Redrawing the boundaries: planning and governance of a marine protected area—the case of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

Abstract

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) shield ocean environments from hazardous human activities, including the extraction of marine resources and excessive urban development. Delimitation, zoning and governance structures are some of the environmental management tools that are provided by MPAs. These management tools may be contentious when human settlements exist within an MPAs' boundaries, since zoning affects existing human activities and potential developments, and managing structures overlap traditional governance arrangements. Varying perspectives emerge when each stakeholder is taken into consideration separately. Ideally all stakeholders with genuine interests in MPAs should take part in the delimitation, zoning and governance of these areas. However, governance is about reaching agreements amidst differences and is not just a matter of considering differences as singularities. In order to understand how multiple stakeholders would reach a shared environmental governance of an MPA, we took the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park (ECLSP) in The Bahamas as a case study. The ECLSP, created in 1958, is co-managed by the Government of The Bahamas and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT), and contains within its boundaries uninhabited islands, islands occupied by local communities, and private islands mainly owned by foreigners or held in Bahamian trusts. In this study, we conducted an exercise with different stakeholders who were challenged to work together in redrawing the park's boundaries, zoning and governance structures. Their individual opinions mattered less than the discussion and outcomes of their joint work. We conclude that a shared environmental governance structure does not eliminate all the frictions among stakeholders, but rather it makes them all aware of the natural and social complexities involved in managing MPAs, which improves stewardship and enhances the ECLSP's legitimacy among stakeholders.

On Dilemmas and Solutions for the Issues of High Seas Marine Protected Areas During the BBNJ Negotiation

“…Though Japan, Argentina and Sweden had the generally same position as the EU, they emphasized on adequate communication with stakeholders prior to the proposal (Dias et al, 2017;Majumder et al, 2019). The US also underscored lack of clarity regarding who can submit proposals (Duarte et al, 2017).…”

Geological Resource Planning and Environmental Impact Assessments Based on GIS

“…Land is the most important natural resource. Rational planning and utilization of land and continuous improvement of its agricultural production level are of great significance to the realization of agricultural modernization and the development of national economies [7]. Environmental impact assessment, as a scientific method and technical means, refers to the analysis and demonstration of the possible environmental impacts caused by the proposed human activities.…”

Ecocultural networks as grounds for spatial planning. A psychosocial approach applied to coastal development

“…Many coastal regions with a rich network of local communities and small and medium enterprises show a great capacity to develop their endogenous potential, to enhance social capital by collective, inter-organizational knowledge management and to promote a symbiosis between economic clusters and the territory (Duarte et al , 2017). The high cultural and ecological diversity in many coastal regions is reflected in a rich LK, adding cultural, historic, natural, educational and tourism values to products and services (Đokić et al , 2008; Gee et al , 2017; Holmen, 2017; Sijtsma et al , 2019).…”

“…Strengthening participatory governance (understood as the capability of collective organization towards shared goals with the participation of all stakeholders) is recognised as a necessary prerequisite for sustainable development in maritime-land integration, as in other co-creation of space (e.g. Duarte et al , 2017; Ros-Tonen et al , 2018; Sijtsma et al , 2019; Smith et al , 2011; Voinov et al , 2016).…”

“…A more active role for ecological and cultural heritage is promoted, revalidating concepts such as ecocultural corridors and networks, local agro-ecosystems, short value chains and community stewardship of landscape, all of which can be strengthened in a participatory governance strategy for space formation and sustainable development (e.g. Egberts, 2019; Duarte et al , 2017; Hall and Hesse, 2013; Harrison and Hoyler, 2015; Heslinga et al , 2017; Ros-Tonen et al , 2018; Schilleci, 2012).…”