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This article develops a conceptual framework for the analysis of community that is designed to explain the complexity, diversity and changes that account for comparative community differentiation in the modern world. The concept is deconstructed into a number of constituent dimensions and dynamic processes, revealing the interrelationships between interest, normativity and identity. Contradictory processes associated with solidarity and exclusion are shown to push and pull at each other through the different dimensions. These processes are manifested in people's everyday lives, often simultaneously. This complexity is a source of both the vulnerability and the strength of communities. The article concludes with a number of diagnostic tools for deconstructing community and a three‐pronged approach for community revitalisation.

Effective management of recreational fisheries requires information on fine-scale spatial patterns of recreational exploitation. Such information is particularly important for specially designated regions such as recreationalonly fishing areas (ROFAs). Using data acquired through progressive counts and interview-based surveys, this study quantitatively compared recreational effort, harvest-per-unit-effort (HPUE) and species composition among zonal habitats in three representative estuarine ROFAs in eastern Australia. The zones compared were as follows: (1) entrance channels;(2) lake areas; (3) artificial reefs; (4) tributary creeks; (5) rivers; and (6) canals. In most cases, effort was concentrated in the lake zones, which had the greatest access to fisheries resources. The lake and channel zones were associated with some of the highest HPUEs for key taxa [Acanthopagrus spp. (hybrid complex of Acanthopagrus butcheri (Munro) 9 Acanthopagrus australis (Owen)), Platycephalus fuscus (Cuvier), Sillago ciliata (Cuvier) and Girella tricuspidata (Quoy & Gaimard)] and a greater number of highly sought-after species. Drawing on specific examples from these findings, this paper concludes by illustrating how spatial information on exploitation gained from this type of research can be used to meet the fundamental goals of recreational fisheries management at fine spatial scales. K E Y W O R D S :ANOSIM, creel surveys, fisheries management, generalized linear models, recreational fishing, recreational fishing havens.

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This article explores the relationship between civil society and community resilience in coastal communities in Brazil, Canada, Chile and Cuba. In understanding the role of social capital in community development, we do not feel sufficient attention has been paid to the subtle microdynamics of civil network structure. Using social network analysis, we explore the link between community cohesion and resilience. Attention is given to conflicting interests that characterize these communities and how they manifest themselves in civic participation and factional affiliations. We find that organizational diversity is a necessary condition for community vitality, but organizations can become captive to factional interests. The critical factors for resilience are associated with a benign side of factions (a plurality of inclusive ties) and the presence of keystone bridging agents. Each offers hidden mechanisms for neutralizing the effects of fragmentation by providing a cohesive capability which remains latent until crises call for collective action.