Synthesis of FMSP experience and lessons learned for fisheries co-management

This project collated lessons learned and experiences on co-management from a number of FMSP projects, and promoted them widely in order to inform policy that supports co-management as well as future co-management initiatives. Co-management is increasingly being promoted and adopted for the management of fisheries resources. However, the complex and dynamic environments (in terms of the legal, bio-physical and human aspects) into which co-management initiatives are introduced mean that co-management is often neither simple nor straightforward. The issues and challenges associated with co-management are subject to increasing discussion and debate and this project captured the important contributions of the FMSP based on the approaches, tools and methods developed and experiences and insights gained over the eleven years of the Programme.

First, the project developed products synthesising the lessons learned from developing the data collection and information sharing guidelines and ParFish. A policy brief examining the policy implications of developing and/or supporting co-managed fisheries was also developed. Based on these, together with the adaptive learning guidelines  and information from other FMSP projects, a synthesis document was produced. Developing this synthesis highlighted an important issue regarding how co-management is defined and the implications that this has for how initiatives are implemented and the potential outcomes. In order to highlight the synthesis and to raise awareness of the other synthesis products, a co-management brief was also created.

A communications strategy was developed that provided a coordinated approach to the promotion of materials from this and two complimentary FMSP projects. This communications strategy promoted the various products to a wide range of target stakeholders including policy makers, implementing agencies, researchers and capacity development organisations.