Growing the Wealth of the Poor - World Resources Institute

UPDATE: SCALING UP LOCAL MANAGEMENTOF COASTAL FISHERIES IN FIJIWORLD RESOURCES 2005 HIGHLIGHTED THElocal management of coastal fisheries in Fiji as anexample of successful community-based stewardshipof natural resources that improved local livelihoodswhile enhancing marine biodiversity and productivity. A locallymanaged marine area (LMMA) is an innovative type of marineprotected area that blends traditional village management ofocean resources with modern methods of biological monitoringand assessment.Through the establishment of LMMAs, communities areempowered to improve management of declining marineresources, leading to gradual restoration of productivity and,ultimately, to increased catches of fish and shellfish. Organizingcommunities into networks actively engaged in themanagement of their marine resources also helps villagers gaingreater access to decision-makers and have more impact onpolicies that affect their lives.Since the creation of Fiji’s first LMMA in 1997—covering 24ha near the small village of Ucunivanua on the eastern coast ofFiji’s largest island—the use of LMMAs as a tool to addressoverfishing has spread rapidly throughout Fiji. In 2001, the FijiLocally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network was establishedas a forum for Fiji’s LMMA participants to share theirmethods and monitoring results. As reported in WorldResources 2005, the LMMA Network in Fiji encompassednearly 60 LMMAs, involving 125 communities and coveringabout 20 percent of Fiji’s inshore fishery. By 2007 the Networkhad scaled up to include some 213 LMMAs, involving 279villages and covering almost 8,500 sq km (850,000 ha) ofcoastal fisheries, or about 25 percent of the inshore area(LMMA Network 2005a; LMMA Network 2007a:3; Tawake2008:2).At the same time, the LMMA Network has expanded to othercountries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Indonesia, PapuaNew Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and theislands of Palau and Pohnpei. All told, the international LMMANetwork encompasses more than 300 LMMA sites, coveringin excess of 10,800 sq km (LMMA Network 2007a:3). TheLMMA approach has also inspired local management of marineresources in more distant lands, ranging from the MarshallIslands and Vanuatu to Hawaii (LMMA Network 2007b).In this update, we look at how the LMMA Network hasexpanded in Fiji and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific and examinethe key factors in that scaling-up and the impact it has had.Background: The LMMA Approach in FijiThe FLMMA Network emerged against a backdrop of long-termdepletion of Fiji’s inshore fisheries that had accelerated in the1990s, attributable to increased commercial fishing as well aslarger harvests by growing populations of subsistence fishers.The resulting degradation of marine resources impingedsharply on the livelihoods of rural Fijians, most of whomdepend on local fish and shellfish catches for some or all oftheir daily protein intake and income. With fish stocks on thedecline, the incidence of national poverty rose from 29 percentin 1991 to about 34 percent in 2003 (Narsey 2007).The structure of LMMAs in Fiji is based on customary systemsof marine tenure, under which communities control traditionalfishing grounds, known as iqoliqolis, adjacent to their villages.(Leisher et al. 2007b). Communities establishing LMMAs inFiji today have used these traditional practices, managing theiriqoliqolis at the community level and setting aside a portionof this traditional fishing ground (typically 10–20 percent) asa restricted or tabu area to allow marine resources to recover(LMMA 2005a).The location and size of this tabu area is determined withineach community, often with suggestions from technicalexperts. In this aspect, LMMAs are distinct from the morecommon marine protected areas (MPAs), in which managementdecisions are made by central authorities with little or noconsultation with local people (LMMA 2005b).38