Community Conservation Research Network |

Abashiri, Shiretoko, Tokyo Bay, Hiroshima, and Ishigaki, Japan

CCRN — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 16:52:07 +0000

View the complete CCRN’s Japan Community Story as a PDF

Mitsutaku Makino, Fisheries Research Agency of Japan; mmakino@affrc.go.jp

Key Messages

Japan’s diverse climate produces a wide range of marine ecosystem types.
Increasing urbanization throughout Japan has resulted in widespread conservation efforts of resources to protect lifestyle and traditional culture.
Differences of the local culture dynamics can be linked to coastal ecosystem changes.

Community Introduction

Japan is an island country comprised of 4 large islands and thousands of smaller islands which stretch from Russia to the north and Taiwan and the Philippines to the South. Located at the middle latitudes in the northwestern Pacific, Japan is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Sea of Japan to the west. Due to the ocean currents and climate conditions, Japan has wide-ranging marine ecosystems from sub-arctic to tropical (Figure 1).

Figure 1: study sites

With a population of approximately 127 million(1), land and resources are of high value and protecting these areas are of high priority. Although known for its urban development, Japan is home to many coastal, rural communities which rely on primary resource production for their livelihoods.

Conservation and Livelihood Challenges

Abashiri coast is sub-arctic, salt-water lake on the northern coast of the northern island of Hokkaido. Distant from big cities, it has a small population and relies heavily on large fisheries production. Due to the amount of fishing that takes place, sea grass and sand beach conservation is a top priority for the Abashiri community (Figure 2).

Figure 2: sea grass bed in Abashiri community

Tokyo-bay is a temperate, enclosed bay located in Tokyo, on the largest island of Honshu. This area is highly industrialized with a huge nearby population. Especially over the last 60 years, urban development has increased as new residents move into the area, putting further strain on the already at-risk resources. As a result, locals have taken action in order to protect and restore the sea grass beds and their traditional seafood culture (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Tokyo Bay

Hiroshima suburb is a temperate, inland sea located in the Hiroshima prefecture on the western side of the largest island, Honshu. Distant from big cities and with a decreasing population, sea grass bed conservation (Figure 4) is very important to the traditional sea grass culture that is vanishing in the region.

Figure 4: Hiroshima Suburb

Ishigaki Island is a tropical lagoon. It is a remote island southwest of the 4 main island located close to Taiwan. Coral reefs and sea grasses are at risk due to an increasing population and a fast growing tourism industry (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Ishikagi coral reef

Shiretoko is a sub-arctic ecosystem located in the most northeastern part of the northern island of Hokkaido. Recently gaining status as a World Heritage Site, locals are concerned with how the management and conservation of this site impacts their traditional fishing lifestyle (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Shiretoko fishing community

Community Initiative

The coastal ecosystem conservation activities conducted by the local communities are part of a comparative analysis study that explores and discusses the differences of the SES conditions that each community experiences, and their influence to the nature of community conservation. The comparative study seeks to:
1) Develop integrated diagrams of coastal ecosystem functions, services, uses, and stakeholders, by collaboration with local officers and local ecosystem researchers in the different sites (Figure 7).

2) Conduct stakeholder interviews asking their interests, activities, concerns, conflicts, etc., and develop Stakeholder Tables. Also, important statistics relating to the above stakeholders are collected.

Figure 7: summary of the ecosystem functions, ecosystem service uses and stakeholders (case of Abashiri)

3) Based on above, conduct a comparative analysis among the sites, with special emphasis on the governance, meanings and motivations in each site.

Practical Outcomes

Meanings and motivations for conservation are dependent on the local culture for the ecosystem service uses. In other words, the meanings and motivations are reflecting the local way of living in harmony with t he coastal ecosystems.

