University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2011 AN ANALYSIS OF MARINE RESERVE CO-MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE CARIBBEAN: FACTORS INFLUENCING STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION Sarah Lindley Smith University of Rhode Island, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Smith, Sarah Lindley, "AN ANALYSIS OF MARINE RESERVE CO-MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE CARIBBEAN: FACTORS INFLUENCING STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION" (2011). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 78. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/78 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN ANALYSIS OF MARINE RESERVE CO-MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE CARIBBEAN: FACTORS INFLUENCING STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION SARAH LINDLEY SMITH A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN MARINE AFFAIRS UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2011 iv DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF SARAH LINDLEY SMITH APPROVED: Thesis Committee: Major Professor ___Richard Pollnac _________________ ____Tracey Dalton __________________ ____Graham Forrester _______________ ____Nasser H. Zawia _________________ DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2011 v ABSTRACT The goal of the research is to critically analyze co-management as a tool for sustainable marine resource management through improved understanding of stakeholder participation in co-management. This critique is based on the underlying hypothesis that co-management will lead to greater representation and participation of stakeholders in management and that successful co-management is that which encompasses a wide range of stakeholder perspectives in the decision-making process. This study investigates variability in the involvement of stakeholders in selected examples of existing co-management arrangements developed to manage marine reserves within the wider Caribbean. An understanding of the factors contributing to and dynamics of stakeholder participation is essential for promoting effective resource co-management. As a way of understanding the success of governance arrangements in reserve management, a comparative analysis of several sites has been conducted to ascertain some of the factors influencing the extent of stakeholder participation in co- management arrangements, including the importance of social networks in fostering knowledge of and participation in management. A secondary objective of this dissertation is to use network analysis to determine what impact the underlying social network has on the co-management arrangement, and on stakeholder participation in co- management. This dissertation seeks to answer the following questions: 1) How do social networks affect participation?; 2) What is the relationship between successful co- management and social networks?; 3) What does successful co-management look like? vi Additionally, management recommendations are provided to improve co-management processes at each of the MPAs included in this study. This research includes six marine protected areas from around the Caribbean with some form of co-management in place selected as case studies. Residents of the communities adjacent to the marine protected areas were surveyed about their participation in management activities and about their knowledge of individuals responsible for making decisions about the marine protected area. Responses were analyzed to uncover factors that may influence participation by community members, and a social network analysis was conducted for each of the study sites based on the names provided by respondents. The effect of social network characteristics on participation is discussed, and the qualities of successful co-management are enumerated. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am sincerely indebted to a number of people, without whom this project, from conception to completion, would never have been possible. I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Richard Pollnac, whose support and persistence made this all possible, and to Drs. Tracey Dalton and Graham Forrester, who allowed me to travel to the Caribbean as part of this project, and who provided invaluable guidance along the way. I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to Dr. Robert Pomeroy for providing me with comments and suggestions throughout the last few years as this dissertation took shape. I am grateful to Dr. Carlos Garcia-Quijano for his many thoughtful comments. Much appreciation is owed to the many incredible friends I have made while in graduate school, from Marine Affairs and throughout the university, for providing inspiration and intellectual challenge. I am particularly indebted to Kate Mulvaney and Azure Westwood for their assistance with data collection, their company, and their humor. I owe a very special thanks to Dawn Kotowicz, who served as a research assistant and travel partner for much of this project, and an invaluable source of advice and encouragement for the rest of it. Much love and gratitude are due to Brennan Phillips for pushing me to finish the last pages and cheering me to the end. My sincerest thanks also extend to my family, who have supported and encouraged every dream, academic and otherwise, from the very beginning. This work was supported by a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation, for which I am thankful. Finally, this work would not have been possible without the cooperation and generosity of the numerous individuals iv around the Caribbean who graciously answered my questions and provided the foundation for my research. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………..ii ACKNOWLEGEMENTS………………………………………………………………iv TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………………vi LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………….xi LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………….xiii CHAPTER 1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 Dissertation Objectives ................................................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 7 Co-management ............................................................................................................ 7 Marine Protected Areas .............................................................................................. 15 Participation ................................................................................................................ 17 Social Capital .............................................................................................................. 18 Network Analysis ....................................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 3. METHODS .............................................................................................. 26 Survey Instrument ...................................................................................................... 28 Sampling Techniques ................................................................................................. 29 Network Analysis ....................................................................................................... 32 Data Limitations ......................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 4. SITE DESCRIPTIONS AND ANALYSIS ............................................. 38 Co-management processes ......................................................................................... 42 Participatory processes .............................................................................................. 43 Soufriere/Scotts Head Marine Reserve ...................................................................... 46 vi History ........................................................................................................................ 46 Management ............................................................................................................... 47 Community .................................................................................................................. 48 Issues .......................................................................................................................... 49 Participation ............................................................................................................... 52 Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 53 Hol Chan Marine Reserve .......................................................................................... 55 History ........................................................................................................................ 55 Management ............................................................................................................... 57 Community .................................................................................................................. 59 Issues .......................................................................................................................... 60 Participation ..............................................................................................................