11th ICRS Abstract book - Nova Southeastern University

23.934
Characterizing Local Stakeholder Use And Perceptions Of Coral Reef Conditions
To Develop Management Options For Southeast Florida Reefs
Manoj SHIVLANI* 1 , Richard RUZICKA* 2
1 Marine Biology and Fisheries, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 2 FL Department of
Environmental Protection, Miami, FL
The Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) is a collaborative effort across
county, state, and federal agencies, marine resource professionals, scientists, nongovernmental
organizations, and interested stakeholders to improve protection of coral
reefs in southeast Florida. SEFCRI is addressing a variety of threat areas and developing
coral reef management options for the ~105 mile northern stretch of the Florida reef tract
extending from the northern border of Biscayne National Park in Miami-Dade County to
the St. Lucie Inlet in Martin County. The Fishing, Diving, and Other Uses (FDOU) threat
area is addressing the impacts related to fishing and diving activities. One FDOU project
characterized the use patterns and perceptions of seven stakeholder groups in the study
region. Using a variety of methodologies, the project received a combined total of 1,932
surveys from charter fishing operators, commercial fishers, dive operators, recreational
anglers, researchers, managers, sport divers, and surfers. Use patterns showed general
site fidelities based on resources targeted for consumptive user groups and proximity of
access points for non-consumptive users. All user groups agreed that coral reef
conditions in the SEFCRI region have declined since they first began their activities in
the region, suggesting a stakeholder-wide consensus on coral reef decline in southeast
Florida. Importantly, all user groups rejected maintaining the current form of
management and ranked less management or property-based management as the least
preferred approaches to protecting the area’s coral reefs. Most favored interpretative
management over other options, with some groups preferring greater enforcement. The
results suggest that stakeholders are generally dissatisfied with current approaches to
protect coral reefs and most would prefer an interpretative approach, buttressed in part by
greater enforcement, to reverse a deteriorating trend. The results of this study will be
used in combination with future FDOU projects to recommend management options for
southeast Florida reefs.
23.935
Knowledge Diffusion in Two Marine Protected Area Networks in The Central
Visayas Region, Philippines
Diana M. PIETRI* 1 , Patrick CHRISTIE 1 , Alan WHITE 2
1 School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2 Global Marine
Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, Honolulu, HI
In the Philippines, community-based marine protected areas (MPAs) are a common form
of coastal resource management. Unfortunately, factors such as poor management,
insufficient funding, and wavering community support have compromised the success of
many MPAs. In order to strengthen both the biological and social success of MPAs,
organizations have begun instituting MPA networks. In the Central Visayas, Coastal
Conservation and Education Foundation (a domestic NGO) and Fisheries for Improved
Sustainable Harvest (a USAID-funded project) are implementing networking initiatives.
Educational programs (orientations, cross visits, community monitoring of MPAs, etc.)
are integral components of these projects. This paper will analyze the relationship
between educational techniques, knowledge diffusion and standard measures of MPA
success (such as MPA rule compliance) within and between communities in these
networks. Surveys were conducted with individuals in 36 communities in the two MPA
networks. Spearman correlation analysis shows that compliance has a positive
correlation with diffusion and education factors such as participation in cross visits
(r=.364, p