Conservation in a Crisis Marine Resource Management Authority and Legitimacy During Political Instability in Madagascar

• Published in: Conservation and society Vol. 17; no. 4; pp. 331 - 342
• Main Author: Baker-Médard, Merrill
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bangalore Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.10.2019; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Actors; authority; Case studies; Climate change; Community; community-based conservation; Conservation; Crises; Fisheries; Fishing villages; Legitimacy; Madagascar; Marine conservation; Marine parks; marine property; Marine protected areas; Marine resources; Marine resources conservation; Marine resources management; National parks; Natural resources; Political aspects; Political crisis; Political factors; Politics; Protected areas; Qualitative research; Resource conservation; Resource management; State laws; Madagascar; Political crisis; legitimacy; marine property; authority; Madagascar; community-based conservation; marine protected areas
• ISSN: 0972-4923; 0975-3133
• DOI: 10.4103/cs.cs_19_26

This study explores how the 2009 political crisis in Madagascar influenced local access to, and claims over, marine resources within marine protected areas. It focuses specifically on how different conservation actors constructed and maintained authority over each protected area. Surveys conducted in 2010 show how community-managed protected areas had a lower incidence of resource use rule infractions during the crisis than state-managed areas. Drawing from in-depth qualitative research conducted from 2009 to 2015, I argue that this occurred due to the discursive framing of ‘community authority’ over protected areas as well as the social relationships with, and material benefits communities received from, international conservation organisations working in the communitymanaged areas. In contrast, I argue that state-managed marine protected area rules were transgressed more due to the symbolic and physical ousting of state authority underpinning a fear-based relationship between the state managers and community members. Ultimately, this work points to the importance of understanding how different conservation actors construct and maintain authority over marine resources.