Marine resource dependence

Marine resources in Wakatobi MNP are heavily relied §upon for food, raw materials and income. There is §currently concern over the deterioration of the more §accessible areas of reef, mangrove and seagrass. One §reason why past conservation initiatives have failed §is lack of compliance of local people to management §regulations. This is due largely to actual, §perceived, or expected, economic losses to §communities. A key role of management should be to §maintain or improve the economic status of local §people. This work uses the Kaledupa sub-district to §provide a detailed case study of a small island §community with high natural resource dependence. The §book details natural resource use patterns and the §extensive local complexities that must be understood §for any chance of management success, it also §highlights the importance of marine resources to the §local economy. A series of economic performance §criteria are identified to be used in the §development of appropriate management plans that aim §to maintain ecological wealth and develop §sustainable utilisation, whilst maintaining or §improving the economic status of local user groups.