Adaptive co-management (ACM), one of the most prominent management approaches to emerge in the recent years, combines iterative learning, flexibility, and adaptation promoted by adaptive management with the principles of nurturing diversity and fostering collaboration among different partners that underpin co-management philosophy. ACM has been proposed as an approach to address the deficiencies of centralized management in ensuring sustainability of social-ecological systems (SESs) in face of future uncertainties. This thesis aims to evaluate the readiness of resource users (the Waodani) as well as external actors (the Ecuadorian State and NGOs) for future implementation of ACM and thus enhancing the long-term social-ecological sustainability of the Waodani SES located in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Qualitative data obtained by means of focus groups with the Waodani and individual interviews with external actors and Waodani leaders revealed different levels of readiness for ACM. Firstly, in the case of the Waodani, the insufficient fulfillment of some conditions required for successful ACM as well as intercommunity differences in regards to these conditions can complicate the implementation of ACM, unless sufficient external assistance is offered to the SES. The analysis of NGOs demonstrated, on the other hand, a relative readiness for ACM, providing that such aspects as sufficient funding, long-term commitment to collaboration, and inter-institutional linkages are strengthened. The study also found that the Ecuadorian government’s potential to contribute to ACM is hindered by the lack of readiness to work with the indigenous society as well as by funding and communication challenges. Furthermore, the resource based economy supported by the State limits the scope of innovation and adaptation. Still, as in the case of other actors, overcoming the challenges and transitioning towards adaptive governance and thus ACM could be possible in the long-term, if recent legal and political changes are truly implemented.

Different challenges arising from increasingly uncertain and unpredictable environmental and economicconditions have been shifting the focus of public governance and socio-economic development. Morerecently, empirical studies have demonstrated a transitional epoch in which humanity is currently in: TheAnthropocene, as well as its harmful effects that degrade the biosphere, and thus our economic, political,social well-being. The casual dynamics of climate change and its impacts on life-supporting ecosystemshas increasingly been recognized by a resilient approach which incorporates adaptive processes andschemes, allowing public governance to embrace the changes rather than control uncertainty. Thisresearch introduces the interwoven concepts of adaptive capacity, adaptive governance, and resiliencewithin a social and environmental framework. It provides a review of how these concepts support aparadigm shift to mitigating current and future challenges—understood through a multidisciplinaryapproach, and how scholars have sought to develop a blueprint to improve the need to foster and mobilizeadaptive capacity within the governance of the commons. In Sweden, key governmental and businessleaders have shown the ability to foster environmental governance that is capable of developing analternative form of planning, implementing, and managing public policy. Moreover, Sweden’s concertedmultilevel governance and public policy efforts have promoted an all-encompassing generational, mainlythrough: coordinated environmental policies and private, public, and civil society partnerships. Theseinitiatives have led to innovative technologies and projects (e.g. urban vertical farming technology) as wellas cross collaboration and integration of companies and industries in order to achieve economic, social,and environmentally symbiosis.

En France, où les droits de pêches ne sont pas transférables, la gestion des quotas de pêche est essentiellement déléguée aux organisations de producteurs (OP), lesquelles se voient attribuer des allocations collectives et sont responsables de la gestion des possibilités de pêche de leurs adhérents. On peut ainsi s’interroger sur la manière dont la présence des OP au sein des institutions peut permettre d’améliorer les performances écologiques,économiques et sociales de la gestion des pêches en comparaison avec d’autres formes institutionnelles telles que les systèmes de quotas individuels transférables (QIT). Les recherches de thèse, comprenant une partie théorique et s’appuyant sur le cas de la pêcherie de sole du golfe de Gascogne pour les applications empiriques,sont organisées autour des questions suivantes : (1) Par quels mécanismes les OP peuvent-elles permettre d’améliorer le respect des réglementations et influencer l’émergence de normes sociales ? (2) Quels sont les effets redistributifs de la gestion des quotas par les OP ? (3) Comment les mécanismes de gestion des quotas par les OP peuvent-ils être intégrés dans la modélisation bio-économique pour l’évaluation d’impact de scénarios de gestion ? Les analyses développées établissent l’intérêt de prendre en compte des contraintes induites par différents arrangements institutionnels et les résultats sont notamment examinés au regard des trois dimensions (écologique, économique et sociale) nécessaires à la gestion durable des pêches. Les compromis entre ces différentes dimensions sont mis en évidence dans le cadre de scénarios prospectifs visant une meilleure compréhension des enjeux liés à la gestion des pêches. / In France, where fishing rights are non-transferable, the management of fishing quotas is essentially delegated to producer organizations (POs). POs are granted collective allocations based on the aggregate fishing rights of their members and are then responsible for managing their fishing opportunities. The goal of this research, which contains theoretical developments as well as empirical analyses applied to the Bay of Biscay sole fishery, is to determine how outcomes of fisheries management are altered by the presence of POs within institutions as compared to alternative governance systems such as individual transferable quotas (ITQs). This dissertation notably brings together bio-economic approaches and institutional analyses to better anticipate the ecological, economic and social impacts of potential governance options. The research questions are the following: (1) What mechanisms could ensure a high level of compliance and what are the potential gains of placing the POs between the regulator and the fishermen? (2) What are the distributional effects of catch share management by POs? (3) What is the added value of integrating institutional arrangements involving POs into bio-economic modelling for the impact assessment of catch share management options? The analyses that were developed establish the ability of institutional design to influence outcomes in catch share systems in terms of compliance, distribution, and ecological-socioeconomic trade-offs achieved by alternative management options.

