234
R. De la Cruz Modino and J.J. Pascual-Fernández
As a result, their capacity to act collectively is not comparable, and despite having
joined some associations, their recognition is not particularly signi fi cant.
Analyzing the governing system in La Restinga reveals a remarkable number of
new stakeholders in recent decades. These include entrepreneurs, neighborhood
associations and administrations (local, insular, provincial, regional and national)
involved in managing the area, users and resources. The role of the Cofradía and its
leaders in facilitating collective action must certainly be emphasized, and fi shing
remains the main identity-marker of the local community. Being the only legally
recognized public rights institution based in the community, the Cofradía has long
been the channel for local demands to insular, regional or national administrations.
With that said, there have been con fl icts among fi shers, some of considerable importance. However, the cofradía has generally served as a reference point or mediator
during such con fl icts.
In La Restinga, the MR is responsible for ensuring that fi shers’ decisions prevail
in the Sea of Calms. In this case, fi shers have successfully managed all parts of the
process, including decision-making. This was exempli fi ed in 1995 when the
fi shermen blocked the fi rst of fi cial proposal for an MR and requested its revision.
Bottom-up processes have produced successful results. In some cases, governing
initiatives may certainly come from outside the community, but processes can still
be managed or in fl uenced from within. The MR could be interpreted as an institutional arrangement devised to prevent changes in the area, such as the growth of
scuba-diving tourism, from escaping local control. As a governing tool, the MR
helps confront changes, such as the extension of recreational fi sheries or other
dynamics and developments linked with tourism, by providing a framework within
which the local community and administrations can negotiate solutions and opportunities. The MR is currently being affected by a volcanic eruption, active since July
2011, whose consequences for the ecological system-to-be-governed are becoming
extremely serious for local fi sheries. All fi shing and scuba-diving activities have
been halted in La Restinga and in the Sea of Calms, with far-reaching effects on the
socio-economic system. This process is still ongoing at the end of 2011, and evaluations about the consequences for the natural and the socio-economic systems have
yet to be concluded. However, the MR does still exist, the governing system is
maintained, and all governing interactions are focusing on the new situation. The
fi shing community of La Restinga is facing new challenges that we will continue to
follow in the near future (Table 12.3 ).
Conclusions and Recommendations
Successful co-governance in speci fi c scenarios may be dependent on many factors.
Not all scenarios can be equally governable, because real systems differ in key characteristics that, from the perspective of interactive governance, may be summarized
as diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale. Furthermore, governability arrangements—in this case institutions related to the governing of MPAs—should be analyzed
R. De la Cruz Modino and J.J. Pascual-Fernández
As a result, their capacity to act collectively is not comparable, and despite having
joined some associations, their recognition is not particularly signi fi cant.
Analyzing the governing system in La Restinga reveals a remarkable number of
new stakeholders in recent decades. These include entrepreneurs, neighborhood
associations and administrations (local, insular, provincial, regional and national)
involved in managing the area, users and resources. The role of the Cofradía and its
leaders in facilitating collective action must certainly be emphasized, and fi shing
remains the main identity-marker of the local community. Being the only legally
recognized public rights institution based in the community, the Cofradía has long
been the channel for local demands to insular, regional or national administrations.
With that said, there have been con fl icts among fi shers, some of considerable importance. However, the cofradía has generally served as a reference point or mediator
during such con fl icts.
In La Restinga, the MR is responsible for ensuring that fi shers’ decisions prevail
in the Sea of Calms. In this case, fi shers have successfully managed all parts of the
process, including decision-making. This was exempli fi ed in 1995 when the
fi shermen blocked the fi rst of fi cial proposal for an MR and requested its revision.
Bottom-up processes have produced successful results. In some cases, governing
initiatives may certainly come from outside the community, but processes can still
be managed or in fl uenced from within. The MR could be interpreted as an institutional arrangement devised to prevent changes in the area, such as the growth of
scuba-diving tourism, from escaping local control. As a governing tool, the MR
helps confront changes, such as the extension of recreational fi sheries or other
dynamics and developments linked with tourism, by providing a framework within
which the local community and administrations can negotiate solutions and opportunities. The MR is currently being affected by a volcanic eruption, active since July
2011, whose consequences for the ecological system-to-be-governed are becoming
extremely serious for local fi sheries. All fi shing and scuba-diving activities have
been halted in La Restinga and in the Sea of Calms, with far-reaching effects on the
socio-economic system. This process is still ongoing at the end of 2011, and evaluations about the consequences for the natural and the socio-economic systems have
yet to be concluded. However, the MR does still exist, the governing system is
maintained, and all governing interactions are focusing on the new situation. The
fi shing community of La Restinga is facing new challenges that we will continue to
follow in the near future (Table 12.3 ).
Conclusions and Recommendations
Successful co-governance in speci fi c scenarios may be dependent on many factors.
Not all scenarios can be equally governable, because real systems differ in key characteristics that, from the perspective of interactive governance, may be summarized
as diversity, complexity, dynamics and scale. Furthermore, governability arrangements—in this case institutions related to the governing of MPAs—should be analyzed