Lessons Learned from the Marine Management Area Science Program: Insights for Global Conservation Science Programs

Abstract

Drawing on experiences from the four regions and the overall conduct of the Marine Management Area Science (MMAS) program, this concluding article highlights emergent cross-cutting themes that affected MMAS programs across the regions, summarizes the important conservation outcomes of the MMAS program, and then discusses lessons gained from the actual process of conducting the MMAS program. Based on these insights, particularly the last section, this article concludes with recommendations for other conservation programs, specifically those that are global in scope and are science-based with a specific intent to apply that science to conservation action.

Fostering effective international collaboration for marine science in small island states

“…A common mistake of foreign scientists is not understanding the impacts that differences in capacities and resources between the scientific communities within their home territories and those they engage with in small island states have on research collaborations (McConney et al, 2007;Hastings et al, 2015). Restrictions on access to resources and technologies by local vs. foreign researchers can alienate or exclude local scientists.…”

“…In the face of the disproportionate burden of rapidly degrading and increasingly threatened marine resources, and imminent impacts (e.g., on food security, livelihoods, and ecological health) of environmental change to small island states, there is a need to move beyond a trial-and-error approach to collaborative research between local and foreign scientists. Our collective experiences suggest that when research priorities are aligned, long-term relationships are established, local capacity is enhanced, and research products are well communicated, international collaborations are more likely to be successful, resulting in improved ocean conservation and marine resource management in small island states (see also Hastings et al, 2015). We (the authors) have experienced successful collaborations with numerous small island states throughout the world, learned lessons from less successful ones, and hope that the suggestions put forward here will aid those interested in developing and nurturing effective collaborative partnerships.…”

“…Such collaborations are currently underway through several regional initiatives (UN DESA, 2014; UN-OHRLLS, UNESCO, and UN-DOALOS, 2014) and numerous smaller scale partnerships between international and local researchers. However, barriers to effective multi-national and cross-disciplinary research in small island states persist, including restricted funding, institutional bureaucracy, limited timeframes for collaboration, initial lack of local knowledge on the part of foreign researchers, and differences in working practices (Ross and Smith, 1974;Mahon, 2006;McConney et al, 2007;Hastings et al, 2015).…”