Social Dimensions in the Success of a Marine Protected Area: A Case in a Taiwan Fishing Community

Abstract

The Houbihu Demonstration Area (HbDA) in southern Taiwan, a no-take marine protected area (MPA) although not under the name of MPA, was established in 2004. The establishment was promoted by the joint force of the local tourism industry and the Kenting National Park (KNP) Headquarters. However, the HbDA is functioning mainly for tourism purposes in the name of marine resources protection. The impacts on local fishers who live on the marine resources have not been considered since that time, and therefore affect the success of the MPA policy. This research explores the impacts of social change on a local community, which is transformed from a homogeneous fishing village to an occupation-differentiated society. The establishment of KNP and the rise of tourism after the 1990s attracted some local fishers and urban tourist engagers to develop business in the community. They utilized established institutions to collaborate with government and nationwide environment groups to set up the HbDA. But the interests of local fishermen were excluded from the set-up process, which caused long-term conflicts between fishermen and pro-conservation groups. Pro-conservation groups work with police to guard the HbDA, and put heavy fines on law breakers, who are mostly local fishermen. However, local clientelist political structures and a deeply rooted kinship and lineage system, which strongly exist in many local societies of Taiwan or even other Asian countries, become the weapons of local fishermen to counteract the regulations imposed on them without their consent. The outcome of such a dynamic conflictual process between different stakeholders is that the regulations now are applied mostly to outsiders only, while local fishermen can utilize the marine resources, secretly, for self-consumption or social gift-exchange. Weakening of enforcement in this case may lead to expansion of commercial fishing by local fishermen, which will diminish the efficiency of the marine conservation policy.

Keywords:

• clientelist political structure
• Houbihu Demonstration Area
• marine protect area

Acknowledgments

We express our sincere appreciation to Mr. Tzai-Chuan Hsiao of the National Park Police Department of Taiwan, managers from the Kenting National Park, colleagues from the Hengchun Marine Conservation Association, and all of the interviewees for their valuable information and comments. The constructive comments from the two anonymous reviewers are also greatly appreciated. This study was supported by the Asia-Pacific Ocean Research Centre, National Sun Yat-sen University.

Notes

1. MPA is defined as “any area of intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment.” (Kelleher and Kenchington 1992).