Title: ACP Fish II Proposed Fisheries Management Knowledge Exchange System FMKES Outcomes of Online Discuss
1ACP Fish II Proposed Fisheries Management
Knowledge Exchange System (FMKES) Outcomes of
Online Discussion
- Joan Baron Varley
- Support unit for International Fisheries
- and Aquatic Research - SIFAR
2ACP Fish II FMKES
- Consultation process
- Discussion Document distributed(April 2003)
- Online Discussion in progress (May July 2003)
- SIFAR/FAO Workshop to review contributions to the
discussion (July 2003) - Consultation process taken forward at regional
workshops (August September 2003)
3ACP Fish II FMKES Online Discussion
- Overview
- Discussion commenced on 12th May.
- 150-200 people invited to participate
- 69 Registered Participants
- Africa (19) Caribbean (7) Pacific (16)
Non-ACP (27) - 28 ACP Countries
- 11 Contributors
- Several of the Registered Participants and
Contributors represent groups, institutions or
projects.
4ACP Fish II FMKES Online Discussion
- Known constraints
- Connectivity
- Access to Internet Sharing PCs
- Email systems rejecting messages from FAO
Mailserve! - Language barriers
- Traditionally only a small number of people who
register also contribute -
5ACP Fish II FMKES Online Discussion
- Structure of the Discussion
- Topic A Responding to Information Needs
- Topic B Fostering Participation and
Interactivity - Topic C Possible System Structures
- Topic D Management Arrangements
6Topic A Responding to Information Needs
- Q What kind of information is needed to inform
fisheries management and policy? - Information drawn from socio-cultural,
socio-economic, legal, institutional and
governance sources - Information generated that takes account of
broader national, regional and international
policies. - Information able to respond to a wide range of
user types ranging from policy decision-makers,
advisers, outreach and the fishers themselves
(when communities are enabled to manage their own
fisheries). - Information that is not restricted to capture
fisheries but must also encompass aquaculture and
wider livelihood strategies.
7Topic A Responding to Information Needs
- Q Why is this information not already
available? Or, if it is available, what are the
constraints to accessing this information - Information Overload
- Style / Language
- Format / Media
- Lack of resources technical, human and
financial, to disseminate at the local level - Grey literature
- Experiences NOT documented
8Topic A Responding to Information Needs
- and how could the proposed system overcome
this? - Identify the useful primary information
- compile it
- competently sieve it, evaluate it, and summarize
it, drawing conclusions and advice directly
useful to decision makers. - Present it in the appropriate style, format and
language and - ensure it reaches its target audience.
9Topic A Responding to Information Needs
- Q What specific information resource types do
you consider would be most useful? - Case Studies
- Guidelines
- Policy Briefs
- Research Digests
- Distance Learning
- Mentoring Service
- QA Service
- Directories individuals, institutions resources
10Topic B Fostering Participation and Interactivity
- Q Who would you consider to be the priority
audiences and/or participants of the system? - Advisors to Policy-Makers at National, Regional
and International levels - Fisheries Managers and their Advisors in ACP
Countries - Fisheries related technical staff in
- EU Fisheries Related Divisions
- Donor/International Organisations
- Industry
- NGOs and Community-based Organisations
- Fishers themselves (when communities are enabled
to manage their own fisheries)
11Topic B Fostering Participation and Interactivity
- Q How can participation at all levels, and the
development of communities of practice be
encouraged? - Topics relevant to ACP fisheries
- Quality assured, timely information in the style,
format and languages appropriate for the target
audience - Mechanisms to support dynamic exchanges and
provide quick responses to problems raised - Supporting network of (partner) institutions and
experts in both developed and developing ACP and
Non-ACP countries to feed the system - Commissioned papers on best practice and lessons
learned
12Topic B Fostering Participation and Interactivity
- Q What attributes should be included to help
bridge language barriers, both in terms of the
level of language as well as the range of
language? - Must accommodate ACP languages
- Resources to interpret
- scientific documents into policy briefs
- policy documents into management advice
- above into ACP languages
- Automatic translation services could be considered
13Topic B Fostering Participation and Interactivity
- Q Do you have any recommendations on what
technical requirements are needed to ensure
effective participation and interaction? - Online system
- User-friendly
- Remote access
- Devolved management
- Customisable, e.g. user-defined topics
- Accommodate a range of knowledge types
- Provide a range of access options
- Provide a range of output options and products
- Multilingual capabilities
- Interoperable with other systems
14Topic C Possible System Structures
- Q Is a custom designed system required, or do
sufficient systems already exist that may be
either built upon or improved, for example by
developing inter-operability? - Low cost software
- Non-commercial
- Should be built upon existing systems if
available - Should link in existing knowledge bases
- If so, what are they?
- FAO systems CDS
-
15Topic C Possible System Structures
- Q What do you consider should be the primary
themes/topics of the Knowledge Exchange System? - Main topics should be agreed by the user
community, and reflect the current needs of ACP
countries. These could include - food security illegal fishing marine protected
areas stock rebuilding, endangered species
mangroves aquaculture food safety and quality
capacity building and training and other
priorities identified by COFI 2003
16ACP Fish II FMKES Online Discussion
- Q. How should the system be managed, who should
manage it and where might it be best located
(i.e. system server)? - Lead Agency
- ACP Regional Centres
- ACP National/Country Centres
- Partner Organisations in Developed Countries
- Regional Centres of Excellence
- Communities of Practice
-
17Topic D Management Arrangements
- Lead Agency, e.g.
- Host and maintain the overarching system
- Responsible for system development
- Provide training and support
- Central editorial and management staff
- Provide translation service
- ACP Regional/National Centres, e.g.
- Co-ordinate regional/national input
- Editors
- Local delivery online and offline
- Regional/National training
- Encourage development of Communities of Practice
- Provide translation into local languages
-
18Topic D Management Arrangements
- Aspects to be managed could include
- System development and maintenance
- Those coordinating the system at various levels
- Knowledge providers
- Users
- Linkages with other systems/resource providers
- Discussions
- Mentors
- Directories
-
19ACP Fish II FMKES
- In conclusion
- ACP Fish II will be a very large programme
- The Knowledge Exchange System will be an
important central element - The Knowledge Exchange System (software) should
only use a small proportion of the overall
funding - The concentration of effort and funding should be
on building the network and developing the
content and services -
20ACP Fish II Proposed Fisheries Management
Knowledge Exchange System (FMKES) Outcomes of
Online Discussion
- Joan Baron Varley
- Support unit for International Fisheries
- and Aquatic Research - SIFAR