On cultural factors and Marine Managed Areas in Fiji

Marine Managed Areas (MMAs) are spreading rapidly in Fiji and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region as local communities act to protect their marine resources that are in danger of depletion and overexploitation. Customary practices are the basis of these community-based resource management activities. This creates the need to better understand both the influence of cultural roles on the effectiveness of MMAs and how traditional practices can address the challenges faced today and in the years to come. In Fiji, many local communities have demonstrated their commitment to manage their marine resources by using their customary rights to declare nearly