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Marine reserves can create both benefits and costs to fishers. This article explores the perceptions of fishers in Kenya and Seychelles about displacement, spillover, and overall impacts of local marine reserves on their livelihoods. We test whether these perceptions are different among fishers from different geographic and socioeconomic conditions. Sixty-six percent of fishers had been displaced from marine reserves or coastal development and 90% believed they had caught fishes that spilled over from marine reserves. Poorer fishers in Kenya were both displaced from, and also felt like they benefited from, marine reserves. This highlights how people's experiences with marine reserves, both positive and negative, are affected by a range of social considerations that may not be incorporated in typical evaluations of ecological and economic marine reserve success.
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2014
Winners and Losers in Marine Conservation:
Fishers’ Displacement and Livelihood Benefits
from Marine Reserves
JOSHUA E. CINNER
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
TIM DAW
School of International Development, University of East Anglia,
Norwich, United Kingdom, and Stockholm Resilience Centre,
Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
CINDY HUCHERY
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies,
James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
PASCAL THOYA
Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mombasa, Kenya
ANDREW WAMUKOTA
School of Natural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
MARIA CEDRAS
Seychelles Fishing Authority, Victoria, Seychelles
CAROLINE ABUNGE
Wildlife Conservation Society, Coral Reef Conservation Program,
Mombasa, Kenya
Marine reserves can create both benefits and costs to fishers. This article explores
the perceptions of fishers in Kenya and Seychelles about displacement, spillover,
and overall impacts of local marine reserves on their livelihoods. We test whether
these perceptions are different among fishers from different geographic and socioe-
conomic conditions. Sixty-six percent of fishers had been displaced from marine
reserves or coastal development and 90%believed they had caught fishes that spilled
Received 18 November 2012; accepted 3 August 2013.
Address correspondence to Joshua E. Cinner, Australian Research Council Centre of
Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia.
E-mail: joshua.cinner@jcu.edu.au
Society and Natural Resources, 27:994–1005
Copyright #2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0894-1920 print=1521-0723 online
DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2014.918229
994
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over from marine reserves. Poorer fishers in Kenya were both displaced from, and
also felt like they benefited from, marine reserves. This highlights how people’s
experiences with marine reserves, both positive and negative, are affected by a range
of social considerations that may not be incorporated in typical evaluations of
ecological and economic marine reserve success.
Keywords coral reef, marine reserve, protected areas, small-scale fishery, social
impacts, social–ecological system, socioeconomic
Unlike terrestrial reserves, which are largely justified for biodiversity conservation,
marine reserves are often implemented with fisheries management objectives
implicitly offering to fishers long-term benefits that may counter the negative effects
of displacement from reserves (Sala et al. 2013). These benefits and costs have differ-
ential effects among various stakeholders (Mascia and Claus 2009). The costs of dis-
placement result from increased travel to fishing grounds, with implications for fuel,
time, and safety (Daw 2008; Mascia and Claus 2009); loss of particular grounds and
fish stocks; increased search time due to loss of familiar fishing grounds; and
increased densities of fishers in remaining fishing areas (Carter 2003). The cost borne
by an individual fisher depends on the spatial fishing habits of individuals, in turn
affected by the species they target and the gears and vessels used, as well as their fish-
ing experience and skill, the availability of alternative sources of income, and a range
of socioeconomic and cultural constraints (Smith et al. 2010; Coulthard 2011). For
example, wealthier fishers are expected to benefit the most from marine reserves
because they can often influence the marine reserve establishment process to better
fit their needs, and are also better poised to take advantage of alternative opportu-
nities such as from tourism (e.g., Christie 2004; Be
´ne
´et al. 2009). Alternatively,
fishers entrenched in poverty may not have the resources or capacity to fish further
afield or diversify livelihoods (Cinner et al. 2009). Thus, reserves are expected to have
unequal effects on different fishers depending on their existing resource space, skills,
technology, institutions, and socioeconomic conditions.
In the longer term, as biomass accumulates in reserves, fishers may enjoy fish-
eries benefits from enhanced larval production (Harrison et al. 2012) and ‘‘spillover’’
of adult fish into fishing grounds (McClanahan 2010). Several ecological studies
have found higher fish biomass, total catch, or catch per unit effort (CPUE) adjacent
to reserves than further away (McClanahan and Mangi 2000; Stamoulis and
Friedlander 2013; Russ et al. 2004). Fishers may also perceive benefits related to
exclusion of outsiders, reduced competition, and better enforcement of regulations
in the vicinity of a reserve (Mascia et al. 2010), particularly if reserves are implemen-
ted as part of a broader zoning strategy.
Whether benefits can compensate for displacement costs depends on a range of
complex biological, geographical, economic, and technological factors (Smith et al.
2010). Fishers’ support for marine reserves can be undermined by discounting of
uncertain potential future benefits (Smith et al. 2010) and failure to deliver expected
benefits (Pita et al. 2011). While most studies have focussed on the effects of reserves
on fisheries yields (e.g., McClanahan 2010), fisherfolks’ perception of reserves may
also consider other ecosystem services as tourism, conservation of resources for
the future, ecosystem resilience, and ‘‘ripple effects’’ on the well-being of local com-
munities (Mascia and Claus 2009). Ultimately, how fishers perceive the trade-offs
between long- and short-term, direct and indirect benefits and costs will be crucial
Winners and Losers in Marine Conservation 995
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for the legitimacy and acceptance of marine reserves, compliance, and subsequently
ecological success (Pollnac et al. 2010; Christie et al. 2003). Studying fishers’ percep-
tions about the costs and benefits of marine reserves can help to highlight whether
and how they support marine reserves, define what they view as burdensome, and
inform whether policy measures could increase benefits.
