Influence of Governance Context on the Management Performance of Marine Protected Area Networks

abstract

In the Philippines, networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are more complex than individual MPAs, primarily due to involvement of multiple governance units. Hence, there is a need to understand the influence of governance context of networks on management performance. We addressed this need indirectly by evaluating the participation of network members and the governance capacity of three MPA networks with varying sizes, histories, and compositions of local governments and constituencies. We defined participation as the involvement of local governments and other stakeholders in decision-making processes. We defined governance capacity as the ability to govern interactions of social, economic, and political processes and dynamics in a political unit. We used qualitative, semi-structured key informant interviews and focus group discussions to ascertain whether participation and governance capacity are influenced by network size, institutional arrangements, and social and political contexts. We found that the sizes of the MPA networks did not affect participation and governance capacity. Instead, participation and capacity were influenced by institutional arrangements and the socioeconomic and political contexts of the local governments involved. We found that less complicated network objectives and systems for engagement, more inclusive membership, better communication, incentive systems, and strong leadership enhanced participation and governance capacity.

Keywords:

• good governance
• governance context
• management performance
• MPA networks
• Philippines

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the people from Batangas, Camotes, and Lanuza that participated in this study. We also thank Merle Ravelo, Vincent Lumbab, and Dean Apistar for their assistance during the conduct of the study. We also thank Annette Junio-Meñez, Alan White, and the two anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped improve the article.

Funding

VH acknowledges the support of the Australian Research Council, Rare Conservation (OT01)– Philippines, Conservation International–Philippines, and Rufford Small Grants Foundation (#11261-1). MF and RLP acknowledge the support of the Australian Research Council.