ABSTRACT
This chapter recounts the politically volatile implementation process of the first two years of a new marine management area in the Caribbean island of St Lucia. The Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) is an internationally acclaimed model of community-based resource management, established in response to concerns that environmental degradation and conflicts among resource users were threatening the local tourism industry and the livelihoods of fishermen. Conflicts between tourists and local fishermen were a critical motivating force behind the establishment of the SMMA. Conflicts also occurred between fishermen and scuba divers. The SMMA is a multiple-use marine protected area that resembles the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park model, although on a much smaller scale. There are five types of use zones: marine reserves, fishing priority areas, multiple use areas, recreational areas, and yacht mooring areas. The SMMA's initial failure to fulfill the high expectations of its architects was due only in part to the shortcomings identified in the institutional review.
