon Islands to implement Community-Based Resource Management (CBRM). It is however also envisaged that the document will serve as a reference for communities to better understand what to expect from their partners and also for donors, to be informed about agreed approaches amongst Solomon Islands stakeholders. This document does not attempt to summarize all the outcomes of the workshop; rather it focuses on the Solomon Islands Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) National Plan of Action (NPoA): Theme 1: Support and implementation of CBRM and specifically, the scaling up of CBRM in Solomon Islands. Most of the principles given in this document are derived from experiences in coastal communities and ecosystems as, until relatively recently, these have received most attention in Solomon Islands resource management. It is recognized however that the majority of these principles will be applicable to both coastal and terrestrial initiatives. This document synthesizes information provided by stakeholders at the October 2010 workshop and covers some basic principles of engagement and implementation that have been learned over more than twenty years of activities by the stakeholder partners in Solomon Islands. The document updates and expands on a summary of guiding principles for CBRM which was originally prepared by the Solomon Islands Locally Managed Marine Area Network (SILMMA) in 2007

Social dynamics shaping the diffusion of sustainable aquaculture innovations in the Solomon Islands

Sustainably feeding the world's growing population represents one of our most significant challenges. Aquaculture is well positioned to make contributions towards this challenge. Yet, the translation of aquaculture production innovations into benefits for rural communities is constrained by a limited understanding of the social dynamics that influence the adoption of new agricultural practices. In this paper, we investigate the factors that shape the spread of small-scale tilapia aquaculture through rural Solomon Islands. Based on diffusion of innovation theory, we focus on three potentially influential factors: (i) socio-economic characteristics of adopters; (ii) the role of opinion leaders; and (iii) characteristics of the innovation. We find that farmers who were wealthier, older, and had more diverse livelihoods were most likely to be adopters. Opinion leaders facilitated the adoption of tilapia aquaculture, but lacked the capacity to provide fundamental knowledge necessary to realize its potential benefits to food security. The paper argues for more explicit attention to the poorest households and makes the case for a deeper engagement with the broader social and institutional contexts that shape the adoption process. Aquaculture interventions that account for these social dynamics are critical for translating production innovations into sustainable benefits to rural communities

The contribution of nearshore fish aggregating devices (FADs) to food security and livelihoods in Solomon Islands

Fish aggregating devices, or FADs, are used widely in developing countries to concentrate pelagic fish, making them easier to catch. Nearshore FADs anchored close to the coast allow access for rural communities, but despite their popularity among policy makers, there is a dearth of empirical analysis of their contributions to the supply of fish and to fisheries management. In this paper we demonstrate that nearshore FADs increased the supply of fish to four communities in Solomon Islands. Estimated total annual fish catch ranged from 4300 to 12 000 kg across the study villages, with nearshore FADs contributing up to 45% of the catch. While it is clear that FADs increased the supply of fish, FAD catch rates were not consistently higher than other fishing grounds. Villages with limited access to diverse or productive fishing grounds seemingly utilized FADs to better effect. Villagers believed FADs increased household income and nutrition, as well as providing a source of fish for community events. FADs were also perceived to increase intrahousehold conflict and reduce fishers\u27 participation in community activities. FADs need to be placed within a broader rural development context and treated as another component in the diversified livelihoods of rural people; as with other livelihood options they bring trade-offs and risks

Searching for viable exploitation within small scale fisheries; the case of Solomon Islands

The sustainable management of small-scale fisheries in coral reef ecosystems constitutes a difficult objective especially because these fisheries usually face several stringent pressures including demographic growth and climate changes. The implications are crucial in term of food security as fish represents the major protein source for local populations in those regions. The case of the Salomon Islands fishery presented in this paper represents a challenging example of these issues. The fishery is characterized by a high diversity of coral reef marine resources but faces an increasing local food demand due to the combined effect of demographic pressure and growing need for cash. The paper proposes a bio-economic model that accounts for multi-species and multi-fleets dynamic and integrates a calibrated Lokta-Volterra trophic dynamics. Several contrasted fishing scenarios including status quo, total closure, and viable strategies are then simulated and their results compared in relation to ecological and economical considerations. The appreciation is driven by 3 biological indicators (Simpson index, species richness and marine trophic index) and 2 economical indicators (kg of fish consumed per week and weekly earned money). Finally the simulations show the extent to which fishing outputs including subsistence supply and profitability of fishing can be viable for the next fifty years

Searching for viable exploitation within small scale fisheries; the case of Solomon Islands

The sustainable management of small-scale fisheries in coral reef ecosystems constitutes a difficult objective especially because these fisheries usually face several stringent pressures including demographic growth and climate changes. The implications are crucial in term of food security as fish represents the major protein source for local populations in those regions. The case of the Salomon Islands fishery presented in this paper represents a challenging example of these issues. The fishery is characterized by a high diversity of coral reef marine resources but faces an increasing local food demand due to the combined effect of demographic pressure and growing need for cash. The paper proposes a bio-economic model that accounts for multi-species and multi-fleets dynamic and integrates a calibrated Lokta-Volterra trophic dynamics. Several contrasted fishing scenarios including status quo, total closure, and viable strategies are then simulated and their results compared in relation to ecological and economical considerations. The appreciation is driven by 3 biological indicators (Simpson index, species richness and marine trophic index) and 2 economical indicators (kg of fish consumed per week and weekly earned money). Finally the simulations show the extent to which fishing outputs including subsistence supply and profitability of fishing can be viable for the next fifty years

Community-based marine resource management in Solomon Islands: a facilitators guide

This guide was developed to document the process and activities that WorldFish staff have used and adapted as facilitators working with communities interested in marine resource management in Solomon Islands. It draws on the experiences from work conducted with FSPI and MFMR through ACIAR funded projects, with communities that had a primary interest in the management of coral reef fisheries. Since 2011 the process has been trialed and adapted further with communities interested in mangrove ecosystem management (through the MESCAL project). This guide is based on lessons about the process of a community developing, writing and implementing a management plan. This guide does not cover lessons about the outcomes of that management. While some guidance is provided on assessing and monitoring outcomes and adapting management, a more detailed account based on outcomes and lessons from community experiences of adaptive management will be published in a separate document in 2014