15 The evolution of LME management regimes: The role of adaptive governance

Abstract

This chapter details the importance of governance and socioeconomics to the establishment and functioning of LME management regimes. There is review of the research literature on natural resource regimes to identify hypotheses regarding stages of regime development, types of regimes, and regime effectiveness. The chapter discusses the Global Environmental Facility mandated process and the contribution this makes to the establishment of a management regime for the BCLME. It is noted that most of the questions and activities associated with this process require an understanding of governance and socioeconomics. The chapter introduces the concept of the ecology of governance. This refers to the complex array of institutions, programs and processes designed to understand and manage the complexity of natural ecosystems. The GEF process proved to be an extremely valuable mechanism for guiding the development of the regime, particularly the agenda setting, collective choice making and initial institutional design stages. The importance of institutions having a learning capacity provided by adaptive management has been discussed. Also discussed are the work of Kai Lee on adaptive management and the opportunities and constraints identified for those doing adaptive management in a governance context. Following Elinor Ostrom's work on institutional analysis and design for natural resources management, related are the conditions she identifies to what is required for effective LME management. It has been argued that governance and socioeconomic concepts and tools should be a fundamental feature of training programs designed to build capacity in each of the LMEs. The chapter investigates the degree to which the GEF process helped the formation, function and effectiveness of LME management regimes. An assessment has been done of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem's emerging management regime, using concepts and hypotheses from the research literature on natural resource regimes.