2.1 Select Team
- MCA Field Guide: English | Spanish
- MCA Field Guide Checklist
- Phase 2: Engagement Checklist
- 2.1 Team selected
- 2.2 Plan developed
- 2.3 Ideas exchanged
- 2.4 Agreement verified
Selecting the team responsible for engaging right-holders in a Marine Conservation Agreement (MCA) project is a critical first step in establishing and maintaining a productive long-term relationship with the right-holders and community. The team, which will be led by the lead conservation organization identified in Organizational Capacity, will be interacting with right-holders throughout the course of the project. The engagement team is the public face of the MCA project and deals with the day-to-day activities of implementing the MCA.
When there are strong local partners present in the area, one or more of these local organizations may be able to serve as the lead conservation organization and make up or organize the majority of the engagement team. If, however, there are few local partners in the area, a national or international organization may need to take direct responsibility for designing and implementing the MCA and, as such, acting as the lead conservation organization and lead for the engagement team.
Since few lead conservation organizations will have all of the capacities needed to execute all the steps within the MCA Field Guide, the lead will likely have to partner with other organizations or entities to recruit engagement team members. Ideally the engagement team will already have a solid relationship with the right-holder, or must be able to build such a relationship. The team must understand the power structures and formal and informal decision-making systems of the right-holders. It is crucial that the engagement team composition remains as constant as possible throughout the duration of the MCA so relationships with the right-holders and community remains strong.
Next Sub-step
After the engagement team has been formed, then the team must develop an engagement plan.