Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

Evaluating the impacts and mechanisms of locally managed marine areas

Understanding how community-based initiatives work is crucial for effective environmental management, but robust evaluations of these efforts are rare. A study of a national network of locally managed marine areas in Fiji shows that, aside from an improvement in marine governance, there have been few tangible conservation outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Impacts of FLMMA are limited at present.

References

  1. Gurney, G. G. et al. Biodiversity needs every tool in the box: use OECMs. Nature 595, 646–649 (2021). This comment highlights the importance of other effective area-based conservation measures for global biodiversity targets.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Garnett, S. T. et al. A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation. Nat. Sustain. 1, 369–374 (2018). This paper shows the extent of land under Indigenous management and highlights its potential to deliver conservation benefits.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Govan, H. et al. Status and Potential of Locally-Managed Marine Areas in the South Pacific: Meeting Nature Conservation and Sustainable Livelihood Targets through Wide-Spread Implementation of LMMAs (SPREP/WWF/WorldFish-Reefbase/CRISP, 2009). This report describes the status of LMMAs in the South Pacific and their potential to contribute to conservation and livelihood targets.

  4. Imbens, G. W. & Wooldridge, J. M. Recent developments in the econometrics of program evaluation. J. Econ. Lit. 47, 5–86 (2009). This paper reviews counterfactual methods for impact evaluation, including matching.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Pacific framework for action on scaling up community-based fisheries management: 2021–2025 (Pacific Community, 2021); https://purl.org/spc/digilib/doc/yr5yvThis report provides a framework for evaluating progress in scaling up community-managed fisheries for Pacific Island countries and territories.

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: O’Garra, T. et al. National-level evaluation of a community-based marine management initiative. Nat. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01123-7 (2023).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Evaluating the impacts and mechanisms of locally managed marine areas. Nat Sustain 6, 889–890 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01129-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-023-01129-1

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing Anthropocene

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Anthropocene