Parmi les nombreuses activités exercées sur les systèmes socio-écologiques littoraux, la pêche récréative a connu un essor important devenant ainsi un enjeu de développement durable. En France, les défauts de gouvernance de l'État dans la gestion du DPM invitent à s'interroger sur la pertinence et la faisabilité d'une co-gestion de ces pratiques de loisir. Ce paradigme, se voulant une alternative à une gestion top-down, prône la participation accrue des populations locales dans la gestion de l'environnement pour améliorer ses résultats. L'île d'Oléron ne déroge pas à ces constats qui sont renforcés par les modifications sociétales spécifiques aux territoires insulaires. Dans le cadre de recherches dont l'objet d'étude est une problématique sociétale, il est approprié de faire appel à une approche interdisciplinaire pour améliorer la pertinence des réponses apportées. Concernant la pêche à pied récréative à l'étrille, les résultats obtenus en biologie et en écologie mettent en évidence des caractéristiques qui semblent indiquer un faible impact potentiel à court comme à long termes de ces perturbations ponctuelles sur les populations locales. D'un point de vue sociétal, la pertinence d'une co-gestion de la pêche récréative est clairement établie par les nombreux conflits d'usages impliquant les pêcheurs récréatifs, le manque de moyens pour gérer la pratique et acquérir des données scientifiques, le manque de concertation, etc. La dynamique de développement du territoire oléronais et les initiatives locales à l'instar des conflits d'usages soutiennent l'idée de l'existence d'une « fenêtre politique » pouvant permettre la mise en place d'une co-gestion de la pratique dans les prochaines années, sous réserve d'une communication suffisante et d'une réelle volonté des acteurs concernés par la gestion de la pratique. / Among several other activities practice on coastal socio-ecological system, recreational fishing ones have significantly increased over the past few years, becoming an issue for sustainable development. In France, the weakness of states governance concerning DPM management, questions the relevancy and feasibility of a co-management policy for these leisure activities. This paradigm, constituting a good substitute for top-down management, recommends an increased participation of local populations for managing environments and improving their outcomes. Oléron Island is thus affected by these observations, which are intensified by societal changes distinguishing island territories. In the current research context, aiming at solving societal problematic, it is relevant to consider an interdisciplinary approach to provide relevant answers. Concerning recreational shellfish gathering targeting the velvet swimming crab, results in biology and ecology highlight some characteristics which should indicate a weak short and long terms potential impact of the disturbances affecting local populations. As regards to societal aspects, the relevancy of co-management is clearly demonstrated by several land-use conflicts, a lack of means to manage the practice and scientific data, the lack of consultation, etc. The territorial dynamic and local initiatives, as well as land-use conflicts, underline the existence of a “political window” which should allow the implementation of a co-management process for recreational fishing in the following years, subject to further efficient communication and a real desire from stakeholders concerned by the management of this practice.

