Community perspectives of governance for effective management of marine protected areas in Malaysia

Abstract Marine protected areas (MPAs) in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are embedded in a number of multilateral frameworks. The present report discusses how various global and regional conventions deal with MPAs in their regulatory frameworks, such as their processes and guidelines for the identification and designation of MPAs in ABNJ, and cross-sectoral issues. It is concluded that the designation of MPAs is one step, but it needs to be followed by effective management measures in order to prevent that MPAs, especially multi-purpose MPAs, only exist on paper for many years. Such measures are mostly sector-specific and thus often fall under the competences of various organizations that have their own individual criteria and balance of interests. The report concludes by providing recommendations to overcome obstacles in cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination, as well as on how to combine global and regional interaction.

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Governing marine protected areas in an interconnected and changing world

10.31230/osf.io/b3749 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Nathan Bennett

Keyword(s):

Environmental Management ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Environmental Governance ◽

Good Governance ◽

Effective Management ◽

Collective Actions ◽

Effective Governance ◽

Individual Behaviors ◽

Changing World

Marine protected areas are a useful tool for conserving biodiversity and managing fisheries. However, effective governance of marine protected areas (MPAs) is increasingly challenging in a busy, interconnected and changing world. Governance is an umbrella term that refers to the structures, institutions (i.e., laws, policies, rules and norms), and processes that determine who makes decisions, how decisions are made and how and what actions are taken and by whom. While the umbrella of governance facilitates (or undermines) effective environmental management, it can be differentiated from management as the resources, plans and actions that result from the functioning of governance (Lockwood 2010). The objectives of both environmental governance and management are to steer, or change, individual behaviors or collective actions and, ultimately, to improve environmental and societal outcomes. Without good governance combined with effective management, MPAs are unlikely to succeed socially or ecologically (Bennett & Dearden 2014a).

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Sharing goals by timely communication improves fishermen's satisfaction with marine protected areas: A case study in the Mediterranean

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-021-01683-y ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

José Manuel Perea-Muñoz ◽

Austin Miles ◽

Just Tomàs Bayle-Sempere

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Effective Communication ◽

Marine Ecosystems ◽

Effective Management ◽

Supportive Relationships ◽

Stakeholder Groups ◽

Primary Mechanism ◽

The Impact

AbstractMarine protected areas (MPAs) are considered as a valid tool for mitigating the impact of fishing on marine ecosystems. Their success depends upon their acceptance by implicated stakeholders and on the integration of the stakeholder groups into their management. This integration is especially important with regard to fishermen, whose interests are the most directly affected by MPAs. The relational coordination method posits that effective communication and supportive relationships among stakeholders result in positive stakeholder behaviors and a more effective management of the system. Applying its principles, we designed a survey to evaluate the satisfaction of fishermen associated with five MPAs in the Spanish Mediterranean and determine what mechanisms affect fishermen’s acceptance of MPAs. Our results demonstrate that effective communication is particularly important for good supportive relationships and satisfaction among fishermen and other stakeholder groups, as well as satisfaction with the MPA. Sharing objectives with fishermen through timely communication is the primary mechanism to improve fishermen's satisfaction and ameliorate perceptions towards MPA. To address this issue, we recommend more substantial integration of fishermen in the co-management of MPAs.

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