Articulating the dynamics among stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal's bather-shark conflict to create a productive research-implementation space

Abstract

Research-implementation gaps pervade conservation practice. However, reconceptualising these gaps as productive learning spaces for stakeholder engagement can yield solutions. The first step in this process is to identify the stakeholders to engage in this research-implementation space and understand their relationships. An important research-implementation gap arose when research showed that fishing gear, set on South Africa's east coast to protect bathers from sharks, was a threat to endangered dolphins that were caught incidentally. It became apparent that it was necessary to improve our understanding of the social aspects of the human-wildlife conflict involving bathers and sharks. In this study, we aimed to (i) identify stakeholders in this bather-shark conflict and their involvement and (ii) describe the dynamics among these stakeholders. We interviewed 29 stakeholders whose work intersects with the conflict, assessed perceptions of their influence and interest, and the structure of their communication network. We found that governance is top-down and the communication network is small with limited information flow about non-lethal alternatives to the current fishing method. Since power dynamics impact conservation initiatives, articulating the relative decision-making positions may aid future negotiations for conservation. In small networks, such as this one, improving connectivity and thus information flow can transform the system. Forming a Working Group composed of interested and affected stakeholders who contribute knowledge and diverse perspectives could make governance more inclusive and improve network connectivity. Our research simultaneously identified who to work with in this research-implementation space and began the process of learning together to improve the flow of information.