Abstract:
Marine Protected Area (MPA) is considered a successful method for managing
marine resources. There are four marine protected areas in Sri Lanka. It is widely
understood that effective stakeholder participation is key for sustainable
management of MPAs around the world. Thus, this study aims to explore the
stakeholder preferences for better planning and effective management of the
Hikkaduwa MPA. A Multicriteria decision analysis tool was employed to analyse the
perceptions of different stakeholder groups. A purposively selected sample of
respondents were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The sample included
five key stakeholder groups including local households, students, academics,
fishermen and government officials. The expert respondents were posed with
statements reflecting key dimensions pertaining to management; biological,
environmental, socio-economic, institutional and psychological. Weighting and
scoring of the responses were carried out using an analytical hierarchy process.
Results revealed that the highest importance was given to biodiversity conservation
by the respondents while the lowest importance was indicated for psychological
factors related to MPA. Fishermen and other households in the surrounding, who
are resource dependent placed a high importance on the socio-economic benefits,
which signals that the accessibility and use values for the community are essential
concerns in MPA planning. Therefore, promoting an active participation of all key
stakeholders in the complete decision-making process considering their objectives
and perceptions are crucial for sustainable marine resource planning and
management.
