Abstract

Management of Protected Areas in the Turks and Caicos Islands has undergone numerous institutional changes in its quest to develop into a self-financing and integrated system. Established in 1987, the Princess Alexandra National Park was the country's first protected area, and the Govemment of the Turks and Caicos Islands further expanded this number by 32 in 1992. The responsibility for the system of protected areas has been transferred among several related Government Departments overthe past 14 years, each with its limitations. In 1998, management of the Princess Alexandra National Park, along with two other marine parks was devolved to a separate entity through the Coastal Resource Management Project. Jointly sponsored bythe Govemments of the United Kingdom and Turks and Caicos Islands, the primary objective of the Project is Oto adopt and implement sustainable management mechanisms for designated national parks and marine protected areas for the benefit of a wide range of stakeholders'. Embodying the principle of comanagement, the CRMP is developing a number of partnerships in managing the marine parks and has delegated responsibility of some activities to other organizations. The process of developing co-management institutions however, has not been the modus operandi in the Islands resulting in multiple challenges. Comanagement becomes more of a constraint in the face of non-cohesive communities and an unsustained process of building ownership of the resource among key stakeholders. Therefore, the Government and other stakeholders are learning that in order for co-management to work, there must be clear agreements of roles and responsibilities of managing parties, aclimate of cooperation, respect and transparency, and perhaps, most importantly, well defined benefits to key stakeholder groups.

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