A framework for incorporating stakeholder participation in marine resource management: a case study in Tobago

Brown, K., Adger, W.N., Tompkins, E., Bacon, P., Shim, D. and Young, K. (1998) A framework for incorporating stakeholder participation in marine resource management: a case study in Tobago (Working Paper - Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment) Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment, University of East Anglia

Abstract

This paper describes a method to enhance decision-making being developed and applied to marine and coastal resources. The approach combines stake-holder analysis and environmental valuation within a framework of multiple criteria analysis. It uses stakeholder participation in an iterative process to derive weights for economic, social and ecological criteria. It aims to develop a decision-making tool which enables different stakeholders' perspectives and values to be explicitly included in the analysis. This approach is developed within the context of a multiple use marine protected area, the Buccoo Reef Marine Park in Tobago, West Indies. Such resources are crucial both in terms of the close environmental interactions in coastal zones and in terms of their economic and recreational use linkages, particularly within small island developing countries. The model uses eight criteria which cover social, ecological and economic aspects. The economic criteria assessed are the contribution of tourism to the macro-economy of Trinidad and Tobago; and the consumer surplus associated with recreational use of the marine protected area. The social criteria are the jobs for Tobagon-ians in tourism; the number of people whose livelihoods depend on informal tourism-related activities; and local access to the marine park for extractive and recreational uses. The ecological criteria include indicators of mangrove productivity; sea grass distribution; and coral reef quality. These criteria are both quantitative and qualitative and are assessed using various primary data collection methods and models. Methods for estimation of these criteria under different development scenarios and their incorporation into the multi-criteria framework are outlined. Preliminary results demonstrate that there are evident trade-offs between the different criteria, and that different stakeholders rank or weight these criteria differently. However, involvement by stakeholders in the process of developing the model, and in discussing the recommendations derived from different weightings, provides an opportunity to explore and construct different develop-ment outcomes. This makes explicit the different perceptions and values of the different actors, which creates an opportunity for decision making and management based on consensus rather than conflict. The paper argues that such an approach is likely to lead to sustainable resource management in a variety of contexts.

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Contributors

Author: E. Tompkins

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