11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

21-3
Recreational Fishers’ Perceptions Of The Costs And Benefits Of The 2004 Rezoning
Of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Stephen SUTTON* 1
1 Fishing and Fisheries Research Centre, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
Recreational fishing is a popular use of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
(GBRMP). In 2004, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA)
implemented a new zoning plan for the GBRMP that increased no-fishing zones within
the Park from 5% to 33% of the total Park area. Anecdotal evidence suggested a high
level of opposition towards the rezoning among recreational fishers before and after
implementation of the new zoning plan. This study reports on a recent survey of 800
GBRMP recreational fishers that was aimed at understanding fishers’ perceptions of the
costs and benefits of the 2004 zoning plan and the rezoning process. Results revealed
that a majority (70%) of recreational fishers support the new zoning plan and believe it
will enhance the sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef and the fisheries it supports. In
general, the effects of the new zoning plan on recreational fishing activity appear to be
less severe than fishers had expected with most fishers (73%) reporting that the rezoning
has had little negative impact on their fishing activity. However, most fishers did not
believe that the concerns of recreational fishers were adequately considered in the
rezoning process, and trust in the GBRMPA among recreational fishers is low. Results
suggest that opposition towards the zoning plan among recreational fishers is due to
dissatisfaction with the rezoning and consultation processes rather than dissatisfaction
with the outcomes of the new zoning plan. Support for marine protected areas and coral
reef conservation among recreational fishers could be enhanced by developing more
effective methods of engaging the recreational fishing community in the decision making
process.
21-4
New Eco-Development Initiatives Involving Local People in The Conservation Of
Coral Reefs in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor (India)
Alok SAXENA 1 , Mani SAXENA* 2
1 Department of Environment & Forests, Government of India, Port Blair, India,
2 Biotechnology, Central Agriculture Research Institute, Port Blair, India
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park situated at Wandoor about 29 km from Port Blair
is among the first three Marine National Parks in India. It was established in 1983 with
the objective of conserving the unique marine diversity particularly the coral reefs found
in this area. There are 15 islands within MGMNP but there is no habitation inside the
park area. There are 11 villages in the adjoining area having more than 1000 families.
The main occupation is fishing. Though no rights are allowed within the Marine National
Park but fishing routes are demarcated for providing safe passage to local fishermen.
MGMNP is an important eco-tourist site because of its unique marine biodiversity and
provides livelihood means to the people living around. In order to involve the local
people in the conservation efforts, the Park authorities initiated action at a small level in
2003-04.Tsunami that struck these islands in 2004 affected not only tourism but also the
efforts of Park authorities in people’s participation. However there has been a significant
increase in tourist inflow to these islands in last two years and the park authorities have
also recently revived their eco-development initiatives. In a series of meetings by the
administration with local people, new initiatives are being taken for providing livelihood
means to locals and involving them in the conservation efforts. The present study shows
results based on surveys with local people and representatives of administration on the
new initiatives, expectations of locals, their increasing awareness and changing attitude
towards Park authorities.
Oral Mini-Symposium 21: Social-ecological Systems
21-5
Global Study Of Management Effectiveness Of Marine Protected Areas
Robert POMEROY 1 , Tammy CAMPSON* 2,3
1 Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Connecticut, Avery Point, CT,
2 University of Connecticut, Simsbury, CT, 3 University of Connecticut, Storrs
Marine Protected Areas have been established all over the world for the purposes of
conservation, fisheries management, or both. While site-specific or regional studies on the
management effectiveness of MPAs in meeting one or both of these objectives abound, there
are relatively fewer studies that rigorously examine the simultaneous achievement of ecological,
socioeconomic and/or governance objectives, and none that attempt to do so on a global scale.
Moreover, no prior research has investigated the effects of the timing of management
interventions and exogenous or discrete biophysical events on the effectiveness of Marine
Protected Areas.
This paper presents research results from a Global Management Effectiveness (GME)
evaluation study of Marine Protected Areas. The main objectives of this study are to: 1)
determine the socioeconomic, governance and ecological effects (outcomes and outputs) of
MPAs; and 2)determine the critical factors (ecological, socioeconomic and governance)
affecting MPA outcomes and outputs, as well as the impact of the timing of those factors on the
outcomes and outputs of the MPA. The analysis integrates primary data derived from household
surveys with extant ecological and control data. This paper will report the findings from the first
round of GME study sites, including results from Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
21-8
Assessing Economic And Ecological Thresholds in Artisanal Reef Fisheries
Louise TEH* 1 , Lydia TEH 1 , Ussif Rashid SUMAILA 1
1 Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Conventional fisheries management approaches are generally considered to be inadequate for
managing coral reef fisheries. As an alternative, we apply the resilience concept to examine
‘thresholds’ of a reef fishery system in order to identify areas where management can enhance
socio-economic and ecological sustainability. We use the unmanaged artisanal reef fisheries of
Pulau Banggi, Malaysia, as our case study. We find that reef fisheries resources have declined
from the past, but have been maintained at a consistent level in the past 3 years. Fish catch
composition and fishing effort have also remained stable, and fishing strategies are adapted to
seasonal fluctuations. A significant economic perturbation – an increase in fuel price by 20 to
50% - did not cause any noticeable change in fishing behaviour after 11 months, suggesting that
the reef fishery is still within economic profitability thresholds. On the other hand, this could
also reflect that fishers have a low capacity to adapt due to lack of alternative livelihood
options, and limited non-fishing skills and market access. The ecological system might be at a
more precarious threshold due to intense fishing for the live reef fish trade, and increasing
intrusion of purse seine vessels into artisanal fishing grounds. These pressures are likely to
drive down ecological productivity and economic benefits from the fisheries in the future.
However, fishers’ willingness and capacity to change this downward trajectory is impeded by
their economic reliance on the live fish trade, and a general lack of community organization and
an attitude of indifference to confront the purse seine fleet. Strategies to strengthen the
resilience of Banggi’s reef fisheries can include: 1) diversifying economic options for fishers;
and 2) developing community capacity and/or community-institutional partnerships to address
wider scale pressures such as purse seine intrusions.
174