Strengthening knowledge co-production in locally managed marine areas: a Fijian case study

Community-based co-management is hailed as the solution to natural resource decline experienced by rural communities worldwide. It involves decentralised resource management which responds to social and conservation goals. The Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) network in Fiji is one of the most extensive networks of community-based co-management sites in the world. The LMMA process involves the collaborative generation and dissemination of knowledge and decision tools on marine resource management between scientists, NGOs, fishing communities and government officials. After 14 years of existence, the Fiji LMMA network is seeking to identify lessons learned, to provide guidance to stakeholders about inputs and organisational processes that generate knowledge and decisions that deliver sustainable resource use and management. To address this question, the project seeks to evaluate the impact of knowledge co-production on the success or failure of LMMAs in delivering social and ecological benefits, and to identify contextual factors that are conducive to success.