Browsing by Subject "Marine governance"

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Open Access
An Analysis of the Transparency of Marine Governance Organizations
(2014-04-25) Clark, Nichola
The international environmental governance community began talking about transparency in the 1990s and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) in particular have been called upon to increase their transparency. Transparency is credited with a number of beneficial qualities, including encouraging compliance and increasing the accountability and responsiveness of governments. It is hoped that improving the transparency of marine governance organizations will lead to more effective conservation and management of the resources within their jurisdiction. This project explores transparency in marine governance organizations first by tracking the use and legal weight of the term in international marine governing bodies, and then by assessing the degree to which RFMOs are transparent. In order to evaluate the transparency of RFMOs, a questionnaire was developed based upon internationally recommended practices. The questionnaire divides transparency into three broad categories: availability of information, participation in decision-making, and access to outcomes. On average, RFMOs received 76 percent of the total available points in the questionnaire. While no single RFMO stood out as having particularly good or bad transparency practices, at least one organization received the maximum number of points for all but one of the questions in the assessment. This indicates that there is a great capacity for RFMOs to improve their transparency simply by adopting best practices currently utilized by their peers. In so doing, RFMOs will increase their capacity to effectively manage the living resources under their authority.
Open Access
Taking the Plunge: How Aquariums Can Help Build a Public Constituency for the Ocean
(2012-04-25) Chesnin, Noah
It is widely accepted that America’s oceans are in crisis. They face a barrage of daily threats including habitat degradation, overfishing, and increased run-off from coastal development. However, progress instituting and implementing conservation solutions has been stymied by a lack of public involvement and pressure for conservation measures. Aquariums are uniquely positioned to help build a broad, nationwide public constituency for marine conservation. With millions of visitors each year, aquariums can leverage their educational, entertainment and authority brand to support conservation education, action and policy. Drawing on case studies of three institutions – the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the New England Aquarium and the Seattle Aquarium – the purpose of this study is to evaluate challenges and opportunities associated with expanding aquarium conservation programs to promote personal and civic oriented actions aimed at protecting marine resources. The results indicate that while each aquarium has established its conservation niche, other aquariums can follow suit by: 1) focusing their exhibits, education and outreach on a specific biophysical environment; 2) collaborating with a diverse range of academic, scientific and advocacy organizations; 3) formally participating in the governmental process responsible for establishing and implementing State and Federal ocean policy; and 4) recognizing and celebrating the historic legacy of human uses of the marine environment as a way to connect people to and inspire protection of the ocean. These four elements have allowed the Monterey Bay Aquarium, New England Aquarium and the Seattle Aquarium to begin building a public constituency for the ocean. It is time for other aquariums to take the plunge.