an Eldis Resource
Annotated bibliography on socio-economic and ecological impacts of marine protected areas in Pacific Island countries
Socioeconomic literature on reef management in the Pacific Islands
Authors:
P. Cohen; A., D. Valemei; H. Govan
Publisher:
The WorldFish Center, 2008
This paper presents a collection of literature that reports on various forms of reef area management practiced in the Pacific Islands. The collection provides an overview of impacts, influences and effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs), observed and reported in Pacific Island countries and territories. The literature presented includes peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, institutional technical papers and unpublished reports.
The bibliography highlights impacts on fisheries and livelihoods attributed to coral reef marine protected areas in Pacific Island Countries and territories. The authors assert that the region is characterised by challenges faced by conservation and livelihood projects such as: isolation, distance from markets or even government institutions, restricted human capacity, natural hazards and civil unrest. The authors further note that an important and recurring theme is that many interventions are not grounded in local reality nor do they respond to the priorities of local people.
Recommendations noted in the bibliography include:
- strengthen and adapt national and sub national policy and institutional frameworks in support of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) based on community-driven adaptive management
- strive for highly cost-effective and locally appropriate approaches. Local government, community or NGO staff can facilitate and initiate management at the earliest opportunity based on experiences elsewhere and community knowledge
- research needs to be more responsive to the needs of the managers, i.e., communities and their support agencies
- avoid raising unrealistic expectations. Communities are getting involved because they want to better manage their resources for their own benefit. Building unrealistic expectations erodes the vital empowerment and ownership communities achieve when they observe the connection between their actions and accrued benefits
- encourage interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches. A number of agencies have overlapping responsibilities which could interface with communities through a single community-based adaptive management approach, cutting costs and ensuring “holistic” and integrated approaches.