While a number of studies have examined the ecological and economic dimen-
sions of spillover (reviewed by Halpern et al. 2010; Graham et al. 2011), fewer studies
have explicitly quantified the trade-off between the costs of displacement and spil-
lover (Rudd et al. 2003) and fewer still how individual fishers experience and perceive
displacement and spillover from marine reserves. In this study, we ask fishers about
their own perceptions of displacement, spillover, and overall impacts of marine
reserves on their livelihoods. Specifically, we examine whether fishers in both Kenya
and Seychelles (1) personally were displaced by a reserve or coastal development;
(2) perceived that they had caught fish that had spilled over from a reserve;
(3) perceived that their catch has changed as a result of the reserve; and (4) perceived
that a reserve has been positive or negative for their livelihoods. We test whether
these responses about perceived benefits and costs are related to fishers’ geographic
and socioeconomic characteristics. Our hypotheses are that (1) fishers who are
poorer (i.e., lower fortnightly expenditures and material style of life), elderly, and less
mobile (i.e., don’t use a boat) are more likely to experience the effects of displace-
ment, and are less likely to perceive spillover or livelihood benefits; (2) perceptions
about marine reserves are related to the use of different fishing gears; and (3) percep-
tions about displacement from and benefits of marine protected areas (MPAs) are
related to local context, history, and processes resulting in significant heterogeneity
between sites.
Methods
Study Sites
We focused on smallscale artisanal trap and hand-line fishers in Kenya and
Seychelles, which are within the same biogeographical region and both target coral
reefs and associated habitats, but the two countries represent opposite ends of the
regional spectrum of wealth and development. Seychellois fishers have powered
fiberglass boats and greater access to technology, while only some Kenyan fishers
had access to boats and none had engines. Both countries included large
state-governed marine parks and smaller, privately owned or community-managed
reserves (Table 1). Seychellois fishers have experienced additional displacement from
land reclamation activities.
Seychelles marine parks were established and are managed by government
bodies, except Cousin Island special nature reserve, which is managed and strictly
enforced by a private nongovernmental organization (NGO). In Kenya, Mombasa
Marine National Park was established in 1991 and is managed by the Kenya Wildlife
Service. In 2005, a 29-ha community-based marine reserve was established at Kinuni
with the support of environmental NGOs. This tengefu (a Swahili word meaning
putting something aside) is associated with a successful community development
organization, has full-time guards, and has a fee structure in place for visiting
tourists. Other communities have attempted to replicate the Kinuni tengefu initiative
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Table 1. Site description of marine reserves
Marine reserve Management
Closure
size (ha)
Year
established Compliance
Sample
area
Sample
size
Estimated
number
of fishers
a
Seychelles
Curieuse MNP Government 1470 1997 Variable NE Praslin 11 70
Cousin Special Nature Reserve Private 120 1968 High SW Praslin 9 68
St Anne MNP Government 1453 1973 Variable E Mahe 32 304
Baie Ternay MNP Government 80 1979 Variable W Mahe 10 114
Port Launay MNP Government 158 1979 Variable
Kenya
Mombasa National
Marine Park
Government 1000 1991 High Bamburi 20 65
Kinuni tengefu Community based 29 2005 High Kinuni 12 26
Kuruwitu 18 34
Vipingo 13 27
Bureni tengefu Community based 5.2 2010 Low Bureni 14 30
Tiwi tengefu Community based 12.5 2009 High Tiwi 20 46
Tradewinds tengefu Community based 11.8 2009 Low Tradewinds 17 178
a
Only including artisanal fishers.
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with varying degrees of success, including at our study sites in Bureni, Tiwi and
Tradewinds (Table 1).
Sampling
We conducted structured interviews with fishers considered key spatial decision
makers during fishing (mostly captains). In Kenya, sampling of fishers was in dis-
crete landing sites, while, due to the lower numbers of fishers in Seychelles, fishers
were sampled from around the coastline of the two main islands (Mahe and Praslin)
and divided by region (Table 1). In Seychelles, small boat artisanal hand-line and
trap fishers (those most likely to have interactions with marine reserves) were selec-
ted from the Seychelles Fishing Authority list of all registered boats and requested to
take part in the interviews. Additional unregistered fishers were also sampled oppor-
tunistically based on encounters at landing sites. We grouped fishers geographically
by whether they lived in East or West Mahe, and Southwest or Southeast Praslin. In
Kenya, random sampling stratified by gear was based on a list of active fishers and
their gear generated with key informants at each landing site (Table 1).
Dependent Variables
Fishers were asked (1) whether they personally used to fish in areas where fishing
effort had been displaced (largely by marine reserves but also by coastal development
in Seychelles); (2) whether they perceived that they personally caught fish that had
come from a marine reserve; (3) the effect of the reserve on their catch (answer: posi-
tive, neutral, negative); and (4) the effect of the reserve on their livelihoods overall
(answer: positive, neutral, negative). For fishers who had been displaced we asked
an open-ended question on how they responded.
Independent Variables
We examined six key geographic and socioeconomic characteristics of fishers: (1)
whether they used a boat; (2) landing site (i.e., geographic location); (3) gear types
used, including hand line, spear, trap, gillnet, trap, mixed (i.e., a combination of
these), and other (i.e., octopus hook, seine net); (4) age (in years); (5) fortnightly
household expenditure (in U.S. dollars); and (6) a multivariate measure of material
style of life based on the presence of their household possessions and structures
(Pollnac and Crawford 2000), which was factor analyzed to develop an index of
wealth. The material style of life principal components in Kenya and Seychelles
explained 35% and 22% of the variance, respectively.
