Linking small-scale fisheries co-management to U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

Area of Science:

• Marine Conservation and Policy
• Fisheries Management
• Sustainable Development

Background:

• Small-scale fisheries are vital, representing 90% of fishers and 40% of the global catch, making their effective management crucial for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Co-management and community-based fisheries management are recognized as key governance approaches for small-scale fisheries.
• Existing research often highlights the link between co-management and resource status but may overlook broader socio-economic and food security impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the relationships between small-scale fisheries co-management and the attainment of specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• To identify the theory of change linking co-management strategies to SDG targets and assess the evidence for these connections.
• To evaluate the impacts of various co-management strategies on SDG targets using case studies from the Pacific Islands.

Main Methods:

• Literature review to identify SDG targets relevant to small-scale fisheries co-management and to develop a theory of change.
• Analysis of 58 case studies from the Pacific Islands focusing on co-management strategies like access restrictions, area closures, and gear/species regulations.
• Evaluation of the evidence strength for impacts of co-management strategies on resource status, catch, livelihoods, consumption, and nutrition.

Main Results:

• Eleven SDG targets across five goals were identified as potentially benefiting from small-scale fisheries co-management.
• Co-management strategies showed strong evidence for improving resource status (SDG 14.4) in the Pacific Islands.
• Limited evidence was found for follow-on impacts on catch (SDG 2.3, 2.4), livelihoods (SDG 1.2), food consumption (SDG 2.1), and nutrition (SDG 2.2).

Conclusions:

• While co-management effectively supports fisheries resource health, significant gaps exist in demonstrating its contribution to broader SDG targets related to food security and livelihoods.
• Assumptions and leaps in logic are common in co-management planning and evaluation, potentially leading to a disconnect between intended and actual outcomes.
• Rigorous evaluation considering ultimate goals is essential to ensure co-management initiatives achieve their full potential impact across all relevant SDGs.