Management committee
The national authority begins the process to create a protected area management committee by inviting interested local stakeholders. Members are registered, and a council and a President are elected by the General Assembly. The management committee itself becomes a space for dialogue and allows issues to be discussed before tensions turn into conflicts. It also facilitates support from local stakeholders to the protected area management authority to carry out specific activities. The Fishermen’s Association and collectives are also members of the management committee and are active in the general assembly. A representative from the Fishermen’s Association was elected as President of the Management Committee, legitimizing the association as one of the most powerful and relevant actors in the protected area. This made communications between fishermen and government authorities more fluid and management decisions are made based on formal processes.
The management committee is a legally established by the National Law for Natural Protected Areas and its Regulations. The National Protected Area Authority promotes the creation of management committees for all protected areas as a way to create a space for dialogue and involve local stakeholders in management decisions.
The creation of the management committee gave the fishermen confidence that they would have a formal space to have their voices heard. It was also a space to resolve tensions and hear other perspectives. By assuming the Presidency of the Management Committee, the Fishermen’s Association was empowered, but at the same time they had to consider views and decisions that could be against their own. Therefore, more democratic decisions were reached.