Title
Linking small-scale fisheries comanagement to sustainable development goals
Author(s)
Smallhorn-West, Patrick; Cohen, Philippa J.; Phillips, Michael; Jupiter, Stacy D.; Govan, Hugh; Pressey, Robert L.
Published
2022
Publisher
Conservation Biology
Abstract
Small-scale fisheries account for 90% of global fishers and 40% of global catch. Effectively managing small-scale fisheries is therefore crucial for progressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Co-management and community-based fisheries management are widely considered the most appropriate forms of governance for many small-scale fisheries. In this study, we outline relationships between small-scale fisheries co-management and attainment of the SDGs, highlighting evidence and gaps, dominant logic, and persistent assumptions. We consider: i) 11 targets across five SDGs to which small-scale fisheries co-management (including community-based fisheries management) can contribute; ii) the impact pathways by which these contributions could be achieved; and iii) the strength of evidence for progress by various co-management strategies. For the 11 SDG targets, we present theories of change starting with the implementation of five common co-management strategies: access restrictions, permanent area closures, periodic closures, and gear and species restrictions. By reviewing 52 published case studies from the Pacific Islands – a region rich in local marine governance – we then evaluate evidence of where, to what degree, and with how much certainty, each theory of change unfolds in practice. While strong evidence connects many co-management strategies to improvements in resource status (SDG 14.4), there is limited evidence of follow-on effects such as improvements in catch (SDG 2.3, 2.4), livelihoods (SDG 1.2), consumption (SDG 2.1), and nutrition (SDG 2.2). Our findings suggest that ‘leaps of logic’ and assumptions are prevalent in co-management planning and evaluation. When evaluating against the SDGs, consideration of ultimate goals is required, otherwise there is a risk of shortfalls between aspirations and impact.
Keywords
community-based marine management; marine protected area; coral reef conservation; Pacific; locally managed marine areas; periodically harvested closure
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PUB35669