Participatory management approaches promote the idea that success in natural resources management requires engaging with and providing benefits for local communities. However, participatory approaches are neither consistently successful nor free from controversy. Recent studies assessing the characteristics related to success and failure typically ignore the social and political context of local communities. To address these issues, we use a comparative analysis of community-based fisheries to evaluate adaptations aimed at improving management schemes, considering four domains (ownership, responsiveness, accountability, and perceived evidences). We evaluate outcomes about how local community characteristics affect these sources of improvement. Based on qualitative data (2009-2015) we find improvements in community ownership, responsiveness and perceived evidences for the management of fisheries. Findings indicate positive feedbacks within the management systems that have potential to strengthen perceptions of adaptive management framework. We suggest that enforced property right regimes, arenas for conflict resolution and adaptive management of connected knowledge systems can overcome many of the challenges faced by local communities to succeed in multiple domains of community-based management of fisheries.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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