Pacific framing of community-based fisheries management: A systematic literature review of principles and practice

Abstract

The way tropical community fisheries are managed locally is shaped by various social, economic, environmental, and political influences. Understanding what these are and how they affect management interventions by communities is critical to ensure broader national and international initiatives positively contribute to enhancing local collective action. Across the Pacific Islands region community-based fisheries management (CBFM) has emerged as a widely applied approach for managing coastal fisheries resources. This review systematically examines how CBFM is framed in Pacific coastal fisheries literature. Five thematic interest drivers are used to guide the analysis: (i) human rights, empowerment, and inclusion; (ii) fisheries/resource management; (iii) conservation and protection; (iv) rural development; and (v) culture and traditional knowledge. The review explores how these framings relate to different stakeholder groups and in turn influence the broader proliferation of CBFM across the region. It further discusses implications for key areas of CBFM implementation, such as the interplay between prevailing interest drivers, and balancing competing objectives and priorities in CBFM. While Pacific Island countries and territories face complex challenges in implementing CBFM, the literature frames it as a vehicle for integrating diverse objectives, supporting sustainable development, and enhancing community well-being. Much of the literature emphasizes the importance CBFM places on context-specific holistic approaches as prerequisite to effective management practices.