Community-based management of near-shore fisheries in Vanuatu: What works?

Léopold, Marc; Beckensteiner, Jennifer; Kaltavara, Jeremie; Raubani, J.; Caillon, Sophie

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2013.02.013

Cited by 46 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Yet, in Solomon Islands there were fewer management measures applied in practice than were committed to paper. Consistent with other findings (see Léopold et al 2013), PHCs were a measure employed by communities with relative enthusiasm, yet may not be adequate to ensure resource sustainability or enhance conservation due to their small size and heavy fishing during openings (Jupiter et al 2012;.…”

Section: Co-management In Practicesupporting

confidence: 72%

Social dimensions of local fisheries co-management in the Coral Triangle

Cohen

Steenbergen

2015

Envir. Conserv.

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The challenge to manage coastal resources within AsiaPacific's Coral Triangle has gained global attention. Co-management is promoted as a key strategy to address this challenge. Contemporary communitybased co-management often leads to 'hybridization' between local (customary) practices, and science-based management and conservation. However, the form of this hybrid has rarely been critically analysed. This paper presents examples of co-management practices in eastern Indonesia and Solomon Islands, focusing in particular on area closures. In contrast to the temporary closures used before the influx of sustainability discourses, contemporary closures are periodically-harvested but predominantly closed, reflecting attempts to reduce fishing effort and enhance ecological sustainability. When areas are opened, harvests are relatively short and largely triggered by the social and economic needs of particular individuals or whole communities. In all cases, engagement with environmental management interventions has led to more formalized access and use arrangements. The harvesting and management practices observed are influenced by these relatively recent interventions designed to promote sustainability, but also by religious institutions, increasing resource demand, and modernization. This study unpacks some of the contemporary influences, particularly environmental sustainability initiatives, on local management practices, and provides insights for co-management in practice.

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Section: Co-management In Practicesupporting

confidence: 72%

Social dimensions of local fisheries co-management in the Coral Triangle

Cohen

Steenbergen

2015

Envir. Conserv.

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“…Firstly, the last agricultural census (VNSO, 2007) provided evidence that subsistence fishing still dominates coastal fishing activities in Vanuatu and that the overall proportion of rural fishing household engaged in commercial activities has not increased since the 1980s (i.e., around 30%). This survey suggested that households go fishing primarily for self-consumption and occasional sale, resulting in only slight changes of household needs for marine products since the 1980s, as confirmed also by Johannes and Hickey (2004) and Léopold et al (2013). Secondly, the shallow water fisheries production was proportional to fishing effort (in number of fishing trips) across 11 island groups in 1984 (David, 1991; Figure 2).…”

Section: Shallow Water Non-export Fisheriesmentioning

confidence: 64%

An Improved Reconstruction of Total Marine Fisheries Catches for the New Hebrides and the Republic of Vanuatu, 1950–2014

et al. 2017

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For many small island nations, fisheries provide residents with both food security and economic stability. However, in order to create effective and sustainable fisheries policies and management that will ensure a growing population can prosper, policy makers need to know what is being fished and how much is fished. Vanuatu, the smallest country in Melanesia, has a declared and claimed Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of over 820,000 km 2 and fisheries resources play a large part in the food security and economic stability of this country. This reconstruction of the total marine fisheries catch of Vanuatu for 1950-2014 faced major data gaps. It showed that the reconstructed total catches of nearly 1.4 million tonnes (metric tons) 40% higher than the 977,997 tonnes reported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on behalf of Vanuatu for the same period. However, if large-scale industrial catches are excluded, the reconstructed small-scale fisheries catches (∼270,000 tonnes) were over 200% higher than the 114,862 tonnes of reported catch that were assumed to represent the small-scale sector in FAO data. Subsistence catches made up almost 93% of small-scale catches, followed by artisanal and recreational catches with ∼7 and <1%, respectively. By continuously improving the fisheries data of Vanuatu for both the past and the present, policy makers, stakeholders, and fishers can make better decisions that will maintain the benefits of marine fishery resources.

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“…If sea cucumbers were managed in a "balanced" fashion within a village framework, such a development would be impossible. This is the reason that co-management efforts currently are being made between the fisheries departments and local communities in New Caledonia and Vanuatu (Léopold et al 2013a) which are taking into account lessons learned from the LMMAs set up in the early 1990s to manage trochus stocks in Vanuatu.…”

Section: Traditional Regulation Of Fishing Activitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%