In Abashiri, local people have a strong fisheries-oriented culture, and the culture is still at the very core of the local motivations and meanings for conservation.
In Hiroshima, seagrass is deeply linked to the local traditional lifestyle, but the community itself is diminishing now.
In Ishigaki, the traditional coral reef culture is surviving, but the population and the tourism industry is growing very fast.
In Tokyo, the traditional lifestyle was almost totally destroyed, but local people (mainly the new residents) are very proud of the local seafood culture.
In Shiretoko, engaging in consistent interactions and incorporating local-ecological knowledge provided some successes between management authorities and local communities.

We found that such differences in local culture dynamics can be linked to coastal ecosystem changes. In Tokyo bay, the coastal ecosystem was almost totally destroyed, and the objective of the conservation was the revival of traditional lifestyle and culture. In Abashiri, on the opposite case, the coastal ecosystem has remained relatively unchanged, and their only objective/motivation is resource sustainability and productivity.

The comparative analyses shows that with higher biodiversity, we will have more diverse use-types and stakeholders, more conflicts, so more public initiatives are important for community conservation activities. Also, the dynamics of ecosystem and cultural changes are synchronized, and the meanings/motivations for local conservation activities are linked to those dynamics.

These relationships among the social system conditions, ecological system conditions, and the nature of the community conservation activities, should be properly incorporated when designing the conservation activities in specific areas. There is no one-fit-all approach when it comes to conservation

References

1. World Bank. 2013. Japan. From http://databank.worldbank.org/data/reports.aspx?source=2&country=JPN&series=&period

Acknowledgements

This research is being carried out with the aid of a Doctoral Research Award from the Canadian International Development Research Centre, a doctoral award from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, a SSHRC grant held by Dr. Derek Armitage as part of a Coastal-Marine Transformation Project, and support from the SSHRC-funded Community Conservation Research Network (CCRN).

See below for the Japanese language abstract for this community story, “網走、知床、東京湾、広島、石垣、日本：沿岸生態系の保全を実践ファイブコミュニティ.”

Coquimbo Region, Chile

Hillary Web Designer — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 03:34:24 +0000

View the complete CCRN’s Chile Community Story as a PDF

Sonia Salas¹, Andrés Bodini, Angelo Araya, University of La Serena, Chile; ¹salassc@yahoo.com

Key Messages

Water provisioning and conservation are crucial issues for the Coquimbo Region. Its pronounced decrease in precipitation (50% in the last century) makes it one of the most impacted regions globally.
For over two decades, local communities have been working with the University of La Serena and Canadian partners in the region to mainstream climate change and water conservation in order to help families’ better respond to drought conditions.
Educating children and their families by improving their understanding of climate change and water conservation has led to significant positive impacts.
Figure 1: Precipitation as standardized anomaly (difference between perception measured (as of September, 2014) and the precipitation normally expected in this month)(1).

Community Introduction

The Coquimbo Region is located between the Pacific Ocean and Chile’s Andean Mountains. Its economy is mainly focused on agriculture (for national and international markets) and mining (gold, silver, and copper). The climate is semi-arid with scarce rainfall (100mm per year and decreasing) and limited water supply which greatly depends on ground water and snow melt from the Andean Mountains (see Figure 1).

Conservation and Livelihood Challenges

Over the last two decades, water reservoirs in the region have been exposed to extreme droughts (longer and more severe) which has led to a reduction of the annual stream-flow, thus intensifying the desertification process in the region. In addition, the legal status of water management and ownership have contributed to greater social inequality. The Water Code of Chile was instituted in 1981, with the intent of efficiently allocating the resource. This gives complete and permanent freedom of use as long as one holds the proper water rights, without requiring owners to state their current or future purpose. This has led to a very competitive water market where large enterprises have bought most of the rights, thus decreasing the amount of water available for farmers. The increasing water scarcity is particularly challenging for the Coquimbo Region’s communities as many make their livelihoods from agriculture and goat farming.

Rural Potable Water Committees (RPWC) have formed in response to this reality. These are self-sustaining, communitarian institutions in charge of obtaining, processing, distributing and managing potable water. Although the RPWC are very important stakeholders in the rural areas, the RPWC lacks networking and coordination capacities.

