Cost-Effective, Socially Just

Across the globe, coastal communities are experiencing dwindling supplies of marine resources, threatening the food security and livelihoods of millions of people worldwide.

It is generally recognised that in many developing countries – where a substantial share of the Earth’s marine biodiversity is found – conventional, top-down coastal protection and management efforts are too costly both financially and in terms of scarce human resources to be of much practical value for broad-scale national application.

The LMMA Network is a unique and diverse tapestry of communities, NGOs, government agencies and researchers all working together to promote food security and livelihoods through cost-effective, inclusive, and socially just, bottom-up approaches.

The LMMA Network was founded on the belief that local communities are best positioned to manage coastal resources but are often left unempowered through international initiatives or government efforts.

Our Approach

Provides

practical capacity building, cost-effective and culturally-appropriate engagement tools to promote locally-led dialogues and management.

Assists

communities in managing their resources, often utilizing a revival of cultural traditions strengthened by contemporary science.

Builds trust

resiliency, confidence, and innovation through lesson sharing between practitioners.

Follows

a code of conduct that ensures community interests are the heart of any conservation effort.

Advocates

for communities at the national, regional, and international levels, for fair partnerships, policies, and support.

Our Impact

Pioneered global LMMA model for coastal resource management in support of food security, biodiversity preservation and climate change adaptation. In Fiji alone, more than 80 percent of inshore areas are under local management.

Demonstrated best practices for advancing sustainable community development and poverty alleviation, receiving prestigious awards such as the Equator Prize and the WWF’s Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Award.

LMMA approaches embedded in national, regional, and international fisheries and conservation frameworks and policies, such as National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans, Green Growth Frameworks, Fisheries Roadmaps and Pacific Oceanscape Framework.

Demonstrated measurable benefits of local management on governance, income, fish biomass, and rare species. Relevant publications: Jupiter et al (2014), Pac Con Biol, and Rocliffe et al (2014), PLoS ONE.

Visit the Learning Centre

Want to know more? View our manuals and other resource materials explaining the network’s Community-Based Adaptive Management (CBAM) approach and to hear stories from the many communities that have put it into practice.

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