Is Capacity Building Important in Policy Development for Sustainability? A Case Study Using Action Plans for Sustainable Marine Protected Areas in Belize

Identifying management needs for sustainable coral-reef ecosystems

“…The authors of this essay have successfully transferred scientific expertise in Belize to local participants to generate scientific evidence to underpin future management and conservation decisions. Our scientific findings on the impact of hurricanes on reefs in Belize suggested that hurricanes and severe storms limited the recruitment and survival of nonbranching corals of the Mesoamerican barrier reef and advised marine park managers to assist coral recruitment in years where there are hurricanes or severe storms (Crabbe et al 2008;2009b;2009c).…”

“…Since the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, emphasis on the transfer of technological knowledge and scientific understanding has encompassed four areas: legal and administrative, financial, technical, and human resources (Cicin-Sain & Knecht, 1998 (Jorge, 1997), involving government-fisheries departments better facilitates policy development (Cernea, 1995;Tuler et al 2002;Crabbe et al 2009b).…”

Desarrollo de capacidades y desarrollo de políticas en áreas marinas protegidas de Belice, un ejemplo para la gestión integrada de la costa del Caribe

“…Discussion among the participants and facilitator as described in the Field methodology section resulted in the generation of a series of tactics to be adopted around a number of themes viz: Organisation and management, Education, Support and Policies (Crabbe et al, 2010). Table 1 identifies a set of twelve management operational needs identified by the participants as their united action plan that involved partnerships among government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and communities to improve ICZM.…”

From measuring outcomes to providing inputs: Governance, management, and local development for more effective marine protected areas

“…Lastly, levels of social capital -a term which refers to trustful, cooperative and reciprocal relationships within and between groups [130] -may be an important indicator of the quality of collaborative interactions [120]. Various authors, for example, emphasize the importance of having forums and networking opportunities for creating trust, building relationships, facilitating communication and colearning, and creating greater awareness and knowledge amongst partners [116,122,131,132]. Social capital is also facilitated by development of shared norms and understandings through effective information sharing between the regional and local level, which requires institutional capacity and consistent and varied forms of engagement between community groups, NGOs, and various levels of government [133].…”