2 variables influencing success of fishers’ cooperatives. What we wish to present here is a
modest start in this direction for identifying and evaluating factors influencing the success of CB-MPAs.
1.2 Success of Community-Based Marine Protected Areas
There are many aspects of “success”, and rather than simply focussing on one, a multi- component approach to success is used in this study. The most obvious measure of success
for a CB-MPA involves an improvement in the resource; e.g., measurable increases in the quality and quantity of flora and fauna, including corals where included. Community
members’ perception of the MPA’s impact on the resource is also an important indicator. It is these perceptions that will influence their behavior regarding the CB-MPA. Another
indicator of success is the establishment and maintenance of a set of features inherent to a functioning CB-MPA, such as marker buoys, community signboards, a management plan, a
management committee, etc. Degree of adherence to the rules associated with the MPA is also an indicator of success. Finally, since a CB-MPA involves empowering community
members to manage their own resources, the degree to which this empowerment is realized is a component of success. We contend that a successful CB-MPA will manifest relatively high
levels of all five of the aforementioned success indicators.
1.3 Factors Influencing Success
The above mentioned focus group meetings of experts Crawford 2000, literature reviews Pollnac 2000, 1994, case studies Salm, et al. 2000, as well as meetings and workshops
among the most recent being WRI 2000 have identified numerous factors that appear to be related to the success of CB-MPAs. Since most of the cited literature is readily available,
there is no point listing the factors here, only to repeat them in the methods and analysis sections of the paper. Instead, the general classification of factors will be outlined. For
purposes of the analysis presented here, factors influencing success of CB-MPAs are classified into two broad categories: contextual and project. Contextual factors include social,
cultural, political, and economic aspects of the lowest levels of political organization usually the village and the town where it is located directly responsible for the CB-MPA. Project
factors include aspects of project implementation e.g., strategies and tactics and post- implementation activities. The paper will examine how these factors individually and in
combination impact the various components of success of CB-MPAs.
3
2. Methods
