The Inherent Complexity of Collaboration: Fishers's Perceptions on the Implementation of Community-Based No Take Zones in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve (SKBR) is one of the sites in Quintana Roo where small, science-based NGOs have begun to negotiate and collaboratively design a network of no-take zones (NTZs) with three fishing cooperatives in response to the decline of fisheries in the Mexican Caribbean and of the health of the Mesoamerican Reef. This study analyzes fishers’ perceptions on NTZs and the process of joint design, and compares results between cooperatives. A policy dialogue framework is used to identify challenges and facilitating factors in NTZ implementation and to provide insights on how the process can be improved. The study also analyzes nuances on the inherent complexity of collaboration in community-based marine conservation efforts. Results show that fishers are aware, understanding and endorsing of the beneficial effects of NTZs in protecting spawning and species and improving fishing catch. The participatory process led by the NGOs included fishers in the design of NTZs and provided them with the final decision on which areas to implement. This level of involvement increased their sense of ownership and willingness to enforce these areas. Consistent with similar studies, fishers’ perceptions of NTZs largely reflect their interests and concerns: they are motivated to endorse NTZs in as much as they provide additional benefits and do not conflict with their main fishing activity. Differences in attitude and endorsement of NTZs between cooperatives point to the importance of understanding the fishers’ incentives to collaborate and the small-group dynamics that shape the participatory process. Fishers’ main concern is that others will benefit from their sacrifice. This concern is embedded in a complex political context, the regulatory difficulties of enforcing fishing regulations and in underlying societal power dynamics, which increase the fishers’ fear that they will not be guaranteed equitable access to NTZ benefits. Fishers’ perceptions highlight the inherent challenges that small, science-based NGOs experience in advancing conservation strategies in a complex socio-economic and regulatory context, as well as the increased need for community-based management to transcend merely enhancing people’s understanding of conservation measures and invest in sustainable and trustful working relationships.