Abstract

There is interest in MPAs in the eastern Caribbean and efforts to establish them. These initiatives have mainly been government led, but some have been participatory, resulting in government sharing management authority. Such initiatives have aimed for consultative or collaborative co-management (as in Grenada to date), but seldom delegated or community-based co-management (as attempted in Saint Lucia and Dominica). In the Pacific region, locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) are commonplace and key to biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Eastern Caribbean fisheries legislation provides for local area management authorities (LAMAs), but if and how these provisions are used differs among countries. LAMAs may potentially be alternative or supplementary marine governance arrangements in relation to MPAs, similar to LMMAs in the Pacific. This paper reports on institutional and governance aspects of CERMES Local Area Management Project (LAMP). The aims were to provide a SWOT analysis of existing LAMAs, identify strategies for addressing sustainable fisheries by improving existing LAMAs and establishing others, and develop a strategy for establishing LAMAs or another management mechanism to allow community management of resources to reduce fishing pressure in and around MPAs. From January to September 2010 field research, workshops and communication took place in the study sites - Dominica and Grenada - using participatory methods. Lessons learned from the LAMA in Dominica, the potential for improvement there, and the application of lessons to Grenada were examined to help advance the governance of coastal and marine resources in these and other countries in the eastern Caribbean.

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