Abstract

The transboundary Grenadines island chain lies on the Grenada Bank stretching some 120 km between two countries, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. There are over 30 islands, of which 9 have permanent settlements. Marine-based activities are the foundation of the economies of the Grenadine islands in which fishing and tourism are the major sources of employment. It is recognised that a better understanding of the abundance and distribution of key marine resources, marine resource users and the patterns of use is critical to planning and the sustainable use of these resources for social and economic development. The area has been chosen as a site for the development of an integrated participatory marine space use information system (MarSIS). MarSIS will aid in marine planning as a tool to highlight areas for special management attention such as: critical habitats; representative marine ecosystems; areas of high aesthetic value and cultural importance; areas important for livelihoods: fishing grounds; marine-based tourism; areas of highest human threat; as well as areas which currently or potentially are locations of space-use conflict. This paper summarises the methods used in the MarSIS stakeholder identification and assessment to create activity profiles for the various direct marine resource users (including fishers, divers, yachting companies, water-taxis, day tours, ferries and shippers) of the Grenadines. These profiles will be used to help identify community interests and aid the planning of subsequent participatory resource mapping exercises. It is envisioned that through stakeholder involvement in a transparent fashion during all stages of the development of the MarSIS, social transformation through local empowerment and capacity building will aid effective collaborative management. This may allow for more efficient sustainable resource management and use, integrated development and improved relationships between government agencies, NGO’s and communities

PDF Preview