Local community engagement, governance, and sustainability in marine resource management: Evidence from Tanzania

Luzabeth Jackson Kitali

doi:10.51867/ajernet.7.1.6

Authors

Luzabeth Jackson Kitali Kivukoni Campus - Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Academy, Tanzania

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.1.6

Keywords:

Community Engagement, Governance, Marine Sustainability, Tanzania

Abstract

Marine resources and coastal ecosystems support the livelihoods of billions of people in developing countries. To ensure the sustainability of marine resources, it is imperative to understand local community awareness of the governance instruments that regulate their utilization. The present study explored the actors responsible for the management and conservation of marine resources, investigated governance instruments used, and identified the challenges encountered in marine resource utilization and management in Dar es Salaam. The study used a case study design and was guided by Ostrom's common pool resource theory. The study used a sample size of 223 respondents for quantitative data and 14 respondents for qualitative data, making a total of 237 participants. Respondents were selected from two wards of Ununio and Mbweni using simple random and purposive sampling techniques. Various tools were used in collecting the information, including the use of structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews and reviewing the relevant literature. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, discourse analysis, and thematic analysis, as well as a relative importance index using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 12. The findings obtained were presented using tables and descriptions organized across major themes. The results indicate that the local community asserts the existence of various governance instruments, which include policies, rules, regulations, traditions, and norms that govern the utilization of the marine resources. Furthermore, various actors were responsible for the management and conservation of the marine resources, including the government through its respective ministries, the Beach Management Unit, and the local community. Despite the efforts of marine resource actors, several challenges hindering the conservation and management of marine resources were identified, including inequitable sharing of coastal resources, inadequate stakeholder engagement in decision-making, and inadequate communication among key stakeholders. Thus, to enhance sustainable management and conservation of marine resources, the respondents call for the establishment of regular patrols and enhancement of the cooperation between B.M.U. and the local communities in managing marine resources.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Andriesse, E., Saguin, K., Ablo, A. D., Kittitornkool, J., Kongkaew, C., Mang'ena, J., & Yang, J. (2022). Aligning bottom-up initiatives and top-down policies? A comparative analysis of overfishing and coastal governance in Ghana, Tanzania, the Philippines, and Thailand. Journal of Rural Studies, 92(7), 404-414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.03.032

Beyerl, K., Putz, O., & Breckwoldt, A. (2016). The role of perceptions for community-based marine resource management. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3, 238. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00238

Blythe, J., Cohen, P., Eriksson, H., Cinner, J., Boso, D., Schwarz, A. M., & Andrew, N. (2017). Strengthening post-hoc analysis of community-based fisheries management through the social-ecological systems framework. Marine Policy, 82, 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.05.008

Bulengela, G. (2024). Perception of marine fisheries resources in Tanzania from past to present: Evidence through local knowledge. Maritime Technology and Research, 6(2), 267008. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2024.267008

Cánovas-Molina, A., & García-Frapolli, E. (2020). Untangling worldwide conflicts in marine protected areas: Five lessons from the five continents. Marine Policy, 121, 104185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104185

Gwambene, B., & Karata, E. (2019). Marine conservation: Local community perceptions of coastal resources conservation and livelihood implication in Bagamoyo. Horticulture International Journal, 3(1), 31-35.

https://doi.org/10.15406/hij.2019.03.00108

Kamat, V. R. (2019). Dynamite fishing in a marine protected area in Tanzania: Why youth perceptions matter. Coastal Management, 47(4), 387-405. https://doi.org/10.1080/08920753.2019.1619902

Katikiro, R. E. (2020). The role of local institutions in governance of MPAs. Marine Policy, 117, 103906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103906

Katikiro, R. E., Kweka, O. L., Minja, R., Namkesa, F., & Ponte, S. (2021). Stakeholder engagement and conservation outcomes in marine protected areas: Lessons from the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP) in Tanzania. Ocean & Coastal Management, 202, 105502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105502

Katikiro, R., Mahajan, S. L., & Medard, M. (2024). The establishment, persistence, and scaling of marine community-based natural resource management in four coastal districts in Tanzania. Marine Policy, 169, 106341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2024.106341

Kothari, C. R. (2004). Research methodology: Methods and techniques (2nd ed.). New Age International.

