The quality of fisheries governance assessed using a participatory, multi-criteria framework: A case study from Murcia, Spain

Abstract

Global policy initiatives, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, consider good governance a prerequisite for sustainable management of natural resources. Resource governance to address ecological and socioeconomic challenges, however, is complex and difficult to measure, as it involves both formal and informal structures and processes. To fill this need, a governance framework was developed that specifies governance quality criteria and indicators along multiple dimensions that were assessed by five stakeholder groups. The seven principles of good governance were adopted as criteria of governance quality and 29 governance indicators were developed to measure these criteria. Diverse stakeholders were asked to assess the importance and status of these criteria for fisheries in the Region of Murcia, Spain. To connect stakeholder perceptions of governance quality with possible policy interventions, a qualitative methodology, cognitive mapping, was used to assess the perceived linkages among indicators, as well as the perceived importance and status of each indicator. This was done to provide practical insights into how to improve governance quality, given its multi-dimensional and normative nature. The relationship between fisheries governance quality and fisheries sustainability also was explored. While applied to a specific case in Spain, this participatory, multi-criteria governance quality assessment framework can be adapted for any fishery.