Marine Areas as a co-management tool for the conservation of marine resources and the social well-being of related populations

The deterioration faced by coastal marine ecosystems due to pollution, overfishing, climate change, the use of inadequate fishing gear and other factors have generated alerts worldwide; residents of coastal communities see their socioeconomic situation and every day environmental are undermined, which has led local grassroots organizations in these communities to seek solutions that allow them to properly take advantage of marine resources and conserve the species and their ecosystems.

 

In Central American countries such as Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica, thanks to the development of participatory processes between communities, government institutions and other actors, marine areas have been established with a defined legal framework focused on the protection, responsible use and protection of marine resources (Solís Rivera et al., 2012). These areas under the figure of co-management provide important benefits for ecosystems, local economies and the protection of cultural wealth.

 

The case of Costa Rica, since 2008 the figure of Marine Responsible Fishing Areas (AMPR acronym in spanish) was created, which according to the Degree Nº 35502-MAG, “are areas with important biological, fishing or sociocultural characteristics, delimited by geographic coordinates and where fishing activity is regulated”, which allows the use of fishing resources in the long term, the Costa Rican Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (INCOPESCA), as the regulatory authority, will work in collaboration with coastal communities and other institutions for its conservation, utilization, and management (2009).Therefore, AMPRs become spaces where joint efforts converge to protect marine ecosystems. 

The growing interest from various coastal communities in the country has resulted in Costa Rica now having 12AMPRs, located both on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, representing over 1,500 km² of protected area (FAO, 2019). The first zone declared as an AMPR was the one located in the community of Palito, on Chira Island in the Gulf of Nicoya.

 

In 2017 the research titled: Socioeconomic and biological functionality of the Palito-Montero responsible marine fishing area on Chira Island, Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica was carried out. This study provided important information regarding the quality of the product that is extracted in the area as well as the socio-environmental and economic benefits that the people who make use of these resources and the cultural protection benefit from. It was demonstrated that hand rope fishing is a traditional selective art that captures larger species, allowing fishermen to earn greater profits compared to those who use trammel nets as fishing gear. On the other hand, another of the benefits detected as a result of the existence of AMPRs is the generation of productive alternatives such as tourism and mariculture (Ulate, 2020).  

The existence of these areas has generated important benefits not only for the people who use the resource responsibly but also for all those who are linked in the value chain. At the same time, awareness is generated about the importance of protecting resources. marine to maintain healthy ecosystems for future generations as well as historical richness through social and cultural interactions important aspects for local livelihoods.