Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / The living marine resources of South Africa belong to the people of the country. With a steady growth of the human population and the subsequent increased demand for food, it is imperative that the resources of our waters are managed for the optimal social and economic development of all South Africans. The ownership of the resources are vested in the state and it is, therefore, the state's responsibility to ensure that the chosen form of fisheries management promotes both sustainability and equity.

In July 1997 Selkirk First Nation Citizens or Selkirk First Nation Peoples in the community of Pelly Crossing, Yukon signed the Selkirk First Nation Final Land Claims Agreement (Modern Day Treaty) and the Selkirk First Nation Self-Government Agreement with the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada. Prior to 1997 they were under the auspices of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) and did not have the autonomy to create policy and law for land management. Rather, they were required to adhere to regulations that were mandated by the Yukon Wildlife Act and other institutions created by the Yukon or Federal Governments. The methodology employed in this study was aimed at providing an accurate assessment of change while at the same time ensuring that Selkirk First Nation perspectives remained uppermost. To achieve this, community and personal insights were gained through interviews, family group discussions and the observation of community activities. To ensure that these perspectives were positioned in an accurate historical and political context an examination of public, private, and government records were also undertaken. This research has provided the platform upon which I formed my conceptualizations that Selkirk First Nation Peoples are benefiting both culturally and traditionally. The significance of this research will provide alternatives for other First Nations who pursue land claims and who are building their hunting and fishing laws or Wildlife Acts upon cultural values and traditional pursuits that are distinct from those mandated federally, provincially, or territorially. It is also anticipated that First Nations who are in the process of negotiating Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements acknowledge that certainty regarding Aboriginal rights and title go above and beyond what is defined by the dominant Governments and the Courts.

In a world of increasing environmental awareness and activism, is it economically advantageous for a forestry resource firm to be proactive in the integration of community stakeholders desires into the business operations? To what degree, and in what form, does the firm include the local community as a stakeholder? What are the economic consequences to the firm from taking various stances in relationship to the community and the resulting allocation of forest resources to the firm? The objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that large industrial resource companies should decentralize more of the production process to the communities which they draw the resource from as a means of sustaining their profitability within a changing sociopolitical climate of community resource ownership. The Province of Saskatchewan and more specifically northwest Saskatchewan including the towns of Meadow Lake, Beauval, Green Lake, and north are the geographic focus of this study. This research examines the economic feasibility of decentralizing the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) feedstock manufacturing process to the remote communities where the primary resource is extracted. A game-theoretic approach is used to assess the long-run gain or cost of co-operating with the community and installing a remote stranding facility instead of hauling the unprocessed fiber to a centrally located Oriented Strand Board (OSB) plant. There are no technical reasons for lack of implementation of remote stranding facilities in North America. Current practices relate to the economics of centralization and to the ownership/control of the resource. This research shows that the major forestry firms long-term profitability could improve, or diminish less, with a remote stranding plant due to a stabilized wood-supply to the OSB plant. The installation of the remote strander reduces the communitys incentive to seeking alternative allocation, through judicial and/or legal means, for the wood fiber that it deems to be its property. Based on this research, the forestry resource firm needs to examine the ability of the community to process the regional wood fiber instead of the firm. The community development corporation can empower itself through the acquisition of the technical expertise and financial backing to process some of the wood fiber from the region. This would increase their bargaining credibility as a viable threat to the firm, and thus induce co-operation from the resource firm in pursuing community economic development. If they have the capabilities to follow through on alternative processing, the forestry firm should view the community as having a high salience to their long-term profitability.

In a world of increasing environmental awareness and activism, is it economically advantageous for a forestry resource firm to be proactive in the integration of community stakeholders desires into the business operations? To what degree, and in what form, does the firm include the local community as a stakeholder? What are the economic consequences to the firm from taking various stances in relationship to the community and the resulting allocation of forest resources to the firm? The objective of this research is to test the hypothesis that large industrial resource companies should decentralize more of the production process to the communities which they draw the resource from as a means of sustaining their profitability within a changing sociopolitical climate of community resource ownership. The Province of Saskatchewan and more specifically northwest Saskatchewan including the towns of Meadow Lake, Beauval, Green Lake, and north are the geographic focus of this study. This research examines the economic feasibility of decentralizing the Oriented Strand Board (OSB) feedstock manufacturing process to the remote communities where the primary resource is extracted. A game-theoretic approach is used to assess the long-run gain or cost of co-operating with the community and installing a remote stranding facility instead of hauling the unprocessed fiber to a centrally located Oriented Strand Board (OSB) plant. There are no technical reasons for lack of implementation of remote stranding facilities in North America. Current practices relate to the economics of centralization and to the ownership/control of the resource. This research shows that the major forestry firms long-term profitability could improve, or diminish less, with a remote stranding plant due to a stabilized wood-supply to the OSB plant. The installation of the remote strander reduces the communitys incentive to seeking alternative allocation, through judicial and/or legal means, for the wood fiber that it deems to be its property. Based on this research, the forestry resource firm needs to examine the ability of the community to process the regional wood fiber instead of the firm. The community development corporation can empower itself through the acquisition of the technical expertise and financial backing to process some of the wood fiber from the region. This would increase their bargaining credibility as a viable threat to the firm, and thus induce co-operation from the resource firm in pursuing community economic development. If they have the capabilities to follow through on alternative processing, the forestry firm should view the community as having a high salience to their long-term profitability.

