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Rosalinda Yatilman
Name Rosalinda Yatilman
Position R2R Project Manager
Organization Department of Environment, Climate Change & Emergency Management (DECEM)
Town/Country Federated States of Micronesia
Contact email  [email protected] 

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

My name is Rosalinda Yatilman. I am originally from the islands of Satawal and Pollap in the States of Yap and Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. I grew up on the main island of Yap, and left after completing elementary school to attend Xavier High School in Chuuk. After graduating high school, I left for Hawaii where I lived for 6 years, completing my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the Chaminade University of Honolulu and Master’s in Public Administration at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After graduating, I returned to Pohnpei, FSM, where I’ve worked for the FSM National Government since 2013 serving multiple capacities.

How has it influenced what you do?

I first joined the FSM STAR Ridge to Reef(R2R) project as the Project Manager in 2016. Back then, my knowledge and understanding of conservation concerns was very limited. I knew our natural resources were being exploited by development pressures, much of which are influenced by economic growth and political gains, but I underestimated the seriousness of the issue.

Joining the FSM R2R project helped me to realize that as small islands, our people and communities depend on our terrestrial and marine resources for their income and livelihoods, and the loss of these resources threatens our food security and economic structure. Recognizing these challenges, it became my goal to ensure that, through the R2R project, we create awareness around environmental issues that are currently impacting our resources and the communities that rely on them, that we promote sustainable management practices that will help conserve/preserve our natural resources and continue to build our capacities to address our conservation concerns.

Additionally, joining the project has also impacted me personally such that I am more conscious about my actions and how they impact my environment. For example, I repurpose items that otherwise I would have thrown away for DIY projects. I also recycle cans and make sure that I properly dispose of my trash when cleaning around the house. I talked to my younger siblings about the work that I do in hopes of encouraging them to become better environmental stewards. It’s a very rewarding experience when you see you’ve made an impact on people, whether it be through a small or big gesture.  

What are your hobbies or passion?

My hobbies include reading, listening to music,  babysitting my nephews and cleaning around my house.

My passion is to continue to grow professionally and personally, to become a more responsible steward for the environment. 

Why did you become involved in Ridge to Reef?                

I became involved with the R2R project because I wanted to take on a new challenge. I wanted something in life that gave me purpose, and that is exactly what the R2R project did for me.

Being involved with and learning from a multitude of actors whose overall goal is to conserve the biodiversity of the FSM is quite challenging, yet satisfying. It was quite intimidating at first, because I had very limited experience in the conservation field, but a lot of the people I worked with had years of working experience. It was a challenge that I was willing to take on. I wanted to demonstrate that I could manage the project while further building my capacity to be an effective manager. I met directly with community groups through project events to hear their stories and engaged with international, regional, national and state experts and project managers to learn from them. I’ve sat before government officials to provide updates on the project and sought overall policy guidance when needed. I provided overall advice/guidance to my team for the implementation of the project, while also learning from them. With the help of my team, I’ve helped push for polices that have since been on hold due to lack of political will. It’s been a like a roller-coaster ride, but I am thankful because I am at least able to make a little difference in the lives of our communities here in the FSM. 

What have been your key contributions?              

  • Implementation of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) in Pohnpei and Kosrae. SEA is a new concept in the FSM which was piloted in Pohnpei through the R2R Project in 2018. It is an analytical and participatory approach applied to policies, plans and programs at the earliest stages of decision-making to integrate environmental considerations and evaluate the inter linkages with economic and social considerations. This ambitious assignment is a large component under the R2R project, aimed to protect the environment, demonstrate approaches to foster sustainable development and provide better understanding of links between terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems to improve sustainable land use and protected area management in the FSM. Kosrae recently completed its SEA, with the final report due to complete by December 2020;
  • Support endorsement of legal and institutional framework to support PA management in the FSM i.e. FSM Protected Area Network (PAN) Framework, Chuuk PAN Law and Yap PAN regulation;
  • Collaborate with partners on the development of a draft Operations Manual (OM) for the FSM PAN Framework. The purpose of the OM is to help guide government and protected area entities, coordinators, and communities to develop and sustain productive and successful implementation of the FSM protected area network, to document procedures and policies, to provide policies for fiscal management and procedure and to serve as a reference for questions and concerns as they arise in the daily operations of the network;
  • Support staff and local experts in the development/update of management plans for various community MPAs in the FSM;
  • Endorsement of the R2R Project Communications Strategy and Action Plan. The communication strategy and action plan will steer the FSM R2R project on how to target, prioritize and implement its communication planning, resource allocation and specific actions for effective communication. This will also involve working in a coordinated way with allied communication actions being developed and implemented by project partners.
  • Recruit staff and consultants to support implementation of the R2R project;
  • Leading the team consultations with key stakeholders; and
  • Provide overall guidance to staff and consultants for implementation of the R2R project.

What have been your key learnings?       

  • To be an effective leader, you must have good communication and listening skills. You must be able to listen to and communities with a wide range of roles, social identities and more;
  • Planning is key to ensuring that activities are delivered on time. Sit down with your team and plan ahead of time. It’ll allow you to deal with any unexpected circumstances, while at the same time deliver on schedule.
  • It is important to recognize that priorities shift. Therefore, you must flexible and be able to respond to change. Learning and adapting is key to project management.
  • FSM has rich traditional knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Traditional closures, for example, is among the important traditional practices used to recover fragile ecosystems.
  • Youth groups are among the most effective when initiating change. Some of our key milestones have been due to the efforts of the youth. Nothing prompts change more than when those that are going to be affected speak up.
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Rosalinda Yatilman

How will these experiences help you or provide opportunities for you/your community/your country in the future?     

My experiences through the R2R project have taught me a lot of valuable lessons that are crucial to my personal and professional development. For example, I’ve learned to communicate better by listening when speaking with people. When communicating with my staff or colleagues, I always ask them for feedback to ensure I make sound decision-making. Additionally, time management is key when running a project. I’ve learned that when we plan ahead, we avoid unforeseen circumstances by delivering on time. Team building is also crucial when working with a team that shares one common goal. It helps motivate a team to develop our strengths and address any weaknesses. I help build my team by challenging them to take on tasks outside of their capacities. This provides them the opportunity to learn and grow, and contributes to expanding our pool of expertise.

In terms of how my experiences will help provide opportunities for my community/country – I believe that the management and technical skills that I have gained through the R2R project have prepared me to be a more effective conservation practitioner for my community and country. Conservation involves a lot of work such as research, field work, data collection and monitoring, information management, public outreach, enforcement, agency collaboration, policy, land stewardship, communications, funding, etc. I have experience in almost all of these areas, which is extremely useful and widely valued in professional settings. It is my hope that whatever opportunity arises for me in the future, I will continue to help build a better future for our country and its people.  

What is a key message you would like to share on the importance of Ridge to Reef for people to know? 

Ridge to Reef is a holistic ecosystem-based approach to resource management. In the FSM, the R2R project aims to enhance the sustainability of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity through understanding and promoting sustainable land-use practices and strengthening management capacity. In doing so, our goal is to promote understanding that all ecosystems are connected, and these connections support the functions and movement of species. When we disturb these connections through deforestation of upland forests for farming or clearing of mangrove areas for construction purposes, we are impacting our overall biodiversity. Simply put – our actions on the land does not affect the land alone, but our marine resources as well.   Therefore, we must work together and make it our responsibility to conserve our resources for ourselves, our kids and our future generations.