Protecting marine environments must start with the community
Public awareness is growing of the damaging effects of overfishing. So what can be done to mitigate the environmental damage being caused?
One way it is being addressed is through marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or lakes designed to limit fishing. They are often heralded as a solution to the burgeoning problems of overharvesting and overexploitation of marine resources.
Community understanding
In developing countries, there is still little understanding of MPAs' impact on local communities. Global targets for MPAs prioritise quantity over quality. They are often established without consultation or consideration of how humans interact with their environment. Community backing and support is vitally important so that MPAs can benefit both the ecosystem and local people.
Social, economic and environmental consultations are needed to ensure community buy-in and adherence to rules and regulations.
A mangrove resort in Cambodia. Credit: Marco J Haenssgen
Understanding MPAs in developing countries is crucial for their success. A research project, led by the University of Warwick’s Dr Jessica Savage, examined the impact of MPAs in Cambodia, a country still recovering from civil war.
Realistic expectations
“Considering that MPAs aim to alter the way humans interact with their environment, in countries with limited opportunities for livelihood diversification, there’s a risk they could do more harm than good. It can also take decades to detect the benefits of MPAs - if they materialise at all. It’s unrealistic to expect resource-poor, developing communities to follow seemingly arbitrary environmental protection rules” explains Dr Savage.
Fishing boats in Cambodia. Credit: Marco J Haenssgen
Dr Savage and her team investigated the impact of MPAs and community support in three Cambodian coastal communities. “Without community buy-in, there’s a risk that MPAs will fail to meet their objectives and cause community harm. This will negatively impact attitudes towards future conservation projects” explains Dr Savage. “We used interviews and questionnaires with various groups of people and a workshop with communities, NGOs and policy makers."
"We identified key themes and threats at various stages of implementing MPAs in order to help design and create MPAs that support sustainable use of marine resources. Preliminary findings are now being used in plans for community projects, including marine management, waste management and programmes to incorporate women into community development initiatives.”
Involving groups from across the country
A workshop conducted as part of this project was the first time that community members, policy makers, and NGOs from across Cambodia had come together to discuss these issues. The workshop's findings showed both similarities and differences in the way that communities use, and perceive, their immediate environment. This suggests a failure of the current ‘one-size-fits-all approach’ to MPAs.
This project generated a stakeholder-based perceptions map of the Cambodian Coastal Zone. All project partners have expressed interest in using this data to help with the development of future management systems.
Looking to the future
“Our partners in Cambodia want to use the findings to identify barriers to the success of Cambodian marine management systems. Partners have also requested that we propose improvements to current MPA implementation and management programmes" continues Dr Savage. "Our workshop fostered greater communication between different groups of people. Most people showed interest in similar future events, as well as the development of a communication network for the various groups involved. Areas of interest included creating a ‘lessons learned’ programme, assistance with patrolling MPAs and conflict resolution strategies.”
Shells on a beach at sunset in Cambodia. Credit: Marco J Haenssgen
Through investigating interactions between humans, the environment and conservation, the project supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life Below Water,Life on Land, Sustainable Cities and Communities and Responsible Consumption and Production.
The project will help pave the way for new regulations to provide communities with sustainable access to resources, whilst encouraging biodiversity and ecosystem health.
