Dear Forum participants,
Thank you to all who have contributed to this discussion so far, it is exciting to see how the depth and breadth of comments continues to expand as we receive more contributions. Certain topics have emerged as common threads across the contributions thus far.
Many participants have stressed the importance of the participatory approach, and how vital diverse SSF stakeholder engagement is. However, while this approach is highly valued, many have also pointed out how challenging it can be to execute in practice. Another frequently mentioned challenge is that of access to reliable data on SSF. For these reasons, many contributions have suggested that monitoring be carried out at the local level, but be connected or nested within a national or regional effort.
Additionally, there does not seem to be consensus on which components of the SSF Guidelines are the most important to measure, reflecting that the determination of priorities is highly context dependent. Within different contexts, some have pointed out the importance of aligning monitoring efforts with other existing frameworks, laws and policies. While the advice about developing indicators has been varied, participants tend to agree that indicators should be simple, have both quantitative and qualitative elements, and be measured at different scales and over different time periods.
These topics are just a small sample of the varied feedback we have received. The more contributions, the more rich and valuable the discussion becomes. During the last few days of the forum, we welcome additional comments that will continue to foster an informative and thought-provoking dialogue. Many thanks to all consultation participants for your time and effort. We greatly appreciate your input.
Best regards,
Katy Dalton, for the FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat
Small-Scale Fisheries Core Team