MARINE PROTECTED AREAS: THE SOCIAL DIMENSION 1

Summary The ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management sees the linkages between human and natural systems and recognizes the need for management approaches that address these linkages. One of the most significant new ecosystem-based management approaches is the marine protected area (MPA). MPAs, as management tools, are the product of social institutions. They are human creations whose purpose is to manage the behaviour of people in their use of coastal and marine resources (Bromley 1991). MPAs result from human decision-making processes and establish an incentive structure that requires changes in human behaviour to achieve success. The development, management and performance of MPAs are shaped by a convergence of institutional interests between resource users, resource stakeholders, community, local government, national government, and international agencies. Research suggests that social factors, not biological or physical variables, are the primary determinants of MPA success or failure. It is often more difficult to get the social components of an MPA “right” than the biological or physical components. Fishers, fishing households and fishing communities worldwide are not homogeneous. It is critical to recognize that each location has its unique social and ecological context that influences MPA design, implementation and impact. This often makes it difficult to transfer lessons from one location to another and to understand behaviour and the incentives that drive behaviour. That said, however, social science has identified some generalities about coastal people and communities which may affect MPA design and implementation, and that are important to take into consideration. Coastal communities in many locations around the world face a growing degree of insecurity as a result of poverty and high dependence upon natural resources. This vulnerability is often compounded by declining resources, high population growth, limited alternative livelihoods, limited access to land, economic and political marginalization, unsustainable land use practices and development, competition and conflicts over resources, health burdens, and civil strife. MPA design and implementation should seek to understand the diversity of coastal people and communities, especially in relation to their livelihood strategies. It also requires understanding the means by which households adapt to reduce their risks, the incentives that drive the decisions of resource users, and the sources of vulnerability to stresses and shocks. MPAs will have potential benefits and costs to fishers that are realized over both the short and long terms. These benefits and costs will potentially affect the individual fisher, the fisher’s household, and the fishing community. The magnitude of the benefits and costs will be affected by the MPAs objectives, size, location, allowed uses, and level of compliance. An important distributional issue with MPAs is that the benefits are diffuse while costs are concentrated. It should be noted that the sociocultural dimensions of MPA performance have not been well studied.