​Eric Wade is a marine social scientist currently an assistant professor in the Department of Coastal Studies at East Carolina University, US. From Belize, his research and teaching program is motivated by his lived experiences growing up in the Caribbean and the region’s increasing vulnerability to global environmental and social change.

Wade​ is committed to conducting research that generates actionable science, contributing not only to theoretical knowledge but also to the development and well-being of local communities. On day 3 of MSEAS 2024, he ​​opened Session 7 Co-production of knowledge, participatory approaches and engagement with stakeholders​ with a talk on the important role of co-production and participatory approaches in small-scale fisheries.

Toward an inclusive and intentional approach for centering communities in small-scale fisheries management

Global fisheries are grappling with escalating threats—overexploitation, declining stocks, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem degradation—requiring a departure from conventional management approaches. The conventional approach to resource management has often recognized managers and policymakers as experts and resource users and communities as novices. Indeed, there have been recent calls for fisheries management to take a participatory approach that fully considers the multidimensional relationships communities and resource users derive from marine and coastal ecosystems. This participatory approach includes the recognition that knowledge is not only produced by “experts" but that there exist multiple ways of knowing and interacting with these ecosystems.  ​​

Knowledge co-production represents multiple knowledge sources, different ways of knowing, and perspectives. Similarly, this process is context-dependent and will likely look different based on the objectives. Further, knowledge co-production is a non-linear and iterative process that requires listening, learning, and adapting. However, this process is a challenge for policymakers and researchers who have short timelines and require quick turnaround of results, often with limited resources. 

At the same time, power imbalances may affect full knowledge co-production, as resource users and community members may perceive that their voices will not be fully captured in the outcomes. This perception results from historical imbalances in decision-making that saw communities as receivers of knowledge rather than producers. Importantly, these historical realities are important considerations as they provide insights into cases of mistrust. These realities often emerge in resource users' and policymakers' differing views on sustainable management. 

For example, Wade and Biedenweg (2019) found that managers and fishers in Belize held very different views of the same fisheries policy. This gap demonstrates that top-down stakeholder engagement may not result in policy buy-in, justifying integrating different interpretations of knowledge into policymaking. Indeed, if policymakers and fishers hold different perspectives of the same policy, this may lead to issues of legitimacy. 

Taking a participatory approach from the onset of policy design may help to alleviate these issues. However, participatory approaches will not de-facto lead to automatic buy-in. Indeed, efforts must go beyond thinking resource users are motivated simply by monetary incentives and consider the role of non-monetary drivers.

The outcome of intentional and inclusive approaches to management may support trust and shared stewardship and ownership of marine and coastal resources. Given the complexities and uncertainties of fisheries management, including multiple ways of knowing may move management and policy toward holistic solutions. Indeed, a participatory approach to management also contributes to systems thinking, recognizing that resource users hold intimate knowledge of the ecological and social dimensions of marine and coastal systems. This acknowledges that multiple factors may influence communities’ and resource users' ability to respond to socio-ecological changes​. For example, alternative livelihoods have been considered one way to support resource users’ response to these changes. However, the success of such programs has been uneven as they often fail to consider the needs, motivations, and interests of resource users. Therefore, by taking a participatory approach to developing management actions, managers and resource users may have the opportunity to co-develop strategies that can produce co-benefits.

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MSEAS 2024 runs from 3–7 June in Yokohama, Japan. ​For more information, visit the MSEAS Symposium page or follow MSEAS​.​

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