Community Initiative

Since 2004, Coquimbo Region Comunas (communities) have been working in collaboration with the University of La Serena and Canadian partners on three international projects/programs in the region. These programs – Institutional Adaptation to Climate Change (2004-2009), Water Conservation in Rural Areas (WCRA, 2004-2009), and Comparative Vulnerability Study between two basins: the Mendoza River Basin in Argentina and the Elqui River Basin in Chile (2009-2012) – delivered a series of activities in local Comunas.

Given the experiences that communities have had with government and large enterprises, building trust between communities and the university was an essential first step in developing a more informed community engagement. Once the trust was established, a baseline assessment on water use and management at the local and municipal level was developed for selected Comunas. The baseline reports collected information on educational, training and planning aspects of water conservation from the 2002 Census, Communal Development Plan, Regional Development Plan, newspapers, and informal face to face interviews.

Leadership Promotion and Knowledge-Sharing for Women and Men

Comunas members and leaders expressed strong interest in improving their understanding of water conservation and climate change impacts. These community members attended a variety of workshops, seminars (Figure 2) and meetings about vulnerability, climate change and legal issues.

Figure 2: seminar session.

Nearly 200 participants (60% men, 40% women) discussed the socio-economic effects of drought on the region and 60 key stakeholders (70% women) from nearby Comunas attended meetings which promoted knowledge-sharing on different technological innovations and production alternatives linked to the efficient use of natural resources. For example, in Punitaqui, dew was accumulated on rooftops during the night in order to irrigate exotic fruits such as copao, goldenberry and chayote. Community members shared their expertise and experiences with people nation-wide and internationally, which led to an interchange of strategies. Goat herders and institutional officers also shared their ecological knowledge of past, present and future climate vulnerabilities.

The Rural Potable Water Committees attended seminars and workshops to discuss issues related to water legislation (Water Code), communitarian water management and climate change effects. These seminars and workshops provided the RPWC’s with a greater understanding of practical legal water issues, as well as best strategies for future climate scenarios. Information was disseminated through digital copies of the legal water code and through a booklet naming the different organizations related to water governance describing their functions.

Practical Outcomes

Educational Material and Tools

Materials related to water conservation and management were developed and disseminated to children, including:
• an educational manual to promote sustainable development, in elementary school (40 copies);
• a preschool storybook (Figure 3) depicting animals dealing with contamination in the northern valley (200 copies);
• a five chapter video; and
• a teacher’s activity guide.

Figure 3: children’s’ Storybook.

The teacher’s activity guide was approved by Chile’s Ministry of Education which is currently programming a large-scale regional distribution of this educational tool. Additionally, ten workshops were held for rural school teachers and community leaders in order to prepare a curriculum related to environmental sustainability and certification for new schools – the Environmental Certification Program. This program was developed by the Environmental Ministry, which emphasized its importance during a visit to four certified schools in the study area, to help children learn the value of conservation at an early age.

Women and Decision-Making

Women primarily administer household water. The book Viviendo en Tierras Secas (“Living in Drylands”) by Salas, Jiménez & Bugueño (2011) describes the experiences of rural women dealing
with adverse climatic, economic and social conditions and their inclusion in decision-making processes(2) (Figure 4). Examples from this book appeared in a national women’s TV production (TVN: Chile’s public TV channel).

Water Week Celebration

Figure 4: book: Viviendo en Tierras Secas (“Living in Drylands”).

Community members shared their existing creative local practices with over 100 stakeholders from the community, university and public agencies (70% women, 30% men) over the period 2006-2010. The Water Week Celebration is dedicated to festivities, contests, and public debates around water. During this celebration, 3 annual awards (over 3 years) were provided, thus increasing the visibility of good water and environmental practices.

360º Dissemination and Empowerment through Communication

The “Gazeta del Agua” (“The Water Gazette”) is a key example of legitimate stakeholder participation, since local partners produced many of their own articles. Women were especially empowered by these articles and the opportunity to express their thoughts about social water management. This communication program is shared through a website, videos, newsletters, flyers, exhibitions and published books (available at Google Books). Six issues were published and 200 copies per issue were distributed in the Comunas and regional public institutions.