In July 1997 Selkirk First Nation Citizens or Selkirk First Nation Peoples in the community of Pelly Crossing, Yukon signed the Selkirk First Nation Final Land Claims Agreement (Modern Day Treaty) and the Selkirk First Nation Self-Government Agreement with the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada. Prior to 1997 they were under the auspices of the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (DIAND) and did not have the autonomy to create policy and law for land management. Rather, they were required to adhere to regulations that were mandated by the Yukon Wildlife Act and other institutions created by the Yukon or Federal Governments. The methodology employed in this study was aimed at providing an accurate assessment of change while at the same time ensuring that Selkirk First Nation perspectives remained uppermost. To achieve this, community and personal insights were gained through interviews, family group discussions and the observation of community activities. To ensure that these perspectives were positioned in an accurate historical and political context an examination of public, private, and government records were also undertaken. This research has provided the platform upon which I formed my conceptualizations that Selkirk First Nation Peoples are benefiting both culturally and traditionally. The significance of this research will provide alternatives for other First Nations who pursue land claims and who are building their hunting and fishing laws or Wildlife Acts upon cultural values and traditional pursuits that are distinct from those mandated federally, provincially, or territorially. It is also anticipated that First Nations who are in the process of negotiating Comprehensive Land Claims Agreements acknowledge that certainty regarding Aboriginal rights and title go above and beyond what is defined by the dominant Governments and the Courts.

The overall purpose of this research was to investigate barriers to and opportunities for adaptive co-management of artisanal fisheries in coastal Uruguay, with comparisons to Paraty (Southeastern Brazil). Following a qualitative approach, two case studies were developed; one in the Piriápolis area (Río de la Plata coast) and one in Praia Grande/Ilha do Araújo (Rio de Janeiro State), the former with more depth than the latter. Findings indicate that, first, artisanal fisheries have been under a social-ecological crisis (e.g. catches have been declining; fishing effort has increased; relationships among fishers have been eroded), opening windows of opportunity for alternative management. Second, a multilevel social capital analysis conducted by studying the relationships embedded in the bonding, bridging, and linking networks among fishery stakeholders (artisanal fishers, fish buyers, unions, universities, NGOs, government agencies) enabled the identification of more barriers than opportunities for co-management. For example, fishers are only weakly organized, and these bonding connections at the local level were undermined by conflict-laden linking relationships. Third, fishers from the two sites stated that they would like to be involved in resource management, and the proposed fisheries law in Uruguay (before the Parliament) would be an enabling policy for a consultative degree of participation, through the creation of national and zonal councils. Nevertheless, the negative impact that external agents have had on fishing communities are among the causes of low fisher participation. Fourth, findings from a participatory research initiative involving fishery stakeholders in Piriápolis (creating a multi-stakeholder body, POPA) showed that this approach can help overcome some of the barriers to co-management. These barriers include conflict-ridden relationships between fishers and the fisheries agency; stakeholders’ lack of capacity; and weak fisher organization. Moreover, the case showed that participatory research can pave the way for adaptive co-management by injecting a dynamic learning element into the early stages of the collaborative process. These findings, as well as the multilevel conception of social capital, represent contributions to adaptive co-management theory. The thesis identified contributions to policy based on the barriers and opportunities found for this transition, and suggested areas for further research.

This thesis investigates the contexts, rationales, and practices of collaborative governance between Wayúu indigenous chiefs and Parks (national parks authority) in Makuira National Park, northeast Colombia. The study looks into the Wayúu institutions for territorial governance; policies for conservation, participation and indigenous rights; and key aspects of cross-cultural park governance. The field research was based on an in-depth qualitative case study. I used an ethnographic approach with document review, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and use of existing qualitative data. The Wayúu people have a system of customary territorial governance that comprises institutions regarding ownership, access, use, and control of territory and its resources. Wayúu sacred places in Makuira Mountains follow spiritual institutions for proper behaviour and respectful relations with supernatural beings. However, Wayúu territorial governance and autonomy is affected by broader contexts of social-political and economic processes. “Parks with People” policy seeks to enhance governance in protected areas by addressing conflicts, recognizing indigenous territories, authority, and mutual collaboration. Co-government is approached as a “signature of agreements” by Parks in Bogotá, as an “ongoing process” by Makuira National Park staff and as an “alliance” by indigenous peoples. While formal co-government process is mostly led by Parks, Wayúu institutions influence informal day-to-day practice. Most Wayúu rights are recognised however, self-determination is not fully recognised. Wayúu park staff helps facilitate cross-cultural respect and achieve more horizontal relations. These research findings highlight the importance of collaborative approaches for conservation that address historically informed national and local contexts and conflicts that at the same time recognise territorial and self-government rights. Supporting and building upon local institutions and customary management practices are important components of a more inclusive and rights-based practice of conservation. These findings provide for a more nuanced understanding of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs). While indigenous territories do have protected features; they are combined with other territorial practices that can be regarded as “incompatible” with conservation by other actors. This limits ICCAs ability to leverage for full recognition of indigenous rights. This study demonstrates that such rights recognition should happen at the constitutional level and not be attached to conservation objectives.

