Assessing and strengthening community-based coastal governance

Area of Science:

• Marine conservation science
• Coastal resource management
• Community-based natural resource management

Background:

• Community-based coastal governance is vital for biodiversity and livelihoods but faces implementation challenges.
• Effective governance systems are crucial for the success of community-managed areas (CMAs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the status of community-based coastal governance in five Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) countries.
• To examine the relationship between governance attributes and social/ecological outcomes in CMAs.
• To identify factors influencing the sustainability of CMA governance.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Elinor tool and data system to evaluate governance attributes in SWIO CMAs.
• Correlated specific governance attributes (e.g., property rights, regulations, accountability) with perceived social and ecological outcomes.
• Analyzed governance trends over time since CMA establishment.

Main Results:

• Governance progress in SWIO CMAs is uneven, with varying strengths in attributes like defined boundaries, property rights, regulations, transparency, accountability, and operational capacity.
• Perceived ecological outcomes were linked to property rights and local governance, while social outcomes correlated with local governance and operational capacity.
• CMA governance strength typically peaked within 5-10 years post-establishment before plateauing or declining, often aligning with funding cycles.

Conclusions:

• Sustained investment in capacity development and long-term conservation finance is critical for the success of community-based coastal governance and CMAs.
• Attention to the timing and type of support and capacity building is essential for effective coastal governance.
• Strengthening governance attributes like congruent regulations, transparency, accountability, and operational capacity is key to improving outcomes.