Analysis
We tested whether fishers’ experience of displacement and perception of benefits
from marine reserves (i.e., dependent variables from those already described) were
significantly different among their geographic and socioeconomic characteristics
(i.e., independent variables from those already described) using chi-squared test
for categorical variables (i.e., boat ownership, landing site, and gear type), and the
Mann–Whitney Uand Kruskal–Wallis tests for continuous variables (material style
of life, fortnightly expenditures, and age). All analyses were conducted in SPSS.
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Results
Assessing Fishers' Displacement from Mar ine Reserves
In the Seychelles, one-third (33%) of respondents had been displaced by a reserve or
coastal development (Figure 1a), and there were significant differences between
regions. More fishers on Mahe had been displaced than on Praslin (Figure 1a;
v
2
(3, n46) 9.6, p.022).
In Kenya, nearly two-thirds (60%) of the fishers we interviewed had been dis-
placed (Figure 1b) with significant differences between landing sites (Figure 1b;
v
2
(6, n109) 31.5, p<.0001). Additionally, there was a marginally significant
relationship (p<.10) suggesting that fishers who used a boat were less displaced than
fishers who didn’t use a boat (v
2
(1, n107) 2.7, p.08). Displacement differed by
gear weakly in Seychelles (v
2
(3, n46) 7.8, p.051) but not in Kenya: v
2
(6,
n109) 8.4, p.210). In Kenya, fishers who were displaced had significantly
lower fortnightly expenditures and a lower material style of life than fishers who
were not displaced (Table 2a). In Seychelles, other socioeconomic characteristics
Figure 1. How fishers in Seychelles and Kenya perceived that they were displaced from their
fishing grounds (a, b); had their catch affected by the closure (c, d); and had their livelihood
affected by the closure (e, f). Significance indicated for the chi-squared test and pvalue.
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Table 2. Results of the questions: (a) displacement: did fishers personally use to fish in
areas that have been displaced by either MPAs or coastal development?; (b) effect on
catch: do fishers catch have increased or decreased as a result of the reserve?; and (c) effect
on livelihood: has the marine reserve been positive or negative for fishers’ livelihoods?
Displacement (a)
Fishers
displaced
Fishers not
displaced n p
Kenya
Material style of life index 0.173 0.098 0.115 0.139 107 .038
Fortnightly expenditure (USD) 99.9 6.1 131.9 11.6 103 .007
Age (years) 39.2 1.5 40.5 2.3 109 .725
Seychelles
Material style of life index 0.244 0.265 0.179 0.135 42 .191
Fortnightly expenditure (USD) 528.7 66.0 453.3 58.4 36 .194
Age (years) 49.1 3.4 46.1 2.4 45 .447
Effect on catch (b) Negative Neutral Positive n p
Kenya
Material style of life
index
0.240 0.180 0.038 0.115 0.088 0.272 81 .326
Fortnightly expenditure
(USD)
109.8 17.4 117.8 8.9 75.3 6.7 80 .007
Age (years) 37.2 1.8 38.7 1.9 42.1 3.0 82 .522
Seychelles
Material style of life
index
0.097 0.282 0.004 0.114
#
55 .925
Fortnightly expenditure
(USD)
404.0 107.6 453.6 40.6
#
46 .523
Age (years) 53.6 5.5 47.0 1.4
#
48 .201
Effect on livelihood (c) Negative Neutral Positive n p
Kenya
Material style of life
index
0.009 0.173 0.240 0.104 0.059 0.212 91 .96
Fortnightly
expenditure (USD)
110.6 11.7 120.0 9.8 84.7 7.6 90 .122
Age (years) 41.0 2.3 37.5 2.3 38.6 1.8 92 .272
Seychelles
Material style of life
index
0.268 0.221 0.457 0.361 0.005 0.120 56 .335
Fortnightly
expenditure (USD)
328.0 99.1 370.0 71.9 475.7 42.8 47 .418
Age (years) 46.9 6.4 50.6 6.6 47.4 1.7 59 .586
Note. Mean levels standard errors of material style of life, fortnightly expenditures, and
age; significance indicated by p<.05, Mann–Whitney U-test for (a) and Kruskal–Wallis test
for (b) and (c). #, Due to low sample numbers, for Seychelles the categories neutral and
positive have been combined into one category, nonnegative.
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were not significantly different between fishers who were displaced or not (Table 2a).
In response to displacement, respondents from Seychelles fished further out, found
new grounds, or went deep-sea fishing, whereas in Kenya the majority of displaced
fishers (67%) said they found new grounds.
Assessing Perceptions of Fish Spillover from M a rine Reserves
In both the Seychelles and Kenya, 90% of fishers felt that they had personally caught
fish that had spilled over from marine reserves. Due to the low heterogeneity in
responses, we did not test for differences across personal characteristics.
Assessing Perceptions of Cat ch Impact s from M arine Reserves
In Seychelles, most fishers (85%) perceived no effect of marine reserves on their catch
and there were no significant differences between regions (Figure 1c; v
2
(6,
n59) 5.2, p.52). In Kenya, a smaller majority of fishers (57%) also perceived
no effect, while 23% felt that their catches declined, and 20% felt that their catches
increased (Figure 1d). In Kenya, there were significant differences between regions,
with Kuruwitu and Kinuni (both landing sites adjacent to the Kuruwitu conser-
vation area) reporting the most negative impacts, but Vipingo (also nearby the same
closure) reporting the most positive effects (Figure 1d, v
2
(12, n82) 29.5,
p.003). Differences between gear types were not significant in either country. Like-
wise, using a boat made no difference to the perceived impact of a closure on fishers’
catch in Kenya. Contrary to our hypothesis that the poorer fishers would be less
likely to perceive benefits from marine reserves, in Kenya, fishers who felt that their
catch benefited from the closure had a lower fortnightly expenditure than fishers
who perceived a neutral or a negative impact (Table 2b). In Seychelles, socioeco-
nomic characteristics were not significantly different between fishers with different
perceptions about the impacts of marine reserves on their catch (Table 2b).