A Cohesive Group of Strong Local Social Institutions

Las Comunas, in cooperation with CCRN partners in Chile, are spearheading a follow-up process and extensive review of activities in the region (Figure 5). Partial outcomes indicate that current precipitation deficits and water reservoir levels have continued to decrease, aggravating the critical drought condition in the Coquimbo region. The seven communities which collaborated during former projects have maintained close relationships with the university and are increasingly contributing to the most important coping mechanism: a cohesive group of strong local social institutions adapting to socio-economic challenges and climatic vulnerability.

Figure 5: project collaboration from las Comunas: exploring precipitation.

Examples of ‘Best Practices’

TiNi (Tierra y Valle de los Niños / Land and Valley of the Children) is an organization which promotes values and practices of social-environmental responsibility in young children and teenagers (Figure 6). These children are provided a piece of land (1m2) and implement the entire agricultural process, including crop selection, land preparation, irrigation, care and harvest, with the support of the Ministry of the Environment and Global TiNi networks. TiNi has received 4 important awards (e.g., UNESCO) in recent years, and receives permanent financial support from the local Rural Potable Water Committee.

Figure 6: TiNi children learning the agricultural process.

The Rural Potable Water Committee of Diaguitas is responsible for foreseeing dryland weather trends. As such, it has chosen to buy a strategically located piece of land (over an underground water reservoir) in order to protect it and ensure sufficient water extraction for the future. The RPWC are currently participating in debates on water preservation strategies in response to land ownership trends such as citizens from the nearby city building swimming pools that are using the Committee’s water.

In 2010, the inhabitants of the town of Punta de Choros (located in La Higuera) organized themselves to prevent the construction of a thermoelectric power plant, which would have put the country’s first marine reserve at risk. The union of different social actors were so passionate over protecting the marine reserve that the country’s president himself issued an order to suspend the initiative and preserve marine resources, flora and fauna(3). Today, the community continues the fight to prevent the installation of iron mines in the area “Dominga”(4).

The Estero Derecho Irrigations Association is currently promoting and making the necessary legal arrangements to declare its agricultural community as a Natural Sanctuary, pending presidential and cabinet approval, as well as a RAMSAR site. This action is intended to preserve and prevent mining activity in a very important water provision area(5). Comunas, with CCRN researchers, are monitoring these developments.

Next Steps

Currently, local partners, together with CCRN partners, are searching for strategies of environmental conservation and adaptation, given the permanent desertification process, in the hopes to better understand the question “What does the conservation of water mean to communities and what motivates its stewardship?” This will help to promote conservation strategies and environmental stewardship, particularly focusing on children and their families. Outcomes have shown the positive and significant impacts of working with children on these concepts at early developmental stages, as well as the importance of interaction and commitment of families and teachers.

Although government tries to help communities in the region with subsidies and other policies, the people understand that they live in a permanent desertification process. They consider the only way to make conservation in their area successful is to organize themselves, since help from formal institutions arrives late whenever an event occurs, (earthquake, mudslides, etc.).

The knowledge gained from a comparative study on vulnerability and climate change in Mexico will hopefully provide insights on adaptive procedures/strategies linked to ecosystems on common issues that could come up and help conservation efforts. Through the analysis of previous interviews, focus groups and secondary information (over the last ten years), the research team is applying the “Adaptive Capacity Wheel” method (6). The method will be able to describe and compare the past and present adaptive capacity and will define if those capacities are sustainable over time. The analysis is considered of importance to support public policies taking into account the context of climate change and permanent drought that the region is facing today and in the near future.

