Lessons and experiences of co-management of coastal small-scale fisheries from the western Indian Ocean

In the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), challenges of managing small-scale fisheries (SSF) resources and perceived failures of top-down approaches have inspired a shift towards collaborative governance arrangements or... [ view full abstract ]

In the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), challenges of managing small-scale fisheries (SSF) resources and perceived failures of top-down approaches have inspired a shift towards collaborative governance arrangements or co-management. However, despite the popularity of co-management, the institutionalization and effectiveness of the approach are not well understood. We undertook an expert opinion study with the objective of: (1) evaluating the process and incorporation of institutional design elements into co-management and (2) identifying and ranking the barriers and the solutions for effective co-management of SSF in the WIO. The evaluation was undertaken during a regional workshop using questionnaires and working group discussions. Participants included individuals using or trading SSF resources, implementing management, developing policy or in some other ways influencing co-management. The thirty-eight experts from 6 countries reported a diversity of challenges and ranked financing, benefit sharing and access, management, compliance and enforcement, political influence and poor leadership as the top challenges. In terms of national institutionalization of co-management, most countries had supportive laws, but few had guidelines for monitoring and implementation resulting in ad-hoc arrangements that often lacked the design elements that enhance success. This limited effectiveness and sustainability of co-management. The importance of taking into consderation the social and political context, the governance context, the nature of the resource, potential social disruption, problematic expectations and the presence of many other role-players were also ranked amongst the aspects that influenced the success of co-management.