Assessing Perceptions of Livelihood Impact fr om M arine Reserves
In Seychelles, 75% of fishers felt that marine reserves were positive for their liveli-
hood, and this did not vary significantly by location, gear type, or socioeconomic
characteristic (Figure 1e); location: v
2
(6, n60) 5.2, p.515; gear type: v
2
(6,
n60) 8.6, p.195; Table 2c). In Kenya, 35% felt a negative impact and 19% felt
a positive impact on their livelihood (Figure 1f). There were significant differences
between regions in Kenya, with Bamburi having extremely negative overall views
about the parks impact on their livelihood, while Vipingo had the highest
(Figure 1f, v
2
(12, n92) 63.8, p<.0001). There were no significant differences
between gear types (v
2
(12, n92) 15.0, p.235), and only marginal differences
where non-boat users felt more positive impacts on their livelihood than boat users
in Kenya (v
2
(2, n90) 5.6, p.062). Other socioeconomic characteristics were not
significantly different between fishers with different perceptions about the impacts of
MPAs on their livelihoods (Table 2c).
Discussion
Of the limited empirical research on fishers’ perceptions and experiences of MPAs,
most studies have been in developed countries, and few have explicitly studied
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perceptions of spillover (Pita et al. 2011). This article examines the perceptions and
experience of displacement and spillover due to marine reserves of nearly 200
small-scale tropical fishers from two contrasting developing countries. A key finding
is that although adult spillover has been difficult to conclusively prove in the ecologi-
cal and conservation literature (Graham et al. 2011), the vast majority of fishers in
both Kenya and Seychelles claim to have caught spilled over fish. However, while
fishers agreed that some of their catch may have come from reserves, most did
not perceive that this increased their catch to compensate for displacement, in agree-
ment with previous studies (Pita et al. 2011). The implications are that raising expec-
tations of spillover benefits during reserve inception risks later disillusionment if (as
appears the case in this study) the benefits are not perceived to outweigh the costs of
displacement. Similar results have been observed in European MPAs where fishers’
belief in positive fishery benefits declined over time (e.g., Bloomfield et al. 2012;
Mangi and Austen 2008).
Many studies of marine protected areas have been focused on aggregate
outcomes such as total catch or profit (Russ et al. 2004; McClanahan 2010), while
social scientists have drawn attention to the importance of analyzing the governance
arrangements around MPAs (Jentoft et al. 2007), including the political dynamics of
their conception (Chuenpagdee et al. 2013), as well as evaluating the winners and
losers from their establishment (Mascia et al. 2010). MPAs can further entrench
existing power inequalities through ‘‘elite capture,’’ where more powerful voices pro-
tect their interests and promote their visions at the expense of the marginalized
(Christie 2004; Be
´ne
´et al. 2009). Indeed, in Kenya, where new community-based
reserves have been negotiated and established, we found that poorer fishers and
those without boats were more likely to be displaced, consistent with our first
hypothesis. However, poorer fishers (as indicated by lower fortnightly expenditures)
were also more likely to perceive a positive effect on their catch, which was inconsist-
ent with our hypothesized expectation that the poor would be less likely to perceive
benefits from spillover. This might suggest that poorer fishers with more limited
resource spaces are more likely to perceive both the negative and positive impacts
of a closure. Our results suggest that the traditional approach of focusing on aggre-
gate outcomes (e.g., total profit or catch) has the potential to alienate the most mar-
ginalized stakeholders, particularly in the short term, as stocks inside marine reserves
rebuild (Sala et al. 2013). We suggest that marine reserve implementation in devel-
oping countries such as Kenya needs to consider ways to minimize or offset displace-
ment of the poorest fishers through programs such as targeted involvement in
planning and decision making; capacity building; and poverty reduction programs.
In Seychelles, despite considerable displacement (33%) and a distinct lack of per-
ceived catch benefits, the vast majority (75%) of fishers perceived closures as having
a positive overall impact on their livelihoods. This positive view may reflect the
widely perceived benefits of reserves for the locally important tourism industry,
the opportunity for accessing alternative fishing grounds, and the long time
since reserve establishment, which can lead to more favorable views of MPAs (Pita
et al. 2011).
In contrast, Kenyan fishers at particular sites perceived negative impacts on
both catch and livelihoods. Ironically, Bamburi is one of the few places globally
where spillover has had a demonstrable benefit for catch and profitability (the
Bamburi landing site is adjacent to the Mombasa Marine Park; McClanahan
2010), yet overall perceptions there were most negative. The adjacent Mombasa
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Marine Park is the only government reserve we studied in Kenya. Importantly, the
establishment was much less participatory than the other Kenyan sites, and all rev-
enues from the tourist entry fee go to the central government. In contrast, locally
managed reserves have been established through community members’ initiative in
collaboration with NGOs, and they offer the possibility to distribute financial ben-
efits from tourism or international donor support to community members. The
negative perceptions about the Mombasa Marine Park by fishers are thus consist-
ent with lower overall benefits (beyond fisheries) and lack of participation or own-
ership during establishment. These findings broadly support the contention that
attitudes toward reserves may exhibit a ‘‘path dependency,’’ influenced as much
on the processes of inception and the political meaning of a reserve among stake-
holders, as on material fisheries benefits actually derived (Chuenpagdee et al.
