Stakeholder Perception of Coral Reef Management Policy Implementation Along the Eastern Coast of Thailand
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Abstract
Coral reef-related tourism contributes to economic development and strengthens local community livelihood opportunities; however, it is not environmentally neutral, and it needs an integration of policy and management actions to harmonize tourism benefits and coral reef health. Thailand is among the top tourism destinations in the world, and the east coast has experienced a doubling of tourism activity in the past decade. A socio-ecological study explored the perceptions of stakeholders concerning coral reef management policy implementation in Marine Protected Areas in the Eastern Coast of Thailand. Coral reef managers and users were interviewed about their perceptions of the planning, process and outcome of coral reef management policy and regulations. Users largely felt that they were left out of the decision process in coral reef management and they are unlikely to participate in conservation activity because of the lack of communication between managers and users. The adversarial perceptions between managers and users possibly undermine the success of coral reef management. Managers perceived gaps between institutional policies and implementation priorities, which frequently deprioritized conservation. This study suggests that success of marine resource management needs comprehensive policy together with close communication between managers and end users to get strong support from local communities.
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