80
caused confusion and tensions among civil servants who were charged with the implementation
of the project and the local community mainly in
the southern Grenadines who accused the government of destroying their livelihoods. This problem was compounded by resentment and, at times,
hostilities from local stakeholders (vendors, water
taxi operators, yachts and tour operators) due to
the lack of consultations with the government.
The policymakers were motivated to implement
the TCMP project because it gives high visibility
and economic capital to the government. Such
high profile has the power to translate into votes
during national elections and ensure that the governing political party stays in office for an
extended period.
The situation further resulted in conflict
between the local vendors and water taxi operators on the one hand and wealthy yacht owners
and tours operators on the other. The local water
taxi operators and vendors accused wealthy yacht
owners and tour operators of working with the
government to prevent them from achieving sustainable livelihoods. An analysis of the TCMP
organisational culture during the implementation
of the top-down approach, conducted using the
Cultural Web (David 2005), described TCMP as
having a rigid civil service culture. Due to the failure of the top-down approach, a decision was
taken to change to a hybrid approach, which
involved utilising the strengths of both approaches.
The unique strengths of the TCMP include (a)
the establishment of the Marine Parks
Conservation Policy supported by appropriate
legal framework and strategic plans; (b) the
development and implementation of zoning
including no fishing allowed, no objects removed
or damaged, no pollution caused nor any commercial activities permitted except in designated
areas; and (c) the installation of a board and division to manage parks and marine parks including
the TCMP in SVG (TCMP 2007).
Some of the weaknesses of the TCMP include
(a) overcrowding of yachts and other boats in the
lagoon of the Cays, which is over the carrying
capacity of 30 yachts; (b) the negative impacts of
physical damages by anchoring, diving and snorkelling to the coral reefs and seagrasses; (c) the
devastating impacts of sewage from yachts on the
lagoon due to large number of yachts with small
or no holding tanks; and (d) overcrowding by
vendors. The culture of the TCMP is related to
the top-down approach from SVG civil servants
who are accustomed to their rigid ways of delivering services. This was the primary cause of the
tension with the stakeholders.
Key threats affecting the TCMP: Sources of
natural threats to coral reefs include storm damage, sewage from yachts and white band disease.
This is compounded by key human-induced
impacts (OPAAL 2006 in Hoggarth 2007): (a)
overfishing attributed to both local fishermen and
visiting yachts (particularly in the use of spearguns which is illegal since 1987 (Hoggarth 2007
in TCMP 2007; Doyle 2012)); (b) the physical
impacts associated with visiting yachts (anchor
damage and running aground); (c) damages due
to snorkelling and diving, both in touching fragile
corals, either deliberately or accidentally, and in
stirring up sediment and wastewater discharged
from yachts and other boats or passing ocean liners; and (d) water pollution from the sunscreen
used by bathers which was reported as a visible
problem on days with many visitors (TCMP
2007). After a series of consultations among key
stakeholders, the government decided to implement a hybrid approach to the development and
management of the TCMP.
The hybrid approach involves combining the
micro-level variables of bottom-up and the macrolevel variables of the top-down approaches in the
development and implementation of climate
adaptation projects to benefit from the advantages
and strengths of both approaches by enabling the
various levels of stakeholders to interact and influence project outcomes (Matland 1995; OECD
2013; Stachowiak et al. 2016). The combination
of both approaches highlights their strengths and
minimises their weaknesses. Policy implementation has become more successful when all stakeholders at various levels can interact with each
other. This provides adequate opportunities for
both central policymakers (government officials)
and local stakeholders (vendors, water taxi operators, tour operators (yacht and day tours)) in the
islands surrounding the TCMP to work with each
5 The Calm After the Storm: Island Perspective on the Application…
caused confusion and tensions among civil servants who were charged with the implementation
of the project and the local community mainly in
the southern Grenadines who accused the government of destroying their livelihoods. This problem was compounded by resentment and, at times,
hostilities from local stakeholders (vendors, water
taxi operators, yachts and tour operators) due to
the lack of consultations with the government.
The policymakers were motivated to implement
the TCMP project because it gives high visibility
and economic capital to the government. Such
high profile has the power to translate into votes
during national elections and ensure that the governing political party stays in office for an
extended period.
The situation further resulted in conflict
between the local vendors and water taxi operators on the one hand and wealthy yacht owners
and tours operators on the other. The local water
taxi operators and vendors accused wealthy yacht
owners and tour operators of working with the
government to prevent them from achieving sustainable livelihoods. An analysis of the TCMP
organisational culture during the implementation
of the top-down approach, conducted using the
Cultural Web (David 2005), described TCMP as
having a rigid civil service culture. Due to the failure of the top-down approach, a decision was
taken to change to a hybrid approach, which
involved utilising the strengths of both approaches.
The unique strengths of the TCMP include (a)
the establishment of the Marine Parks
Conservation Policy supported by appropriate
legal framework and strategic plans; (b) the
development and implementation of zoning
including no fishing allowed, no objects removed
or damaged, no pollution caused nor any commercial activities permitted except in designated
areas; and (c) the installation of a board and division to manage parks and marine parks including
the TCMP in SVG (TCMP 2007).
Some of the weaknesses of the TCMP include
(a) overcrowding of yachts and other boats in the
lagoon of the Cays, which is over the carrying
capacity of 30 yachts; (b) the negative impacts of
physical damages by anchoring, diving and snorkelling to the coral reefs and seagrasses; (c) the
devastating impacts of sewage from yachts on the
lagoon due to large number of yachts with small
or no holding tanks; and (d) overcrowding by
vendors. The culture of the TCMP is related to
the top-down approach from SVG civil servants
who are accustomed to their rigid ways of delivering services. This was the primary cause of the
tension with the stakeholders.
Key threats affecting the TCMP: Sources of
natural threats to coral reefs include storm damage, sewage from yachts and white band disease.
This is compounded by key human-induced
impacts (OPAAL 2006 in Hoggarth 2007): (a)
overfishing attributed to both local fishermen and
visiting yachts (particularly in the use of spearguns which is illegal since 1987 (Hoggarth 2007
in TCMP 2007; Doyle 2012)); (b) the physical
impacts associated with visiting yachts (anchor
damage and running aground); (c) damages due
to snorkelling and diving, both in touching fragile
corals, either deliberately or accidentally, and in
stirring up sediment and wastewater discharged
from yachts and other boats or passing ocean liners; and (d) water pollution from the sunscreen
used by bathers which was reported as a visible
problem on days with many visitors (TCMP
2007). After a series of consultations among key
stakeholders, the government decided to implement a hybrid approach to the development and
management of the TCMP.
The hybrid approach involves combining the
micro-level variables of bottom-up and the macrolevel variables of the top-down approaches in the
development and implementation of climate
adaptation projects to benefit from the advantages
and strengths of both approaches by enabling the
various levels of stakeholders to interact and influence project outcomes (Matland 1995; OECD
2013; Stachowiak et al. 2016). The combination
of both approaches highlights their strengths and
minimises their weaknesses. Policy implementation has become more successful when all stakeholders at various levels can interact with each
other. This provides adequate opportunities for
both central policymakers (government officials)
and local stakeholders (vendors, water taxi operators, tour operators (yacht and day tours)) in the
islands surrounding the TCMP to work with each
5 The Calm After the Storm: Island Perspective on the Application…