July 3, 2023 — A recent study found that locally managed marine areas in Fiji strengthened the mechanisms believed to advance conservation efforts but ultimately led to few social, economic or even ecological benefits. Based on these results, the authors suggest reevaluating community-based marine management projects to understand how they can be modified for success.
Published in Nature Sustainability, the study examined the efficacy of Fiji’s locally managed marine areas, or LMMAs, which operate via a national network known as FLMMA. LMMAs refer to areas of nearshore waters and their coastal and marine resources that coastal communities and partner organizations locally manage. About 350 coastal villages in Fiji are currently part of the FLMMA network, sharing the goal of preserving, protecting and sustainably using marine resources.
The research found that FLMMA communities exhibited higher levels of decision-making, increased marine resource knowledge, better access to financial and infrastructure support and had more basic management tools in place when compared with non-FLMMA villages. These results also showed “higher levels of subjective well-being and more reported benefits from management in FLMMA villages,” the authors wrote.
However, the study also found that FLMMA villages didn’t necessarily experience improved economic well-being, wealth or food security or even better ecological outcomes for the marine resources — all of which are desired impacts of community-based approaches to marine resource management.