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Marine Protected Area Management in South Africa: New Policies, Old Paradigms

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Abstract

A historical perspective on MPA identification and governance in South Africa reflects the continued influence of a top-down and natural science-based paradigm, that has hardly changed over the past half century, despite the wealth of literature, and a growing consensus, that advocates the need to adopt a more integrated and human-centered approach. Based on extensive research in two coastal fishing communities, the paper highlights impacts and conflicts arising from this conventional approach to MPA identification, planning and management. It argues that failure to understand the particular fishery system in all its complexity, in particular the human dimensions, and involve resource users in planning and decision-making processes, undermines efforts to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives. The customary rights of local resource users, and their food and livelihood needs in relation to marine resources, need to be acknowledged, prioritized and integrated into planning and decision-making processes. Convincing ecologists, fisheries scientists and managers, that MPA success depends on addressing the root causes of resource decline and incorporating social factors into MPA identification, planning and management, remains a huge challenge in South Africa.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to acknowledge the financial contribution made by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa as well as the South Africa Netherlands Research Program on Alternative in Development (SANPAD) towards the research upon which this paper is based. We also wish to thank the fishers, community leaders and other members of Ebenhaeser and Hangberg for their time, willingness to share their knowledge and hospitality.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Evaluation Unit, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa

    Merle Sowman, Maria Hauck & Jackie Sunde

  2. History Studies Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa

    Lance van Sittert

Authors
  1. Merle Sowman
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  2. Maria Hauck
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  3. Lance van Sittert
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  4. Jackie Sunde
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Correspondence to Merle Sowman.

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Sowman, M., Hauck, M., van Sittert, L. et al. Marine Protected Area Management in South Africa: New Policies, Old Paradigms. Environmental Management 47, 573–583 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9499-x

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