CHANS-Net: The International Network of Research on Coupled Human and Natural Systems

Journal or Book Title: OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT

DOI:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105457

Abstract: This paper examines ?the governance gap? regarding the operationalization of integrated coastal and marine management (ICM). ICM offers a holistic and strategic governance arrangement employed worldwide to help move beyond conventional sector-based approaches to contribute to the sustainability of complex and dynamic social-ecological systems. The context within which we investigate this gap is the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada where a diversity of habitats and activities (e.g., eelgrass beds, mudflats, and estuaries) exist, along with a rich cultural attachment of coastal communities to marine resources. In-person, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 68 individuals across multiple sectors and scales with experience and interest in past or future integrative management interventions, or initiatives, in the Bay of Fundy. Participants identified 60 initiatives that they felt were integrative. However, our results indicate that few initiatives have been operationalized due to a ?business as usual? mentality. Five critical challenges were identified relating to: capacity to sustain initiatives; commitment from legal authorities; engagement of diverse actor groups; vertical integration of policies; and, informal structures that facilitate horizontal integration. These results shape how scholars, practitioners, and managers consider ICM as a governance approach. Understanding the governance dimensions of ICM will allow for initiatives to be operationalized more successfully.This paper examines ?the governance gap? regarding the operationalization of integrated coastal and marine management (ICM). ICM offers a holistic and strategic governance arrangement employed worldwide to help move beyond conventional sector-based approaches to contribute to the sustainability of complex and dynamic social-ecological systems. The context within which we investigate this gap is the Bay of Fundy, Atlantic Canada where a diversity of habitats and activities (e.g., eelgrass beds, mudflats, and estuaries) exist, along with a rich cultural attachment of coastal communities to marine resources. In-person, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 68 individuals across multiple sectors and scales with experience and interest in past or future integrative management interventions, or initiatives, in the Bay of Fundy. Participants identified 60 initiatives that they felt were integrative. However, our results indicate that few initiatives have been operationalized due to a ?business as usual? mentality. Five critical challenges were identified relating to: capacity to sustain initiatives; commitment from legal authorities; engagement of diverse actor groups; vertical integration of policies; and, informal structures that facilitate horizontal integration. These results shape how scholars, practitioners, and managers consider ICM as a governance approach. Understanding the governance dimensions of ICM will allow for initiatives to be operationalized more successfully.

Type of Publication: Article