Levine, A. (2016). The development and unraveling of marine resource co-management in the Pemba Channel, Zanzibar: Institutions, governance, and the politics of scale. Regional Environmental Change, 16(5), 1279-1291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-015-0856-4

Lin, S. C., Shih, Y. C., & Chiau, W. Y. (2013). An impact analysis of destructive fishing and offshore oil barges on marine living resources in Taiwan Strait. Ocean & Coastal Management, 80, 119-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.04.011

Masalu, D. C. (2000). Coastal and marine resource use conflicts and sustainable development in Tanzania. Ocean & Coastal Management, 43(6), 475-494.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0964-5691(00)00039-9

Mbije, N. E. (2023). Tanzanian coral reef in peril: Are we fighting a losing battle? Novel Perspectives of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, 8(8), 68-88.

https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/npgees/v8/8053F

McClanahan, T. R., Cinner, J., Kamukuru, A. T., Abunge, C., & Ndagala, J. (2008). Management preferences, perceived benefits and conflicts among resource users and managers in the Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania. Environmental Conservation, 35(4), 340-350. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892908005250

Mwanjela, G., & Lokina, R. (2016). What does it take to be heard in managing marine protected areas? Insights from Tanzania coastal communities. African Journal of Economic Review, 4(1), 143-156. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajer.v4i1

Newell, S. L., Nagabhatla, N., Doubleday, N. C., & Bloecker, A. (2019). The potential for locally managed marine area (LMMAs) as a participatory strategy for coastal and marine ecosystems-the global commons. OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development, 12(4), 47-62.

Njaya, F. (2007). Governance challenges for the implementation of fisheries co-management: Experiences from Malawi. International Journal of the Commons, 1(1), 137-153. https://doi.org/10.18352/ijc.21

Nunan, F., Omondi, M. A., Nchimbi, A. Y., Mangora, M. M., Kairo, J. G., Shalli, M. S., & Jiddawi, N. S. (2020). The silos of natural resource governance: Implications of sector-led coastal management at the village level in Kenya and Zanzibar-Tanzania. Conservation and Society, 18(2), 148-160.

https://doi.org/10.4103/cs.cs_18_116

Nyangoko, B. P., Berg, H., Mangora, M. M., Shalli, M. S., & Gullström, M. (2022). Local perceptions of changes in mangrove ecosystem services and their implications for livelihoods and management in the Rufiji Delta, Tanzania. Ocean & Coastal Management, 219, 106065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106065

Okafor-Yarwood, I., Kadagi, N. I., Miranda, N. A., Uku, J., Elegbede, I. O., & Adewumi, I. J. (2020). The blue economy-cultural livelihood-ecosystem conservation triangle: The African experience. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 586. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00586

Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge University Press.

https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511807763

Palomo, L. E., & Hernández-Flores, A. (2019). Application of the Ostrom framework in the analysis of a social-ecological system with multiple resources in a marine protected area. PeerJ, 7, e7374. https://peerj.com/articles/7374

Raycraft, J. (2019). Circumscribing communities: Marine conservation and territorialization in southeastern Tanzania. Geoforum, 100, 128-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2018.12.011

Sabai, D. (2023). The role of integrated coastal management approach in the protection of coastal and marine resources in the eastern coast of Tanzania. Transylvanian Review of Systematical & Ecological Research, 25(2), 77-86.

https://doi.org/10.2478/trser-2023-0014

Suharti, S., Darusman, D., Nugroho, B., & Sundawati, L. (2022). Conditions for successful local collective action in mangrove forest management: Evidence from eastern coastal area of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1027(1), 012024. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1027/1/012024

Thoya, P., Horigue, V., Möllmann, C., Maina, J., & Schiele, K. S. (2022). Policy gaps in the East African blue economy: Perspectives of small-scale fishers on port development in Kenya and Tanzania. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, 933111. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.933111

Tonidandel, S., & LeBreton, J. M. (2011). Relative importance analysis: A useful supplement to regression analysis. Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(1), 1-9.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9204-3

Verheij, E., Makoloweka, S., & Kalombo, H. (2004). Collaborative coastal management improves coral reefs and fisheries in Tanga, Tanzania. Ocean & Coastal Management, 47(7-8), 309-320. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2004.07.002

Yanda, P. Z., Mabhuye, E. B., & Mwajombe, A. (2023). Linking coastal and marine resources endowments and climate change resilience of Tanzania coastal communities. Environmental Management, 71(1), 15-28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-021-01553-z

Yanda, P. Z., Mabhuye, E., Johnson, N., & Mwajombe, A. (2019). Nexus between coastal resources and community livelihoods in a changing climate. Journal of Coastal Conservation, 23(1), 173-183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11852-018-0650-9