References

1. Dirección General de Aguas de Chile. (2014). Accessed September 2014 from: http://www.climatedatalibrary.cl.

2. Salas, S., Jiménez, E. & Bugueño, L. (2011). Viviendo en tierras secas. Editorial del Norte: La Serena, Chile.

3. La Nación (2010). Accessed August 2010 from: http://www.lanacion.cl/central-termoelectrica-barrancones-no-se-construira-en-punta-de-choros/noticias/2010-08-26/113013.html.

4. 24Horas.cl. (2015). Accessed July 2015 from: http://www.24horas.cl/programas/informeespecial/informe-especial-presento-la-pelea-de-los-choros-1739878.

5. Ministerio del Medio Ambiente. (2015). Accessed January 2015 from: http://portal.mma.gob.cl/estero-derecho-es-declarado-santuario-de-la-naturaleza/.

6. Gupta, J., Termeer, C., Klostermann, J., Meijerink, S., van den Brink, M., Jong, P., Nooteboom, S. & Bergsma, E. (2010). The adaptive capacity wheel: a method to assess the inherent characteristics of institutions to enable the adaptive capacity of society. Environmental Science & Policy, 13(6), 459-471.

Qeshm Island, Southern Iran

CCRN — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 16:36:54 +0000

View the complete CCRN’s Qeshm Island Community Story as a PDF

Razieh Ghayoumi and Anthony Charles

Key Messages

• The people and communities of Qeshm Island, a UNESCO Global Geopark, have a strong connection to the land and sea. This connection, and a strong sense of environmental belonging, has encouraged them to actively participate in community conservation, and to develop sustainable livelihoods.

• Qeshm Island is home to sacred sites and species, which can provide a foundation for community-based conservation areas.

• Ecotourism offers economic, ecological and conservation benefits to the residents of Qeshm Island, while being respectful to the local culture and new forms of livelihood.

Community Profile

Figure 1: Map of Iran and Qeshm Island

Qeshm Island (Figure 19) is the largest island in the Persian Gulf, Southern Iran – about 130 km long and 11–35 km wide ^{(6, 12)}. The weather is hot and humid with mild and short winters. In 2016, the total population was 148,993.

In 2017, Qeshm Island was declared a UNESCO Global Geopark (a geographical area where sites and landscapes are of international geological significance)⁽¹³⁾. Notably, the island includes Qeshm County, on the eastern part of the island, and the Hara Protected Area, on the north coast⁽¹²⁾.

Qeshm Island is well known due to the region’s historical background, customs, traditional clothes, fishing, festivals, sacred sites and ecotourism attractions – such as mangrove forests, turtle hatcheries, coral reefs, coastal diversity, marine mammals, and attractive geographical phenomena^(9,3). The main sources of income for the people on Qeshm Island are fishing and maritime trade⁽³⁾.

Conservation and Livelihood Challenges

Local communities in Qeshm Island face numerous threats and obstacles to sustainable development, including lack of recognition, inappropriate tourism, climate change, acculturation (influx of non-native people for trade and visiting), inappropriate development, illegitimate jobs (smuggling clothes and foods), overfishing, pollution, capacity for oil/gas/mineral exploration, habitat reduction, hot weather, limited fresh water resources and lack of appropriate infrastructure.

Community Initiatives

Two decades after development increased on Qeshm Island, the local people show resilience to detrimental change and they have increased their efforts to keep their traditions alive, conserve the environment, and build the economy in a way that fits with local values. The local communities reflect a sense of belonging, livelihood needs and spiritual and social values in their involvement with conservation, and in learning how to develop tourism based on their natural attractions and their culture⁽⁹⁾.

