Coastal Services Center

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GOVERNMENTS, INSTITUTIONS, AND PROCESSES

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Explores agency authorities, institutional structures, public participation, and collaborative processes.

Marine protected areas may be established and governed by federal, state, local, or tribal authorities. Many additional governmental and institutional partners are likely to be involved in how resources are managed, with each entity operating under its own mandates with its own structure. Balancing the relationships between these groups, community groups, NGOs and tohers, as well as the formal and informal rules in place, can be complex and challenging.

The governments, institutions and processes pages involve identifying which entities will affect an MPA, what authorities and responsibilities each entity has, and how these entities will interact with each other and with public stakeholders.

Some of the issues addressed here include authorities, institutional structure, public participation and processes, and enforcement.

Common Questions

• What agencies and organizations have jurisdiction and authority in the area, and how will these groups engage in MPA processes?
• How can public participation be used effectively in the planning and management of MPAs?
• How do governmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) influence decision making?
• What formal and informal rules govern resource use?
• What types of interventions are used in addressing violations of MPA regulations and for changing user behavior?

What Are Some Tools I Can Use?

Comparative Research	Historical Research	Focus Groups
Ethnography	Secondary Data Analysis	Case Study Research
Interviewing	Surveys