2013).
At smaller scales, the perception of benefits from Kenyan community-based
marine reserves was uneven. Livelihood impacts of Kinuni tengefu were perceived
more negatively at Kuruwitu and Kinuni, but positively in Vipingo, which has a
greater involvement from members of the associated community organization.
Fishers from the other two communities cited higher fisher densities in their grounds
as a result of displacement from the marine reserve. Thus, local context and pro-
cesses seem to have played a substantial role in shaping local perceptions about
the benefits and costs of marine reserves.
Our initial hypotheses were partially supported by our results. Specifically, our
first hypothesis (that fishers who are poorer, elderly, and less mobile are more likely
to experience the effects of displacement, and are less likely to perceive spillover or
livelihood benefits) had conflicting evidence: Poorer fishers were more likely to be
displaced (supporting our hypothesis), but were also more likely to perceive benefits
from marine reserves (contradicting). Age had no effect (contrasting with our
hypothesis), but mobility had marginal effects (supporting). Our second hypothesis
(that perceptions about marine reserves are related to the use of different fishing
gears) was marginally supported in Seychelles, but not in Kenya. Our third hypoth-
esis (that perceptions about displacement from and benefits of MPAs are related to
local context, history, and processes resulting in significant heterogeneity between
sites) was supported in Kenya but not Seychelles. Consistent with other multicountry
investigations (e.g., Pollnac et al. 2010), the differing patterns between our contrast-
ing case studies in Kenya and Seychelles highlight the complexity of these issues and
critical role of context.
Our results on how people differentially experience the costs and benefits from
marine reserves highlight how there are some people who win and some who lose out
in the process of marine reserve development and management (Mascia and Claus
2009). Importantly, people’s experiences with marine reserves, both positive and
negative, are affected by a range of social considerations that may not be considered
in typical evaluations of ecological (e.g., improved biomass inside marine reserve
boundaries) and economic (e.g., improved CPUE, income from tourism) marine
reserve success. More broadly, our study illustrates how the disaggregated costs
and benefits from environmental interventions can create winners and losers, which
may have potential implications for conflict, governance, and environmental justice
(Daw et al. 2011). Indeed, our results reinforce the growing recognition for the
important contributions that social science research can make in marine reserve
planning and management (Fox et al. 2012).
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Acknowledgments
This project has relied on the goodwill of fishers who have generously cooperated
with this project by taking part in interviews and discussions.
Funding
This project was funded by a grant from the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science
Association (WIOMSA) under Phase III of the Marine Science for Management
(MASMA) programme and by the Australian Research Council.
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Winners and Losers in Marine Conservation 1005
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... Communities are heterogeneous, harboring a diversity of social identities (based on gender, ethnicity, age, etc.) that shape people's capacities to benefit from and participate in management. Most studies have focused on how impacts are distributed among groups (e.g., Cinner et al., 2014;Gurney et al., 2015), as well as identifying who participates in management and decision-making processes (e.g., Gurney et al., 2016;Friedman et al., 2020). However, these approaches do not illuminate how inequities are experienced. ...
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Ensuring equitable decision-making and distribution of costs and benefits in conservation and natural resource management is morally right and instrumental to achieving positive social and ecological outcomes. Understanding perceived equity is key; equity is subjective, context-dependent and has implications for legitimacy, cooperation and wellbeing. Since gender, in combination with other social characteristics, influences how people benefit or participate in management, examining perceived fairness from an intersectional perspective is crucial. However, few studies have examined people's perceptions of equity and how those perceptions are related to intersecting identities. Using data from ten villages in Fiji, we assess how perceptions of distributional and procedural equity differ by gender and the intersection between gender and other social identity characteristics (migrant status, age, education, marital status and wealth). We found that the majority of respondents identified the broader community as benefiting the most from management, while women were the most negatively affected. Overall, respondents' perceptions of distributional and procedural fairness were high regardless of gender. The intersection between gender and other social identity characteristics was not significantly related to perceived fairness, except in relation to migrant status; migrant men were less likely to perceive distributional fairness. Our study provides new insights into patterns of perceived (un)fairness in marine management and conservation. It reveals a discrepancy between conservation costs (women are seen as more negatively affected by conservation) and fairness perceptions (women are not more likely to perceive unfairness). Our findings can inform conservation theory and practice aimed at fostering equity in conservation and management.
... Despite their initial enthusiasm, the locals soon lost interest in co-management after learning that it was primarily intended to protect the Sundarbans while offering some alternate ways to generate income. The Sundarbans community had learned from their past encounters that alternative livelihood options are seldom feasible in coastal ecosystems, which has been supported by Wright et al. (2016) and Cinner (2014), and the initiatives failed to bring any novel sustainable alternatives that could be operated sustainably. ...
... Despite their initial enthusiasm, the locals soon lost interest in co-management after learning that it was primarily intended to protect the Sundarbans while offering some alternate ways to generate income. The Sundarbans community had learned from their past encounters that alternative livelihood options are seldom feasible in coastal ecosystems, which has been supported by Wright et al. (2016) and Cinner (2014), and the initiatives failed to bring any novel sustainable alternatives that could be operated sustainably. ...
