Sociocultural aspects of establishing marine protected areas

Abstract

Most resource management issues are expressed in ecological imperatives to protect threatened resources. The process of establishing specially designated areas such as reserves, parks, or marine sanctuaries follows that pattern. This paper argues, however, that conserving resources is not only a bioecological process but a sociocultural one as well. The paper analyzes what happened in establishing two US National Marine Sanctuaries: La Parguera, Puerto Rico, and Fagatele Bay, American Samoa. One case ended in frustration and failure for natural resource managers, officials, and citizen supporters; the other ended in successful designation of a National Marine Sanctuary. Each case makes a statement about the importance of cultural variables and how they influence the process of establishing marine sanctuaries. After examining the case studies, the paper concludes that experiences from planned social change are useful for marine protected areas and identifies cultural factors that are likely to affect the establishment of sanctuaries in marine and coastal areas.