Step 4: Implementation

Photo: B. Allen/TNC

The most crucial step in the leasing and ownership process is implementation. Indeed, the shortcoming of many conservation projects (terrestrial and marine) is that little thought is given towards necessary actions after an acquisition is made. Often times the majority of planning and funding is dedicated towards the acquisition itself with the belief that after the acquisition is completed, the lands and resources will be protected. However, once an acquisition is made, conservation just begins.

This focus on acquisition rather than implementation is even more prominent in projects involving lands and resources lying within ocean and coastal waters. Since there is a perception that these are somewhat fallow and require little active management, project managers may assume there will be little time, effort, and resources needed for sites after the acquisition. Unfortunately, this is generally not the case.

Lands and resources lying within ocean and coastal waters frequently require similar types of post-acquisition management to terrestrial lands and resources. Due to the fluid nature of the environment, ill-defined boundaries, public rights to water, and several other factors, strict attention and necessary resources should be dedicated to post-acquisition management. Site-specific focus is, in fact, one of the important and tangible benefits private organizations can bring to ocean and coastal management that public agencies can ill afford.

The project implementation steps presented in this toolkit (Science, Habitat, Maintenance, Public Use, Enforcement, and Outreach) are designed to stimulate thinking about several primary long-term management responsibilities. The steps do not represent the full range or the minimum viable set of all needed management activities for specific sites — this must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Some sites will require high levels of long-term management activities while other sites will require little if any.

Companies and programs are available to help organizations plan for site-specific conservation activities. While it is not within the scope of this toolkit to assess and provide access to all such companies and programs, one example is the Center for Natural Lands Management, Inc.'s Property Analysis Record (PAR). While PAR was developed primarily for terrestrial areas, it can serve as a guide to help project management think about and plan for the long-term management of ocean and coastal sites.