Title
Avoiding conflicts and protecting coral reefs: customary management benefits marine habitats and fish biomass
Author(s)
Stuart J. Campbell;;Joshua E. Cinner;Rizya L. Ardiwijaya ;Shinta Pardede;Tasrif Kartawijaya ;Ahmad Mukmunin ;Yudi Herdiana;Andrew S. Hoey ;Morgan S. Pratchett;Andrew H. Baird
Published
2012
Publisher
ORYX
Keywords
One of the major goals of coral reef conservation;is to determine the most effective means of managing;marine resources in regions where economic conditions;often limit the options available. For example, no-take;fishing areas can be impractical in regions where people rely;heavily on reef fish for food. In this study we test whether;coral reef health differed among areas with varying;management practices and socio-economic conditions on;Pulau Weh in the Indonesian province of Aceh. Our results;show that gear restrictions, in particular prohibiting the use;of nets, were successful in minimizing habitat degradation;and maintaining fish biomass despite ongoing access to the;fishery. Reef fish biomass and hard-coral cover were two- to;eight-fold higher at sites where fishing nets were prohibited.;The guiding principle of the local customary management;system, Panglima Laot, is to reduce conflict among;community members over access to marine resources.;Consequently, conservation benefits in Aceh have arisen;from a customary system that lacks a specific environmental;ethic or the means for strong resource-based management.;Panglima Laot includes many of the features of successful;institutions, such as clearly defined membership rights and;the opportunity for resource users to be involved in making,;enforcing and changing the rules. Such mechanisms to;reduce conflict are the key to the success of marine resource;management, particularly in settings that lack resources for;enforcement.
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PUB13500