Collaborative planning and management of the San Andres Archipelagoʹs coastal and marine resources: A short communication on the evolution of the Seaflower marine protected area

The Archipelago of San Andres, Old Providence, and Santa Catalina, Colombia, in the Western Caribbean—a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since November 2000—relies heavily on its coastal and marine resources, which are important for fisheries, tourism, as habitats, and for their traditional cultural value. However, as economic and subsistence importance has increased so have incidences of conflict over resource use and threats to ecosystem health. One of the main conflicts relates to traditional resource use as practiced by native islanders alongside new types of uses, methods, and exploitation, particularly with regards to industrial fishing. This conflict is exacerbated by historically centralized marine management processes linked primarily to economic development, which have excluded native islanders from planning and decision-making, failed to recognize their fishing rights, and lacked respect for the inherent sociocultural importance of traditional knowledge. In acknowledgment of the need to involve stakeholders in resource management planning, the local representative of Colombiaʹs National Environment System (SINA), CORALINA, has embraced an alternative approach to historical top-down schemes. The approach is characterized by: (1) recovering traditional best management practices in coastal and marine management and integrating them with appropriate new methods; (2) involving stakeholders, especially native islanders, as equal partners in planning and implementation processes; (3) building local, national, and international coalitions and partnerships; (4) strengthening the capacity of local institutions; and (5) creating new capacity through formal and informal educational initiatives. At the heart of this approach is participation and equity for all, as exemplified in the planning process for the archipelagoʹs Seaflower Marine Protected Area (MPA).