Project Details
Our common oceans: an account of the conditions that make societies good stewards of the coastal ecosystems surrounding their homes
Local community stewardship of coastal ecosystems is an essential component of preserving healthy oceans. Local efforts to protect the ecosystem for future generations also create global benefits, such as climate regulation, stable food webs and cultural services (e.g. tourism). Seeking to identify the successful elements of local stewardship and international engagement, Andrea Sáenz -Arroyo’s Pew Fellowship project will focus on gathering success stories of coastal societies and seek to engage global stakeholders in better understanding the shared benefits of these conservation efforts.
An example of this is the creation of marine reserves, which benefits local communities in the long term but implies huge costs people are not always able to afford. Marine conservation organizations often use the strategy of creating marine protected areas in designated areas. When local fishers speak out against this strategy, conservationists try to convince them that they will benefit from the spillover effect from the reserves. However, international benefits from the ecosystem services provided through these protected areas should also be considered. Sáenz -Arroyo’s project will focus on the developing strategies that contribute to the recognition that, as co-beneficiaries of a healthy marine ecosystem, both local communities and global stakeholders should share responsibility in preserving an asset that belongs to all of us.
Sáenz-Arroyo has worked on conservation projects in Mexico and has witnessed impressive examples of community stewardship. Her experience in Mexico has taught her that there are five essential elements that support a strong conservation attitude. These include: 1) a good tenure system that goes beyond extractive use; 2) awareness that ecosystem use is granted to fishers by the nation on the condition of good stewardship; 3) equity share of the benefits derived from the ecosystem among all members of the community; 4) a strong cultural bond to the ecosystem that surrounds their coastal village; and 5) strong social capital that includes direct investment from outsiders to offset the opportunity costs of conservation. Sáenz-Arroyo will use her Pew Fellowship project to document a set of cases of success in community stewardship in Mexico and other countries. She will search for common factors and paths to replicate them all over the world. She plans to organize a workshop with key members of the documented communities, international foundations interested in encouraging payment plans for environmental services in the oceans, ocean experts and financial advisors. The goal of the workshop will be to propose financial mechanisms to offset costs incurred by local fishers when large marine reserves or networks of reserves are established.
Sáenz-Arroyo’s project is a personal journey in search of answers that will also produce a popular science book and a Web site on ocean stewardship. Through documenting and spreading the word about conservation success stories and proposing innovative financial mechanisms for conservation, she hopes to inspire other global and coastal communities to commit themselves to preserving our oceans.
