Abstract
Marine resource management is an area that has come under much scrutiny in recent times due to resource mismanagement in top-down bureaucratic approaches. Increasingly, the integrity of such management regimes has been called into question. Emphasis is shifting toward finding alternative, more responsible management approaches, including co-management. Co-management entails the sharing ofregulatory and decision-making power between the state and resource users in order to create more effective and legitimate management practices. This thesis investigates the implementation of a co-management arrangement in a Marine Protected Area (MPA). MPAs are a conservation strategy employed by the federal government to protect unique and endangered marine ecosystems. MAs are intended to be jointly managed between the state and those who utilize or reside adiacent to them. This research examines community participation in the management of a proposed MPA through documentation of the process and investigates the challenges and problems that arise.