Abstract:
This study explores how the history and process of establishing a marine protected area (MPA) under the
control of the state has led to limited interest in community-based management amongst local
stakeholders. The study contributes to the understanding of historical events that have discouraged
the take-off and scale-up of community-based conservation approaches, such as locally-managed
marine areas (LMMAs). LMMAs are being promoted increasingly as a desirable approach in marine
conservation. However, there are a limited numbers of cases where such initiatives have been used as a
strategy for marine management in sub-Saharan Africa, and very few operational examples of such
schemes exist in the Western Indian Ocean region. Through semi-structured questionnaires, 193
community members selected randomly from 15 villages of the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine
Park (MBREMP), Mtwara district, Southern Tanzania, were interviewed about their attitudes towards
efforts to promote local management and the conservation of marine resources. The study also involved
17 focus group discussions, 13 in-depth key informant interviews, participant observation, and a review
of secondary information. Over 85% of the questionnaire respondents commented that there was
insufficient participation by legitimate community representatives in the development of the MBREMP.
Almost 90% of the respondents agreed that the management of marine areas has increased significantly,
particularly in the last two decades following initiatives by the government, donors and external NGOs.
However, 70% of the questionnaire responders had observed that a rapid shift from centralised to
community-based management has been hindered by a lack of acceptable community rules and by
communities frequently equating conservation with prohibition. Developing LMMAs in areas based on
the lessons learned from MPAs could be a better alternative to developing entirely new communitymanaged
areas; however, this can only succeed if limitations including the key principles of community
participation and empowerment are addressed.
