During the Darwin Plus project Turks and Caicos Islands technical assistance programme for effective coastal-marine management (DPLUS119), JNCC, the Turks and Caicos Islands Government Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR), and the South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) worked together to improve the evidence base and build local capacity to support sustainable coastal and marine management approaches in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Work Package 4 supported the promotion of long-term benefits from the methods, tools, and techniques developed during the project by delivering capacity building activities and product guidance manuals across the technical Work Packages (1–3).
Background
The Knowledge Exchange Programme was a key aspect of each technical Work Package within this project. It aimed to facilitate lasting benefits for project partners and the environment of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
In-depth capacity building workshops across the Work Packages were delivered to support the Turks and Caicos Islands’ Government in using, managing, and updating the tools developed by the project to inform more effective environmental decision-making. Events were held with community groups to raise awareness of the essential benefits provided by the marine environment to local people and facilitate wider engagement in how the project supports the protection of the islands’ unique and valuable natural assets.
Outputs
The Knowledge Exchange Programme was underpinned by a detailed Stakeholder and Community Engagement Strategy which includes the following key components.
Virtual Knowledge Exchange
Knowledge exchange activities were originally planned to take place in-person, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions they were adapted to be held primarily online. Though in-person events cannot be entirely replaced, remote meetings and training sessions proved effective during the pandemic and have other benefits such as reducing the environmental impact of frequent travel and allowing events to be recorded and revisited.
A virtual knowledge exchange workshop series covering each technical Work Package was delivered by representatives from the JNCC Team to all relevant TCI Government staff and stakeholders. The activities focussed on disseminating the tools developed during the project and building the capacity of stakeholders to independently implement them in the long-term to support effective coastal-marine management.
Watch the recordings of the DPLUS119 virtual workshops on JNCC's YouTube channel: Marine and Coastal Management TCI Workshop Series.
The tools delivered across the technical Work Packages include a natural asset register, ecosystem service delivery maps, a natural capital decision support tool, vulnerability and status assessments, and ecological indicators. Technical reports on these outputs will be posted to the respective Work Package pages when published.
Knowledge Exchange Event
Following on from the virtual knowledge exchange series, an in-person Coastal and Marine Management Workshop was held in the Turks and Caicos Islands in June 2023. This three-day event brought together representatives from all the project’s partner organisations, including JNCC’s technical teams, DECR, SAERI, and other relevant stakeholders, to discuss in greater depth the tools and techniques delivered by the project. The event fostered collaboration between partners to support the future development and uptake of project outputs.
Additional meetings were held with stakeholders during the workshop to support the implementation of an Information Management System for the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands. This will build capacity for the effective management of the environmental data which underpins the natural capital tools developed by the project.
Product Guidance Manuals
Detailed guidance manuals were produced for each technical Work Package (1–3) to support the continued use of products and inform how they are to be updated and expanded to maximise the benefits of the project. Feedback from participants during the virtual and in-person knowledge exchange workshops provided input to the guidance documents to improve their relevance and use for stakeholders.
Product guidance manuals for each Work Package will be posted to this page when published.
Community Engagement
Work Package 4 also worked with community groups across the Turks and Caicos Islands to facilitate wider engagement in the project and highlight how the tools being developed will help to manage the coastal-marine environment for both people and nature. Community outreach events included:
- Three youth engagement sessions in Providenciales, Grand Turk and North Caicos;
- A presentation of the project at the DECR’s Environmental Awards Ceremony for the water sports sector;
- Delivery of a session on natural capital for the DECR’s well established Nature School platform.
Through local events, this aspect of the knowledge exchange programme sought to raise awareness among residents and stakeholders of the valuable benefits that nature provides to society to encourage local support for the work being undertaken to protect the natural assets of the islands.
A Knowledge Exchange Programme report covering each aspect of Work Package 4 and its impact will be posted to this page when published.
Project Engagement Materials
Communication and engagement materials published by the project to date include:
- JNCC News Item: Supporting sustainable coastal and marine management in Turks and Caicos Islands (20/10/2020).
- The Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands Press Release: Darwin Plus funding secured for new international partnership project in the Turks and Caicos Islands (21/10/2020).
- JNCC Nature News Article: From ridge to reef Building an Environment Strategy for the Turks and Caicos Islands (Autumn/Winter 2020, pages 10 to 11).
- JNCC Nature News Article: Mapping and modelling marine natural capital (Spring 2021, pages 18 to 19).
- JNCC News Item: New reports explore nature’s valuable services to the Turks and Caicos Islands (01/04/2022).
- Times of the Islands Article: Delving into the Data: Understanding the waters of the Turks & Caicos for effective management (Summer 2023 edition, pages 33 to 36).
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