Beach management units participation in fisheries resources management and aquatic environment conservation a case of Mafia district

This study is on participation of local communities in fisheries resources management and aquatic environment conservation through Beach Management Units (BMUs) in Mafia District. The theoretical frame work of this dissertation involves looking at the concept of co-management following the processes that led to the implementation of the BMU system and examining the achieved goals so far. The study was conducted in three villages of Mafia District in year 2008, whereby individual interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect information from fishers, fish traders and fish processors as well as fisheries officers working with the local communities. Both quantitative (Excel and SPSS) and qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and information collected. The result showed that the level of community participation in fisheries management through BMUs in Mafia District was low. The major reasons behind the low community participation include community low knowledge on fisheries co-management, issues of decision making powers among the local communities, issues of incentives for participation and lack of trust and mutual understanding between local community and fisheries authorities. This study therefore recommends that for the people to participate in new arrangement for them, like BMUs, they should be made to own the process of intervention. They should also be able to appreciate how the intended management initiatives have an inherent strategic benefit that is not always readily tangible; and be able to reconcile local perceptions on the intended advantages to those of the managers who propagate the arrangement.