Culture

Communities are working to maintain or restore various cultural activities. Among them are the following three examples drawn from Ghayoumi (2014):

In Salakh village, in the south of the island, as well as other communities, celebrations of the Fisherman’s Norooz (Norooz-e Sayyad) – a ‘new year’ for the fishery – take place in late July. On this day, people do not fish or consume seafood, believing that the aquatic resources need a break for reproduction. They swim in the sea, in order to be fresh and healthy until the next Fisherman’s Norooz. In the festival, people wear new clothes, prepare many types of traditional foods, and engage in traditional drumming, dance and plays^(7).
Various tree species are considered sacred by the local people. One of these is the fig tree (loor or lool, its local name), large trees that are respected particularly as a result of the shade they provide, important in hot weather. Fig trees have a deep connection to Indigenous life and culture, with some even having their own individual names, and some being considered ‘wish trees’ as people believe their wishes will be granted by the tree^(4).
Tela wells (in the historical port of Laft) are sacred to the local people. The wells are ancient but their age is unknown. There were once 366 wells, each with a specific name. However, due to storms and earthquakes in recent years, the number of wells has been reduced to around 100^(1,2,8).
Figure 2: Tela sacred wells in Laft Historical Port, Qeshm Island
In the past, methods for efficient water use were extremely important, as was the sustainable use of natural resources. A female water guardian, or water master known as a Mirab, carried out traditional water management⁽¹⁾. Due to climate change, decreases in water resources and cultural changes in water use, as well as the modernisation of lifestyles and consumption patterns, local people use these wells much less than before.

Figure 3: A water reservoir in Laft Historical Port, Qeshm Island

Conservation

Local residents of Qeshm Island voluntarily participate in conservation programmes such as sea turtle (Hawksbill) conservation (Hawksbill). In Shibderaz Village, in collaboration with the village council and Qeshm Free Zone Organization, around 25 km of the south coast has been declared a turtle breeding and hatchery area.

During the nesting and hatchery season, local people educate the public, patrol beaches, tag turtles, collect eggs, transfer eggs to special safe sites and guard the eggs (see photo). Women make different kinds of handicrafts with the sign of the sea turtle. They also have ecotourism activities to introduce their village and turtle conservation programme to tourists⁽¹¹⁾.

The appreciation for the benefits of conservation has led to local interest in building a community-based marine and coastal conservation area on Qeshm Island, before development makes a greater impact. This protected area could be developed in a manner that draws on the successful models practiced in other countries, such as Australia, and incorporates research, monitoring and education⁽¹⁰⁾. In any case, the model used should be localised to fit the needs and aspirations of the Qeshm Island community. Mechanisms, such as Indigenous marine resource use, monitoring, research and education, could be used to help manage areas of interest, since there is recognition of the value of a mixture of techniques and conservation approaches. Such an initiative will create more opportunities for the local people to become involved with conservation and tourism activities. In this regard, governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), universities and research institutes could benefit from the support of the island community to develop local capabilities, and should provide assistance to establish a community-based marine conservation area through community involvement, networking, workshops, training activities and research.

Practical outcomes

Qeshm Island, as a special place of biodiversity and history, has many tourist attractions specific to the island’s features, such as the traditional architecture called louvers, which are particularly prevalent in the historical port of Laft. Water reservoirs spread out everywhere on the island and dhow (fishing boat) building and traditional dance and folk music are part of the traditions of the local residents^(9,2,8).

Communities lead various ecotourism activities, including tours to see dolphins, mangrove forests, turtle nesting sites, coral reefs, nature attractions, natural sacred sites, historical tours and scuba diving. Tourists can also purchase handicrafts and enjoy local food cooked in a community member’s home⁽⁹⁾. Such activities have provided economic, social and environmental benefits to the community, including job creation and reduction of the rate of emigration. It seems that the increase in forms of ecotourism that focus on community traditions and natural attractions has provided Qeshm Island residents with the opportunity to preserve and maintain their culture and natural resources, notably the traditional practices that are, on Qeshm Island, often associated with conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

Figure 4: Setting up a safe place for turtle egg hatching and monitoring in Shibderaz village, Qeshm Island

