Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas
Effective conservation depends largely on people's compliance with regulations. We investigate compliance through the lens of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are widely used tools for marine conservation and fisheries management. Studies show that compliance al...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Resilience Alliance
2015-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss4/art19/ |
| _version_ | 1818738040926896128 |
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| author | Adrian Arias Joshua E. Cinner Rhondda E. Jones Robert L. Pressey |
| author_facet | Adrian Arias Joshua E. Cinner Rhondda E. Jones Robert L. Pressey |
| author_sort | Adrian Arias |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Effective conservation depends largely on people's compliance with regulations. We investigate compliance through the lens of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are widely used tools for marine conservation and fisheries management. Studies show that compliance alone is a strong predictor of fish biomass within MPAs. Hence, fishers' compliance is critical for MPA effectiveness. However, there are few empirical studies showing what factors influence fishers' compliance with MPAs. Without such information, conservation planners and managers have limited opportunities to provide effective interventions. By studying 12 MPAs in a developing country (Costa Rica), we demonstrate the role that different variables have on fishers' compliance with MPAs. Particularly, we found that compliance levels perceived by resource users were higher in MPAs (1) with multiple livelihoods, (2) where government efforts against illegal fishing were effective, (3) where fishing was allowed but regulated, (4) where people were more involved in decisions, and (5) that were smaller. We also provide a novel and practical measure of compliance: a compound variable formed by the number illegal fishers and their illegal fishing effort. Our study underlines the centrality of people's behavior in nature conservation and the importance of grounding decision making on the social and institutional realities of each location. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T01:02:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1bc352c6a1fd420ea69e2d142aef2bb1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T01:02:37Z |
| publishDate | 2015-12-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-1bc352c6a1fd420ea69e2d142aef2bb12022-12-21T21:26:19ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872015-12-012041910.5751/ES-07999-2004197999Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areasAdrian Arias0Joshua E. Cinner1Rhondda E. Jones2Robert L. Pressey3Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityAustralian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityCollege of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook UniversityAustralian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook UniversityEffective conservation depends largely on people's compliance with regulations. We investigate compliance through the lens of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are widely used tools for marine conservation and fisheries management. Studies show that compliance alone is a strong predictor of fish biomass within MPAs. Hence, fishers' compliance is critical for MPA effectiveness. However, there are few empirical studies showing what factors influence fishers' compliance with MPAs. Without such information, conservation planners and managers have limited opportunities to provide effective interventions. By studying 12 MPAs in a developing country (Costa Rica), we demonstrate the role that different variables have on fishers' compliance with MPAs. Particularly, we found that compliance levels perceived by resource users were higher in MPAs (1) with multiple livelihoods, (2) where government efforts against illegal fishing were effective, (3) where fishing was allowed but regulated, (4) where people were more involved in decisions, and (5) that were smaller. We also provide a novel and practical measure of compliance: a compound variable formed by the number illegal fishers and their illegal fishing effort. Our study underlines the centrality of people's behavior in nature conservation and the importance of grounding decision making on the social and institutional realities of each location.http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss4/art19/Costa Ricaillegal fishinglivelihoodsmarine reservepoachingpoverty |
| spellingShingle | Adrian Arias Joshua E. Cinner Rhondda E. Jones Robert L. Pressey Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas Ecology and Society Costa Rica illegal fishing livelihoods marine reserve poaching poverty |
| title | Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas |
| title_full | Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas |
| title_fullStr | Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas |
| title_short | Levels and drivers of fishers' compliance with marine protected areas |
| title_sort | levels and drivers of fishers compliance with marine protected areas |
| topic | Costa Rica illegal fishing livelihoods marine reserve poaching poverty |
| url | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol20/iss4/art19/ |
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