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Across the globe, marine managed area (MMA) designation has been traditionally justified
primarily from a biological perspective, the goals of which have focused on conserving
species and habitats critical for maintaining the ecological integrity of marine ecosystems.
As such, MMAs have evolved over time to become “bio-ecological” tools for marine conservation
that lack social and/or cultural meaning. In the Belizean context, the situation
is no different. MMAs have been fully embraced by Belize as tools for improving its
strategy towards coastal and marine resources management. While MMA processes in Belize
now incorporate socio-economic factors, the fundamental human cultural values and
belief systems that drive behavior with respect to MMA resources use have not been
formally considered.
I conducted this Master’s project in conjunction with Conservation International’s
MMA Cultural Roles Study in Belize, the main goal of which was to describe and assess
cultural values and perceived cultural impacts associated with the establishment of
Laughing Bird Caye and Gladden Spit as MMAs on Seine Bight and Hopkins, two coastal
communities along Belize’s southern coast. I investigated this issue by conducting
a total of 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key informants from the two
communities, in addition to undertaking observational ethnographies. In order to
gain a holistic perspective for my research, I interviewed informants on the following
topics: 1) history of involvement with MMAs; 2) community characteristics; 3) perceptions
of “the environment”; 4) cultural impacts resulting from MMA establishment and other
factors; and 5) gender roles and marine activities.
My findings suggest that due to an almost non-existent involvement of Seine Bight
with the two MMAs, this village suffered no identifiable cultural impacts from the
establishment of either MMA. Hopkins Village has also had a relatively low involvement
with Laughing Bird Caye and as such, did not suffer any cultural impacts from its
establishment. The establishment of Gladden Spit as an MMA seems to have had little
impact on the habitual fishing activities of Hopkins residents since they continue
to use this MMA. In spite of these findings, cultural data can have important implications
for understanding how coastal communities adapt their cultural attitudes and behaviors
in response to the imposition of conservation codes, such as MMAs, that affect their
usage of the marine commons. This basic understanding can be an invaluable first
step towards predicting the long-term biological, socio-economic and cultural “successes”
of MMA establishment in Belize, the wider Caribbean region and other countries around
the globe.
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