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The relatively rapid expansion of protected areas (PAs) has outpaced their effective governance, monitoring, and evaluation processes, resulting in a knowledge gap, particularly in relation to the impact and efficacy of co-managed protected areas in conserving biodiversity globally. Bangladesh, like numerous other nations, is expanding its existing co-management model to incorporate additional PAs while simultaneously making only limited modifications to the management of these protected areas. Evaluations, however, are relatively rare throughout the world, including Bangladesh, despite their potential to improve PA quality and effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine current co-management practices at two sites in Bangladesh's Sundarbans to identify significant challenges and the efficacy of co-management initiatives through the establishment of a novel evaluative framework. The primary empirical data collection methods included key informant interviews, stakeholder consultation in focus group discussions, and uncontrolled personal observation. Despite significant progress in terms of policy and legislative reforms, many issues remained unattended, such as a goal of balancing conservation and development, increasing locals' say in decision making, access to resources, and establishing strong institutions. This addition is believed to aid in reconciling the local community and the government. We also need to give more weight to such things as accounting and transparency, income diversification, and showing respect for preexisting social norms. The problems raised in this article are thought to be significant in bridging the gap between management plans and actual management of PAs, not just in Bangladesh but also in other regions of the world that use co-management to achieve sustainability.
... The fisheries and non-fisheries derived income explain differences in income inequalities among the fishers for an improved annual income (Cinner et al., 2014;Kamruzzaman & Hakim, 2016). The ability of fishers to diversify has become increasingly constrained and catch share programs could further reduce diversification as a result of consolidation. ...
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Growth and development are two different connotations in the context of fishers. Over the years, the fisher community in Kerala has had a Human Development Index (HDI) which are lower (by 16%) than the general population of Kerala State. Many development indices take into account the state of fishers in a community. However, the fisher community is intertwined with the complexities of the natural resource system, whose mismanagement, unsustainable practices and other intersectoral conflicts lead to situations wherein fishers are unable to get adequate returns. With this focus, an attempt was made to develop a Fisher Development Index (FDI) based on the fact that fisher well-being is dependent on resource sustainability, state of technology and infrastructure support; all of which lead to substantial externalities on the fisher development across the production and distribution domains. The study documents the fisher growth and development over years in terms of four components namely, social status, economic wellbeing, technological proficiency and resource sustainability. The results are a set of values comparable with the HDI. The study found that over the 15 years, the HDI scores were improved due to an increase in values for income and literacy. However, the FDI was improved by 74% due to very high improvements in technological proficiency and moderate improvement in the economic wellbeing of fishers. The wide use of communication and fishing aids has been attributed to the increased literacy rate of the fishers over time. There is also a positive relation between government expenditure on fisher welfare and the increase in FDI and HDI over the period pointing to an affirmative policy impact.
... Different parts of the ocean and coastline may be best suited for different purposes, such as protection, entertainment or resource harvesting. The increase in the number and spatial scope of marine protected areas obviously affects the users of marine resources, and may conflict with local communities that rely directly on marine resources for their livelihood (Mascia et al., 2010;Cinner et al., 2014;Burbano et al., 2020). With the increasing demand for marine resources and space, it is more and more necessary to balance the needs of different departments and conservation. ...
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The protection pattern of typical marine ecosystems is an overall summary of the regional marine ecosystem protection, indicating the protection status of typical marine ecosystems. The coastal waters of China and ASEAN countries have a highly diverse range of ecosystem types, including mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds. The need to protect these ecosystems is urgent, but establishing marine protected areas often involves conflicts with stakeholders highly dependent on these ecosystems. By constructing an analysis model of the protection pattern and driving mechanisms of typical marine ecosystems, with a focus on the China-ASEAN region, this study aimed to analyze the characteristics of typical marine ecosystems protection patterns in China-ASEAN, evaluate the current protection status of these ecosystems, discuss the driving factors, and derive a regression function to clarify the quantitative relationship between the protection pattern and driving factors of typical marine ecosystems in the China-ASEAN region. The results indicate that there are four main driving factors influencing the protection pattern of typical marine ecosystems in China-ASEAN countries. The most significant driving factor is the Natural Geographic and Resource Factor, followed by Urbanization, Industrial Structure, and Population Size and GDP Factor. Among these, the Natural Geographic and Resource Factor and the Industrial Structure Factor have a positive impact, while the others have a negative impact. In the future, it is crucial to fully consider the diversity and distribution of marine ecosystems to promote joint efforts among China-ASEAN countries in protecting marine ecosystems through international cooperation.
... One of the most severe criticisms of MPAs concerns the unintended consequences on local human communities. MPAs can inequitably impact populations that depend on protected areas for their livelihoods, food security, and nutrition, which may, in turn, deepen health and economic inequities (Cinner et al., 2012(Cinner et al., , 2014. For spatially explicit marine protection to endure as a management strategy, there is a need to identify how protected areas benefit human populations and whether the benefits outweigh the local and national costs. ...
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Many countries have adopted targets to increase marine protected areas (MPAs) to limit the degradation of water bodies. Although there is evidence that MPAs can conserve marine life and promote biodiversity, there are limited data on the human health implications of MPAs. Using panel data from 1990, 2000, and 2014, we estimated the country-level associations between MPAs (i.e., percentage of territorial waters designated as marine reserves) and age-standardized mortality (i.e., age-standardized probability of dying between 15 and 60 years from all-causes among ages 15–60/100,000 population) by sex, among 110 countries. We fit mixed-effects linear regression models of mortality as a function of current MPA coverage, gross domestic product growth, year, the prior extent of MPA, electricity coverage, governance, and country-level random effects. We observed a significant inverse association between current MPA coverage and adult mortality. For each 5-percentage-point increase in current MPA coverage, a country had 0.982 times the geometric means of female and male mortality [geometric mean ratio: 0.982 (95% CI 0·976, 0·988)] conditional on past %MPA coverage and other modeled variables. The model showed no significant residual association of mortality with past %MPA conditional on current %MPA and other modeled variables. This is one of the first studies to show a positive association between increasing marine conservation and human health. This macro-level study suggests there may be important co-benefits for human health from expanding MPAs that merit further investigation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10393-023-01658-3.
