Title
Coral Reef Governance: Strengthening Community and Collaborative Approaches: A Vibrant Oceans Initiative Whitepaper
Author(s)
Andrachuk, Mark; Epstein, Graham; Andriamalala, Gildas; Bambridge, Tamatoa; Ban, Natalie; Cheok, Jessica; Cunningham, Erica; Darling, Emily S.; Gurney, Georgina Grace; Litsinger, Emilie; McIntosh, Emma; Mills, Morena; Morrison, Tiffany; Mangubhai, Sangeeta; Oates, Jenny; Pietri, Diana; Ruano-Chamorro, Cristina; Sanchez Tirona, Rocky; Wabnitz, Colette; Young, Jeff
Published
2022
Abstract
Climate change, unsustainable fishing, and land-based pollution (Ainsworth et al. 2016, Cinner et al. 2018, Hughes et al. 2018, Wenger et al. 2020) are among the top pressures to coral reefs globally, resulting in substantial losses of live coral cover (Eddy et al. 2021) and the loss of ecosystem services valued at more than $10 trillion dollars per year (Costanza et al. 2014). Strengthening the enabling conditions for successful coral reef conservation is one of the most pressing challenges facing communities, scientists, managers, policymakers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and philanthropic donors in the 21st century, and will require significant investments to improve governance of coral reefs and the human activities that threaten them (Morrison et al. 2019). Successful local governance underpins two key aspirations of conservation success: better outcomes for biodiversity goals and ensuring that the needs and aspirations of local communities connected to coral reefs are met with sustainable, equitable, and just management. This whitepaper offers insights for improving coral reef governance, drawn from leading research on biodiversity conservation and environmental governance. The paper identifies a set of foundational principles for strong community-based coral reef governance grounded in the work of Elinor Ostrom and further lessons for building, strengthening and supporting community-based governance. These include support for local decision-making, building and linking social, institutional, natural, human and financial capital across scales, scaling-up conservation successes, diversifying approaches to conservation, supporting equity, rights, and justice, and monitoring and management of emerging threats. Although coral reef conservation and governance is place-based and context-specific, there remain several opportunities for stakeholders to contribute to conservation objectives by: rebuilding and strengthening local institutions; planning for long-term funding; sharing diverse voices and experiences; ensuring diverse knowledge for decision-making; and monitoring progress towards social and ecological objectives.

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