Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Social fit of coral reef governance varies among individuals

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Rachel Turner, Dr Johanna Forster, Professor Clare Fitzsimmons, Professor Selina Stead

Downloads


Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Improved natural resource governance is critical for the effective conservation of ecosystems, and the well-being of societies that depend on them. Understanding the social fit of institutional arrangements in different contexts can help guide the design of effective environmental governance. This empirical study assessed individual-level variation in institutional acceptance of coral reef governance among 652 respondents in 12 fishing and tourism-oriented communities in the Wider Caribbean. High institutional acceptance was strongly associated with perceptions of community cohesiveness, underlining the potential contribution of civil society to effective governance processes. Institutional acceptance was also influenced by reef use, awareness of rules, perceived trends in reef fish populations, education, and contextual community-level factors. Understanding what influences diverse perceptions of coral reef governance among individuals can help to assess the likelihood of support for conservation measures. This study highlights how knowledge of institutional acceptance can inform the design of more targeted interventions that enhance the social fit of conservation governance to local contexts and diverse resource users.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Turner RA, Forster J, Fitzsimmons C, Gill D, Mahon R, Peterson A, Stead S

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Conservation Letters

Year: 2018

Volume: 11

Issue: 3

Pages:

Print publication date: 01/05/2018

Online publication date: 27/10/2017

Acceptance date: 19/10/2017

Date deposited: 12/12/2017

ISSN (print): 1755-263X

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12422

DOI: 10.1111/conl.12422


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Share