... All respondents saw consensus in decision-making processes as important in establishing restorative actions, but something that had to be worked at. This highlights the complexity of balancing various perspectives and interests in the restoration process, consistent with other findings in restoration literature (Cinner et al., 2014;Abelson et al., 2016). This involves building community engagement locally as well as productive connections with national decision-makers. ...
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Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been used for biodiversity conservation for decades. However, critics argue that evidence of their economic benefits is weak, particularly with regard to fisheries. This continued opposition to MPAs for fisheries slows progress towards conservation targets and undermines the economic and ecological sustainability of the oceans. This paper provides 48 examples of fishery-related and 31 of tourism-related economic benefits in 25 and 24 countries, respectively. There was no evidence of net costs of MPAs to fisheries anywhere. Fishery benefits included increased fish stocks, catch volumes, catch per unit effort, fecundity and larval export, and larger fish and lobsters. Well-designed and enforced MPAs provide sustainable benefits for fishing communities and even sub-optimally designed MPAs can provide economic advantages. MPAs represent one of the best strategies for maintaining the sustainable exploitation of marine resources.
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Marine managers commonly use ecological indicators in planning and evaluations; however, few programs monitor social and cultural impacts of management. Practical approaches to identifying and monitoring social and cultural aspects of communities' relationships with their environment could assist many agencies in understanding the impacts of their efforts to achieve conservation goals. The Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) launched the Holomua Marine Initiative to collaborate and engage with communities to strengthen co-management efforts, which included integrating socio-cultural aspects into the planning and assessment of marine management. Our team, which included resource managers, Western and indigenous scientists, community leaders, students, agency, and university staff engaged in collaborative management efforts in Hawaiʻi, developed an approach to monitor the social and cultural impacts of DAR's management actions. Through online collaborative workshops with community members and non-profit leaders engaged in marine conservation in Hawaiʻi, we co-developed socio-cultural principles and indicators based on their reciprocal relationships with the nearshore environment. During the workshops, we used small group activities, snow cards, sorting, and categorization to generate nine fundamental principles, with associated indicators, to guide marine management in Hawaiʻi. Many of the principles and indicators are comparable to those developed in other parts of the Pacific, revolving around themes including the perpetuation of local and indigenous knowledge across generations, and access to land and natural resources. Participants also suggested themes less prevalent in other research, such as the need to evaluate impacts of tourism on community relationships with coastal areas. We offer recommendations for the development of socio-cultural principles and indicators in other place-based contexts, and emphasize the importance of ongoing community collaboration. Developing a socio-cultural monitoring framework with community members impacted by marine management decisions could enable others engaged in collaborative efforts, including government agencies, to holistically understand and address impacts of their policies and actions. Monitoring layered socio-cultural impacts of marine management on local and indigenous communities has the potential to shift management goals, and enhance long-term effectiveness and support for initiatives to protect coastal resources worldwide.
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The utility of no-take marine reserves as fisheries-management tools is con-troversial. It is hypothesized that marine reserves will help to sustain fisheries external to them by becoming net exporters of adults (the ''spillover effect'') and net exporters of propagules (the ''recruitment effect''). Local fishery benefits from spillover will likely generate support from fishing communities for marine reserves. We used underwater visual census to show that biomass of Acanthuridae (surgeonfish) and Carangidae (jacks), two families of reef fish that account for 40–75% of the fishery yield from Apo Island, Phil-ippines, tripled in a well-protected no-take reserve over 18 years (1983–2001). Biomass of these families did not change significantly over the same period at a site open to fishing. The reserve protected 10% of the total reef fishing area at the island. Outside the reserve, biomass of these families increased significantly closer to (200–250 m) than farther away from (250–500 m) the reserve boundary over time. We used published estimates of fishery catch and effort, and fisher interviews (creel surveys) to show that the total catch of Carangidae and Acanthuridae combined at Apo Island was significantly higher after (1985– 2001) than before (1981) reserve establishment. Hook-and-line catch per unit effort (CPUE) at the island was 50% higher during 1998–2001 (reserve protected 16–19 years) than during 1981–1986 (pre-reserve and early phases of reserve protection). Total hook-and-line effort declined by 46% between 1986 and 1998–2001. Hook-and-line CPUE of Acanthuridae was significantly higher close to (within 200 m) than far from the reserve. CPUE of Carangidae was significantly higher away from the reserve, possibly reflecting a local oceanographic effect. The benefits of the reserve to local fisheries at the island were higher catch, increased catch rate, and a reduction in fishing effort. The fishery and tourism benefits generated by the reserve have enhanced the living standard of the fishing community.
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When marine protected areas (MPAs) do not succeed, which is often the case, their failure is mostly attributed to factors related to their design and operation. In this paper, it is argued that reasons for lack of success must be sought in the process that leads up to their establishment, i.e., the initial stage when the idea was conceived, communicated, and discussed among stakeholders. To illustrate the significance of the ‘step zero’, the creation of four MPAs in Spain and México is analyzed. These case studies show how MPA proposals can easily be drawn not only into power struggles between stakeholders but also into political issues that extend far beyond the MPA itself. For this reason, the governance of MPAs requires broad considerations of the potential political risks and pitfalls. MPAs are, after all, not just a technical management measure, but a socio-political enterprise.
