The Barbados Marine Reserve (BMR) is a 2.2 km no-take marine reserve occuppying one of the most intensely used and impacted sections of the coast and comprises four zones: Scientific, Northern Watersports, Recreational, Southern Watersports. Establishment of the BMR in 1981 did little to change the de facto marine resource governance regime for the area. There was minimal consultation of stakeholders in determining the zoning and regulations. Fishers were negatively impacted, and no user group derived significant benefits from the reserve. A mandate to maximise revenues led the National Conservation Commission (NCC), responsible for BMR management, to virtually abandon the reserve. Efforts to spur institutional change were not effective, because of the centralized authority of the NCC and the belief that the BMR could not generate revenue. In 1998, the Government initiated a study to reform marine resource governance within the BMR and adjacent areas. Stakeholder consultation revealed complex patterns of use in the area. Recommendations, adopted by the Government in March, 2001 included establishing a broader Marine Protected Area (MPA) along an expanded coastline (from 2.6 km to 9.5 km) with seven types of management zones, and renaming the area as the Folkestone Marine Managed Area. Also proposed was a Marine Management Area Authority, within the Ministry of the Environment’s Coastal Zone Management Unit, to designate and manage MPA’s. tors offer diving, glass-bottom boating, day cruises, jet skiing, and other water sports activities. In the Holetown area, there is a concentration of tourism and non-tourism development and services (Figure 2). Offshore and inshore fishing takes place from several fishing beaches along the coast (Barbados Fisheries Division 2001). Inshore fishing includes small-scale trap, net, spear, and line fishing of various types. The Barbados Marine Reserve, as presently defined, is a 2.2 km no-take marine reserve comprising four zones: a scientific research zone, a northern water sports zone, a recreational zone, and a southern water sports zone (Figure 2). The BMR runs along the shoreline of the Holetown area for about 2.6 km and extends seaward to the edge of the island shelf. Thus, the BMR lies in one of the most heavily used areas of marine space in Barbados. Furthermore, the largest watersheds on the west coast enter the sea in the Holetown area. Coastal ponds that served to store floodwaters are now largely canalised, so storm waters quickly breach the sand berm and carry sediments and garbage (which is frequently dumped in gullies) directly into the sea. Consequently, marine habitats in this area are also impacted by land based inputs. The BMR is presently managed by the National Conservation Commission (NCC), a quasi-governmental corporation with management responsibility for all public parks, beaches, and protected areas in Barbados. The NCC is guided by a Board of Directors, who establish its policies and direction. At the time of its establishment *Present affiliation, AAAS Fellow, Office of Environmental Policy Innovation; US Environmental Protection Agency; 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Mail Code 1807); Washington, DC 20460 USA, Phone 202-257-2455, E-mail michael. mascia @duke.edu Gulf and Caribbean Research Vol. 14(2), 171–180, 2003 Manuscript received November 17 2001; accepted June 3, 2002
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Jun 25, 2014
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