Bright Spot on Oneisom, Chuuk!

Micronesia Challenge Bright Spot on Chuuk State’s Conservation Easement Model!

The community of Oneisom in Chuuk State, FSM decided to develop a marine Locally Managed Area as a means to addressing the issue of overfishing, as well as to build community resilience to climate change. The community worked together, bringing local fishermen, scientists, and reef owners to identify target species and their needs. With the help of scientists and local fishermen, the community were able to identify the needs that these target species require, such as habitat, range, size of first reproduction, and spawning needs (time and area). Together, the community and stakeholders developed a set of rules and zones for the LMA that balanced the needs and interest of the community with the needs of the important marine target species.

The Oneisom approach to conservation is unique, in that the community worked across a large marine area with multiple reef owners in order to utilize broader fisheries management approaches, rather than focusing on implementing strictly no-take zones. This approach combined science with local community knowledge to ensure longevity and sustainability of both the species and community practices.

To read more on this great conservation method and more on the MC activities, refer to the MC Evaluation 2020.