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Marine reserves are an effective tool for protecting biodiversity locally, with potential economic benefits including enhancement of local fisheries, increased tourism, and maintenance of ecosystem services. However, fishing communities often fear short-term income losses associated with closures, and thus may oppose marine reserves. Here we review empirical data and develop bioeconomic models to show that the value of marine reserves (enhanced adjacent fishing + tourism) may often exceed the pre-reserve value, and that economic benefits can offset the costs in as little as five years. These results suggest the need for a new business model for creating and managing reserves, which could pay for themselves and turn a profit for stakeholder groups. Our model could be expanded to include ecosystem services and other benefits, and it provides a general framework to estimate costs and benefits of reserves and to develop such business models.
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MPAs are being established worldwide at an increasing rate, however empirical evidence for benefits to mobile species of small areas closed to fishing in temperate regions are little known. Using two North Sea prohibited trawling areas (PTAs) established > 80 years ago, social (fishers' perceptions), management (fishing effort and compliance) and ecological (fish abundance and size) data were combined to assess the PTAs against their primary societal (conflict resolution) and secondary ecological (stock protection) objectives. Fishers perceived that the PTAs resolved conflicts between static and mobile gear sectors, despite evidence of non-compliance. However, few fishers perceived that they personally benefited from the PTAs. Fish abundance and size data from baited traps (BT) and video (BY) provided no evidence of PTA effects, but trawling effort was a significant predictor of BT fish abundance data and improved the model of BV fish abundance data. The absence of PTA effects on fish is attributable to non-compliance, the high mobility of the fish involved and their continued exploitation within the PTAs using static gear. This points to the need for greater understanding of the behaviour of fishers in relation to closures. The study also highlights the challenges of quantifying possible fishery benefits of small temperate closed areas and questions whether widely advocated fishery benefits may have enhanced initial support, but failure to deliver them may erode faith in such closures as a fisheries management tool.
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"Marine reserves are considered to be a central tool for marine ecosystem-based management in tropical inshore fisheries. The arguments supporting marine reserves are often based on both the nonmarket values of ecological amenities marine reserves provide and the pragmatic cost saving advantages relating to reserve monitoring and enforcement. Marine reserves are, however, only one of a suite of possible policy options that might be used to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives and have rarely been the focus of rigorous policy analyses that consider a full range of economic costs and benefits, including the transaction costs of management. If credible analyses are not undertaken, there is a danger that current enthusiasm for marine reserves may wane as economic performance fails to meet presumed potential. Fully accounting for the value of ecological services flowing from marine reserves requires consideration of increased size and abundance of focal species within reserve boundaries, emigration of target species from reserves to adjacent fishing grounds, changes in ecological resilience, and behavioral responses of fishers to spatially explicit closures. Expanding policy assessments beyond standard cost-benefit analysis also requires considering the impact of social capital on the costs of managing fisheries. In the short term, the amount of social capital that communities possess and the capacity of the State to support the rights of individuals and communities will affect the relative efficiency of marine reserves. Reserves may be the most efficient policy option when both Community and State capacity is high, but may not be when one and/or the other is weak. In the longer term, the level of social capital that a society possesses and the level of uncertainty in ecological and social systems will also impact the appropriate level of devolution or decentralization of fisheries governance. Determining the proper balance of the 'State' and the 'Community' in tropical fisheries governance will require broad comparative studies of marine reserves and alternative policy tools."
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Marine protected areas (MPAs) can benefit fisheries through export of pelagic eggs and larvae and the net emigration of adults and juveniles (spillover). Spillover was investigated for a marine protected area on the north shore of Oahu, Hawai‘i utilizing a seascape approach. This study incorporated habitat variables and underwater visual surveys of fishes and benthos measured at two distinct scales (125 m2 and 1000 m2) inside and outside the protected area at varying distance from the boundary. The relationship between fish biomass from fine-scale surveys and key habitat variables was found to account for a large portion of the variability for both resource (targeted) fish species (15%) and non-resource fish (28%). The remaining variation in resource fish biomass was significantly correlated with distance from the MPA boundary showing a decreasing gradient from inside to outside (r2 = 0.46, p = 0.001), indicating fish spillover at a local scale (<1 km). In contrast, non-resource fish biomass demonstrated no such relationship (p = 0.45). The evidence of spillover based on the fine-scale surveys was corroborated by results from broad-scale surveys, which also showed a significant relationship (r2 = 0.19, p < 0.01) between resource fish biomass and distance from the MPA boundary. In addition, observed spatial distribution of fishing effort was consistent with predictions that fishers respond to biomass gradients across protected area boundaries. Fish spillover can help mitigate costs associated with the establishment of marine protected areas in terms of lost fishing area and therefore have a positive effect on the attitudes of fishers toward marine reserves and marine protected areas.
Article
The perceptions of stakeholders towards objectives and zoning of marine-protected areas (MPAs) in southern Europe were studied through face-to-face interviews to identify areas of agreement and disagreement. Views were sought about the main objectives of marine protection, ideal zonation of MPAs and the ways to manage stakeholders' competing interests in MPAs. There was good agreement on the objectives of marine protection; conservation and fisheries management scored highly, while research, education and tourism had lower scores. However, there was disagreement on which objective was most important, with most stakeholders listing conservation, while fishers listed fisheries management. Most stakeholders considered MPAs that had been established for longer periods of time to offer more conservation than fisheries benefits. Analysis of the perceptions shows strong preference for having MPAs with different use zonations, including designated areas for recreational fishing, diving and the full protection of species and ecosystems. The results point to a need for increased dialogue between scientists, managers and fishers to improve the disparity in understanding the fisheries benefits of marine protection between these groups.