Records of abundance of salmon that return to their natal spawning stream (escapements) are important indices that can assist with monitoring, conservation, and management of a salmon population over time. On their own, however these data reveal very little about the habitat, ecosystem and human communities that salmon encounter on their journey from freshwater to sea and back again. This research examines monitoring protocols for Goldstream River salmon stocks (coho, chinook and chum Pacific salmon). It includes and reaches beyond biostatistics from stream surveys to gauge First Nations’ artisanal fishing activities at Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet as well as their commercial chum fishing endeavours in Saanich Inlet on south Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Methods included summations of major themes from interviews on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) shared by local Saanich First Nation fishers whose families have lived in the communities around Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet for more than 200 years. Analyses of Goldstream salmon escapements for the period 1932 to 2004 and native harvest statistics of chum caught from Saanich Inlet between 1982 and 2004 are integrated with results from analysis of TEK research undertaken for this project. Key recommendations arising from the results of this research are: stream habitat restoration in response to loss and degradation of salmon-bearing streams; modification of stream survey procedures to measure for morphological and physiological attributes including indicators of the health of Goldstream salmon; monitoring and eliminating sources of pollution to Saanich Inlet waters; implementing precautionary measures to ensure that overfishing of Goldstream salmon and shrimp in Saanich Inlet does not recur; and safeguarding naturally abundant Goldstream chum populations at the river. Under current management of the Goldstream chum fishery, the maximum carrying capacity (K) or target escapement of chum that the Goldstream River spawning grounds sustain is 15,000. Based on population assessments as well as physiography and ecosystem dynamics, I infer that Goldstream River’s K for its natural chum population is between ~16,000 and 18,000; ~1,500 for the mixed stocks of natural and hatchery enhanced coho; and ~50 for chinook (based on the river’s naturally occurring populations between 1932 and 1973) or ~385 enhanced chinook (based on the returning population from 1975 to 2002 since hatchery enhancement took place). A co-management relationship exists between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) resource managers and the Saanich First Nations bands (Saanich Tribal Fisheries councilors). Improvements to communication, collaboration and information sharing between DFO resource managers, Goldstream hatchery operators and Saanich First Nations with regards to decisions made about Goldstream salmon stocks are, however, necessary. In this thesis, I propose a model with recommendations for compatible fisheries management goals and techniques including adaptive management and ecosystem-based management to address this problem.

Records of abundance of salmon that return to their natal spawning stream (escapements) are important indices that can assist with monitoring, conservation, and management of a salmon population over time. On their own, however these data reveal very little about the habitat, ecosystem and human communities that salmon encounter on their journey from freshwater to sea and back again. This research examines monitoring protocols for Goldstream River salmon stocks (coho, chinook and chum Pacific salmon). It includes and reaches beyond biostatistics from stream surveys to gauge First Nations’ artisanal fishing activities at Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet as well as their commercial chum fishing endeavours in Saanich Inlet on south Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Methods included summations of major themes from interviews on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) shared by local Saanich First Nation fishers whose families have lived in the communities around Goldstream River and Saanich Inlet for more than 200 years. Analyses of Goldstream salmon escapements for the period 1932 to 2004 and native harvest statistics of chum caught from Saanich Inlet between 1982 and 2004 are integrated with results from analysis of TEK research undertaken for this project. Key recommendations arising from the results of this research are: stream habitat restoration in response to loss and degradation of salmon-bearing streams; modification of stream survey procedures to measure for morphological and physiological attributes including indicators of the health of Goldstream salmon; monitoring and eliminating sources of pollution to Saanich Inlet waters; implementing precautionary measures to ensure that overfishing of Goldstream salmon and shrimp in Saanich Inlet does not recur; and safeguarding naturally abundant Goldstream chum populations at the river. Under current management of the Goldstream chum fishery, the maximum carrying capacity (K) or target escapement of chum that the Goldstream River spawning grounds sustain is 15,000. Based on population assessments as well as physiography and ecosystem dynamics, I infer that Goldstream River’s K for its natural chum population is between ~16,000 and 18,000; ~1,500 for the mixed stocks of natural and hatchery enhanced coho; and ~50 for chinook (based on the river’s naturally occurring populations between 1932 and 1973) or ~385 enhanced chinook (based on the returning population from 1975 to 2002 since hatchery enhancement took place). A co-management relationship exists between Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) resource managers and the Saanich First Nations bands (Saanich Tribal Fisheries councilors). Improvements to communication, collaboration and information sharing between DFO resource managers, Goldstream hatchery operators and Saanich First Nations with regards to decisions made about Goldstream salmon stocks are, however, necessary. In this thesis, I propose a model with recommendations for compatible fisheries management goals and techniques including adaptive management and ecosystem-based management to address this problem.