References

Dashtizadeh, A. (2012). Qeshm; Heritage of the Persian Gulf. Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization. Qeshm Free Zone Organization.
Dashtizadeh, A., Fazel, M. and M. Zobeiri, A. (2013). Laft Port in “Qeshm Island Geopark, the Land of Beauty”, Monthly News Magazine, Qeshm Island Geopark, No. 1: 3. Available at: http:// qeshmgeopark.ir/files/files/file/b5f913ab-fe3c-490c-97b9- 607f1cebd14a/Qeshm%20Island%20Geopark%20The%20 Land%20of%20Beauties%201.pdf (in Persian)
Duchaine, J., Hughes, H., Flippin, A. L. and Murphy, S. (2010). Frommer’s 500 extraordinary islands. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley Publishing Inc.
Fallahtabar, N. (2017). ‘The state of ecotourism in sustainable development of Qeshm (By utilizing of SWOT model)’. Quarterly of Geography (Regional Planning) 7(1): 29–42. Available at: http://www.jgeoqeshm.ir/article_44986.html (in Persian)
Ghayoumi, R. (2014.) Marine and Coastal Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in the South of Iran and a Review of Related Laws. The United Nations-Nippon Foundation Fellowship Programme. Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. Office of Legal Affairs. United Nations. New York. Available at: https://www.un.org/depts/los/nippon/ unnff_programme_home/fellows_pages/fellows_papers/ Ghayoumi_1314_Iran.pdf
Karami, Z., lotfi, H., Naseri Manesh, A. (2018). ‘Planning tourism development in Iran with emphasis on the development of Persian Gulf islands; Qeshm Island’. Geography (RegionalPlanning) 8(4): 369–393. Available at: http://www.jgeoqeshm. ir/ _action=article&au=470492&_au=Karami,%20Zein%20al- Abedin (in Persian)
Moormogoui, M., Fazel and M. Zobeiri, A. (2013). Norooz-e Sayyad Festival (Fisherman Annual Ceremony) Monthly News Magazine Qeshm Island Geopark No. 2: 3. Available at: http:// qeshmgeopark.ir/files/files/file/586adba6-bb85-4b50-9677- 7b9f8db0d178/Qeshm%20Island%20Geopark%20The%20Land%20of%20Beauties%202.pdf (in Persian) (Accessed 30 March 2020).
Negahban, M. and Jamadi, A. (2012). The Architecture of Qeshm Island. Maahoma: Tehran, Iran. Available at: http:// qeshmgeopark.ir/files/files/file/41517395-884e-4ce0-88b0- a1dcfb6fd0f6/The%20Architecture%20Of%20Qeshm%20 Island.pdf (in Persian)
Qeshm Free Area Organization (2013). Qeshm Geopark Guide. Qeshm Free Zone, Hormozgan Province, Iran: Qeshm Geopark. Available at: http://qeshmgeopark.ir/files/files/ file/04f4eed6-4e8d-4e63-9f97-326f3460c3ce/Qeshm%20 Geopark.pdf
Smyth, D. (2008). ‘Just Add Water? Taking Indigenous Protected Areas into Sea Country’. In: D. Smyth, and G. Ward (eds.), Indigenous Governance and Management of Protected Areas in Australia, Chapter 8 pp 95-110. E-book published by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Available at: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/
United Nations Development Programme/Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme (UNDP/GEF/SGP) (2003). Onshore Preservation of Hawksbill Turtle Eggs through Community Participation. Shibderaz, Qeshm. Project Number: IRA-G52-2003, 2004 & 2007- 024(IRA98G52). Available at:http://sgpgef.ir/uploads/Community%20based%20turtle%20 conserv%20(216u).pdf
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (n.d.). ‘Qeshm Island UNESCO Global Geopark (Islamic Republic of Iran)’. UNESCO Earth Sciences [website]. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ environment/earth-sciences/unesco-global-geoparks/list-of- unesco-global-geoparks/iran/qeshm-island/

13 For further information, please see: http://qeshmgeopark.ir/en/pages/geopark/unesco-global-geopark

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, United Nations, as well as the Department of Environment of Iran, which enabled this research. We would also like to acknowledge the local people who are the traditional custodians of Qeshm Island.

See below for the Persian language abstract for this community story, ” جزیره قشم، جنوب ایران , راهبری حفاظت با مشارکت جامعه و اکوتوریسم”