ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on my involvement in the MECO project, a multidisciplinary and multinational research programme which considered the integrated sustainable management of Mediterranean sandy beaches. My role on the project was to analyse social, economic and institutional aspects of human uses of beaches and nearby coastlands and waters in Morocco and Tunisia. Of particular interest to the project was the establishment of guidelines for tourism development and management at the study sites, with reference to existing resource uses and practises. This meant that I was looking at the dynamics between a range of sectors including tourism, conservation and agriculture, and between the resource use and management regimes governing each sector. The political sensitivities of this work, touching on governmental decision-making processes, public accountability and, sometimes, illegality, meant that accurate information was difficult to obtain. This chapter reflects on my experiences in establishing dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, and the problems of using translators and negotiating meaning across barriers of language and culture.
