Conservation Strategies Through the Lens of Small-Scale Fishers in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: Perceptions Underlying Local Resistance to Marine Planning

Abstract

Spatial management tools are increasingly used in marine protected areas (MPAs). In the Galapagos Archipelago two zoning plans have been designed to advance resource management and protection: one in 2000, implemented through participatory processes under a co-management regime; the other in 2016, designed within a new regulatory framework and with strong input from international conservation advocates. The new zoning plan has been actively resisted by small-scale fishers. We analyze qualitative data from 149 questionnaire surveys and 16 key informant interviews to assess fishers’ perceptions of the re-zoning process. The perceptions that underpin fishers’ resistance to the new zoning plan converge in five principal themes that raise questions about the legitimacy, fairness, transparency, and viability of this management tool. This study provides further evidence of the strategic importance of incorporating human dimensions in MPA management and, more particularly, of understanding social concerns that may critically impede the progress of marine resource conservation.