Pathways to establishing managed access and networks of reserves

Abstract

The specification of user rights and the devolution of fisheries management and allocation decisions to the local fisher and community level has been found to be an effective approach to improved fisheries management. Rare’s Fish Forever’s policy and governance work supports and strengthens legal and functional community rights-based management and exclusive access rights to coastal fisheries through managed access with reserves (MA+R). This paper presents an analysis of the legal, regulatory and institutional pathways undertaken to establish MA+R in Brazil, Indonesia and the Philippines for local communities to secure and strengthen both legal and functional access rights to fisheries resources. The pathways used involved interpreting and adapting a mix of fisheries, marine conservation, marine protected area and government administrative and legal instruments at national and local levels. Several common pathways to establishing and implementing MA+R were identified including partnerships and engagement with leaders and community members, committed local champions and scaling up from experience.