title: Comanagement of coral reef social-ecological systems.
abstract: In an effort to deliver better outcomes for people and the ecosystems they depend on, many governments and civil society groups are engaging natural resource users in collaborative management arrangements (frequently called comanagement). However, there are few empirical studies demonstrating the social and institutional conditions conducive to successful comanagement outcomes, especially in small-scale fisheries. Here, we evaluate 42 comanagement arrangements across five countries and show that: (i) comanagement is largely successful at meeting social and ecological goals; (ii) comanagement tends to benefit wealthier resource users; (iii) resource overexploitation is most strongly influenced by market access and users' dependence on resources; and (iv) institutional characteristics strongly influence livelihood and compliance outcomes, yet have little effect on ecological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. Joshua.Cinner@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Joshua E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Cinner
authors.forename: Tim R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: McClanahan
authors.forename: M Aaron
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: MacNeil
authors.forename: Nicholas A J
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Tim M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Daw
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukminin
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Feary
authors.forename: Ando L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Rabearisoa
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wamukota
authors.forename: Narriman
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiddawi
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Fraser A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Januchowski-Hartley
authors.forename: Salum
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lahari
authors.forename: Tau
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morove
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuange
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D040841:Resource Allocation