125
7 Ecosystem Health in the Context of Fisheries and Aquaculture…
adapting to the continuously evolving situation in the marine ecosystem and
coastal zones requires the governing system to be capable of re-designing institutional arrangements appropriate for new circumstances. Increasing actors and
stakeholders in the coastal areas means a higher number or a broader scope of
government agencies to adjust existing rules or create new ones. The capacity of
the agencies to cope with the new conditions may be compromised, however, by
a mismatch in the scale of the problems they confront and their competencies. The
nature, level and variation of interactions of fi sheries and coastal actors with the governing institutions would be expected to expand as a consequence of the increased
diversity. Similarly, the multiplicity of stakeholders and the increased complexity
in the social system-to-be-governed requires reconsideration of the types of information and the methods of sharing and dissemination. Information sharing, for
instance, can enhance trust when considered adequate. It can also induce suspicion
if it is interpreted as exploitative. There are no recipes for perfect interactions, but
some emphasis should be placed on partnership building as a way to enhance
compliance and avoid con fl ict and disagreement among stakeholders. The way in
which effective partnerships are built depends on the characteristics of the system,
especially the scale extent. It may be dif fi cult to encourage positive and direct
interaction between groups that are spatially widespread. Time issues may also
have an impact on the interactions, as the period required to address the challenges may discourage collective action or increase dif fi culties for effective learning
and feedback processes.
Conclusion
Challenges posed by the current health of the marine and ocean ecosystems around
the world are overwhelming. The human capacity to alter these systems through
direct physical modi fi cation, as happened in coastal urbanization or bottom trawling
is enormous. The consequences of these processes are immediate and long-term,
both begging for effective policy measures and appropriate governing interventions.
Many of the ecosystem health concerns discussed in this chapter follow the
wicked problem de fi nition. They are dif fi cult to de fi ne and delineate from other
concerns. Their speci fi cities are dif fi cult to grasp, and there is no simple solution.
This is due in large part to the fact that any intervention implies major changes in
the social system-to-be-governed and the governing system. Responses to these
problems need collective efforts that may be beyond our present capacity to interact
adequately in reaching agreements and fi nding solutions. Nevertheless, the heightened awareness of the poor state of the world’s marine and ocean ecosystems at
global, national, and local levels, and the ongoing attempts to address it are encouraging signs. The analytical lens offered by the interactive governance and the governability approach, contribute to enhancing our understanding of the factors that
affect ecosystem health, as well as the areas and types of interventions that may help
address the problem. Our analysis shows that the diversity, complexity, dynamics
7 Ecosystem Health in the Context of Fisheries and Aquaculture…
adapting to the continuously evolving situation in the marine ecosystem and
coastal zones requires the governing system to be capable of re-designing institutional arrangements appropriate for new circumstances. Increasing actors and
stakeholders in the coastal areas means a higher number or a broader scope of
government agencies to adjust existing rules or create new ones. The capacity of
the agencies to cope with the new conditions may be compromised, however, by
a mismatch in the scale of the problems they confront and their competencies. The
nature, level and variation of interactions of fi sheries and coastal actors with the governing institutions would be expected to expand as a consequence of the increased
diversity. Similarly, the multiplicity of stakeholders and the increased complexity
in the social system-to-be-governed requires reconsideration of the types of information and the methods of sharing and dissemination. Information sharing, for
instance, can enhance trust when considered adequate. It can also induce suspicion
if it is interpreted as exploitative. There are no recipes for perfect interactions, but
some emphasis should be placed on partnership building as a way to enhance
compliance and avoid con fl ict and disagreement among stakeholders. The way in
which effective partnerships are built depends on the characteristics of the system,
especially the scale extent. It may be dif fi cult to encourage positive and direct
interaction between groups that are spatially widespread. Time issues may also
have an impact on the interactions, as the period required to address the challenges may discourage collective action or increase dif fi culties for effective learning
and feedback processes.
Conclusion
Challenges posed by the current health of the marine and ocean ecosystems around
the world are overwhelming. The human capacity to alter these systems through
direct physical modi fi cation, as happened in coastal urbanization or bottom trawling
is enormous. The consequences of these processes are immediate and long-term,
both begging for effective policy measures and appropriate governing interventions.
Many of the ecosystem health concerns discussed in this chapter follow the
wicked problem de fi nition. They are dif fi cult to de fi ne and delineate from other
concerns. Their speci fi cities are dif fi cult to grasp, and there is no simple solution.
This is due in large part to the fact that any intervention implies major changes in
the social system-to-be-governed and the governing system. Responses to these
problems need collective efforts that may be beyond our present capacity to interact
adequately in reaching agreements and fi nding solutions. Nevertheless, the heightened awareness of the poor state of the world’s marine and ocean ecosystems at
global, national, and local levels, and the ongoing attempts to address it are encouraging signs. The analytical lens offered by the interactive governance and the governability approach, contribute to enhancing our understanding of the factors that
affect ecosystem health, as well as the areas and types of interventions that may help
address the problem. Our analysis shows that the diversity, complexity, dynamics