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ABSTRACT. We introduce building blocks as an approach to assess deliberative transformation pathways in linked systems of people and nature (i.e., small-scale fishery systems). In doing so, we address a knowledge gap about the maintenance and replication of governance processes that support transformative change, with a particular focus on small-scale fisheries that are facing ecological decline. Recent introduction of comanaged territorial use rights for small-scale fishers in the Cau Hai Lagoon, Vietnam has shown promise for alleviating ecological impacts from overfishing and reduced conflicts among fishers. We use this setting to inductively identify building blocks in two case study sites, and highlight the lessons for replicating successes in similar small-scale coastal fisheries. The investigation revealed five building blocks that were instrumental to success in the two case study communities: fisher approval of ecological conservation, cooperation among fishers, support from local government, secure funding, and effective leadership. These findings demonstrate site-level specificity of what governance attributes are already contributing to more durable and transformative change, and how these attributes can be augmented in other communities in the Cau Hai Lagoon. Key lessons for governance of transformations are that (1) building blocks do not need to be identical from case to case, and (2) further consideration needs to be given to how building blocks may nest or fit together. Our research contributes to a relatively new body of literature on deliberative transformations and offers guidance on a way to support and enhance transformations of small-scale fisheries.

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Nature exploration, or ecotourism, has been an essential part of tourism, and today takes on a much broader meaning beyond tourism that includes conserving nature and culture and improving people’s lives, especially in the indigenous community. Community-based ecotourism (CBET) has specific benefits closely related to the sustainability of natural ecosystems and community development. CBET can be defined as nature-based tourism, helping shape the types of tourism services, planning and developing destinations provided by communities directly. CBET is supposed to be a sustainable alternative to mass tourism by its potential benefits in Vietnam. The study aims to evaluate the sustainability of four CBET destinations in Central Vietnam through a sustainable ecotourism index (SEI) formed by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. Based on the literature review, local people, and experts’ recommendations, a set of fourteen criteria categorized into five groups reflecting the critical attributes of the sustainable CBET that include environmental conservation, economic benefits, community participation, cultural preservation, and empowerment are analyzed. The raw data is obtained from in-depth interviews with 21 experts and 42 households. After normalizing, the results indicate that out of four CBET destinations, one is identified as high sustainability (SEI>4.2), two are neutral (3.4<SEI<4.2), and one is lower than (SEI<3.4). These findings provide implications for extending the AHP theory in tourism and policy implications toward sustainable development in future tourism.