The aim of this paper is to critically asses the different actors participating in the multilevel management of land resources in the Brazilian Amazon, through the theoretical framework of global governance studies and resource co-management. Four principles of adaptive resource co-management from existing theory were used: co-management as power sharing, comanagement as institution building, co-management as good governance, and co-management as trust building. During the analysis of the empirical material it became apparent that one side of the interaction between different actors in the Brazilian Amazon was not covered in previous literature, and that was the formation of horizontal and/or vertical partnerships between independent entities, or “co-management as network creation”. These partnerships, lasting or not, are established for the achievement of the common aim and lead to gains for all parties involved.

Across the Canadian North, resource co-management has become a central institution for the management of natural resources. An inventory of co-management boards in Canada’s northern territories, conducted in 2012, identified more than 30 different boards, with responsibilities ranging from wildlife, water, lands and non-renewable natural resources (Natcher 2013). While operating along a continuum of institutional authority, co-management has been heralded by many as an effective means to engage resource users and government managers in a collaborative and more equitable approach to environmental decision-making. Although a considerable amount of multi-disciplinary research has examined the various social and political dimensions that influence the effectiveness of resource co-management, little has been done to understand how gender might affect collaboration and decision-making within this resource regime. This gap in understanding is particularly evident in the northern Canadian context, where women make up 16% of all current co-management board members. With the intention to address this analytical void, this study set out to examine the ways in which a gender imbalance influences board decision-making and the experiences of those involved in co-management boards that have been established in the Yukon Territory. It focused in particular on women within these institutions, while also acknowledging broader gender roles that involve both men and women. Written surveys and semi-structured interviews demonstrated that the representation of women within these institutions was important to establishing a holistic decision-making process and positive institutional culture that facilitated effective decision-making. The presence of women on these boards also influenced the scope and efficacy of decision outcomes. Participants found that though opportunities to participate in decision-making existed, there were still barriers preventing board members from acting on these opportunities. These barriers were often experienced by men and women in different ways. Implicit within these findings are the gendered roles and characteristics that shape the activities and expectations of those involved with co-management institutions. Gendered roles in the community and on the land were particularly relevant to these boards. This research contributes to a more informed understanding of a critical, yet unexplored, aspect of the social and political context of co-management, with practical implications for how effective decision-making is interpreted and implemented by these boards.

The overall purpose of this research was to investigate barriers to and opportunities for adaptive co-management of artisanal fisheries in coastal Uruguay, with comparisons to Paraty (Southeastern Brazil). Following a qualitative approach, two case studies were developed; one in the Piriápolis area (Río de la Plata coast) and one in Praia Grande/Ilha do Araújo (Rio de Janeiro State), the former with more depth than the latter. Findings indicate that, first, artisanal fisheries have been under a social-ecological crisis (e.g. catches have been declining; fishing effort has increased; relationships among fishers have been eroded), opening windows of opportunity for alternative management. Second, a multilevel social capital analysis conducted by studying the relationships embedded in the bonding, bridging, and linking networks among fishery stakeholders (artisanal fishers, fish buyers, unions, universities, NGOs, government agencies) enabled the identification of more barriers than opportunities for co-management. For example, fishers are only weakly organized, and these bonding connections at the local level were undermined by conflict-laden linking relationships. Third, fishers from the two sites stated that they would like to be involved in resource management, and the proposed fisheries law in Uruguay (before the Parliament) would be an enabling policy for a consultative degree of participation, through the creation of national and zonal councils. Nevertheless, the negative impact that external agents have had on fishing communities are among the causes of low fisher participation. Fourth, findings from a participatory research initiative involving fishery stakeholders in Piriápolis (creating a multi-stakeholder body, POPA) showed that this approach can help overcome some of the barriers to co-management. These barriers include conflict-ridden relationships between fishers and the fisheries agency; stakeholders’ lack of capacity; and weak fisher organization. Moreover, the case showed that participatory research can pave the way for adaptive co-management by injecting a dynamic learning element into the early stages of the collaborative process. These findings, as well as the multilevel conception of social capital, represent contributions to adaptive co-management theory. The thesis identified contributions to policy based on the barriers and opportunities found for this transition, and suggested areas for further research.