An Endless Endeavor: The Evolution and Challenges of Multi-Level Coastal Governance in the Global South

Abstract

We used Brazil as a Global South case study to analyze the evolution of the coastal governance in a young and still unstable democracy. Based on twenty-five years of documentation related to a federal-level actor interaction hub named Coastal Management Integration Group (GIGERCO) we explored the opportunity context for the transformation of the Brazilian coastal governance system using a Theory of Transformative Agency to identify five periods of evolution. The coastal governance system shifted from an exploitation to a conservation phase (periods 1 to 3), where an increasing number of actors were getting to know the system and each other’s interests turned into a moment of higher stability and resistance to change. The mobilization of social capital and higher heterogeneity of actors allowed novel strategies to emerge, generating opportunities for structural changes from a conservation towards a release phase (period 4). We argue that the recent political changes in Brazil caused a rupture in such a flourishing coastal governance process (period 5), which is now at a critical juncture that may unfold into one of three envisioned alternative scenarios: conservative regime, a new integrated and ecosystem-based regime, or a remanent of past regime properties. Our paper informs coastal governance processes across the world, highlighting the dynamic nature of the interplay between alternative institutional entrepreneurship strategies, opportunity contexts, and innovations in governance systems.

Envisioning ocean governability transformations through network-based marine spatial planning

“…Noteworthy, our informants did not anticipate the severe ruptures in the presence and quality of governing interactions caused by the instalment of an ultra-conservative federal government in 2019–in the few existing ocean governance democratic structures, e.g . termination of GI-GERCO and various other public participation forums (Gonçalves et al 2021 ).…”

“…(2) Choreographed participation (uncritical adoption of consensus, scaping conflict, and disruptive participation): while the choice of not including a broader array of social actors in GT-UCAM may render intra-governmental cohesion to discuss MSP affairs, it may also result in loss of awareness and sensitiveness to pressing blue justice issues and conflicts that exist in the real ocean. Moreover, the deterioration of democratic environmental forums the country has witnessed has tremendously disrupted the participation of civil society in MSP evolution (Gonçalves et al 2021 ). (3) Path dependency (limiting the scope of innovation through bounded rationality and suitability to decision maker’s satisfaction): our results show they were clearly not able to envision a satisfactory pathway to transform ocean governability in more fundamental ways and have been struggling to navigate the institutional and political turmoil in the country.…”

“…GI-GERCO is the most participatory national ocean governance arena in Brazil, as it is the only one encompassing a seat for civil society and an academia representative. Brazilian governments and parliaments have developed further policy instruments to advance participation, integration, and sustainable approaches to ocean governance (Gonçalves et al 2021 ). In 2013, a new overarching marine bill was proposed in the National Congress that advances the ecosystem-based management (EBM) approach and cross-sectoral integration through marine spatial planning (MSP).…”

“…2 Institutional and political affairs of the Brazilian state, however, have radically changed with the election of a far-right government in early 2019. This shift directly affected the country’s ocean governance arena, dissolving GI-GERCO permanently (Gonçalves et al 2021 ) and shadowing the pathway towards a more participatory process. The new government’s aversion to participatory democratic structures impelled an updated assessment by Gonçalves et al ( 2021 ) of the opportunity context for transformation in the Brazilian ocean governance system.…”

“…This shift directly affected the country’s ocean governance arena, dissolving GI-GERCO permanently (Gonçalves et al 2021 ) and shadowing the pathway towards a more participatory process. The new government’s aversion to participatory democratic structures impelled an updated assessment by Gonçalves et al ( 2021 ) of the opportunity context for transformation in the Brazilian ocean governance system. Their analysis argued that the recommendations by Gerhardinger et al ( 2018 ) still hold valid.…”