Conditions and Cautions for Transforming Ocean Governance

This chapter explores the circumstances under which ocean governance transformations can occur. We analyze three ongoing cases of transformation to identify enabling conditions and points of caution for transformation in the dynamic and complex field of marine management. Our cases include: (1) the Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) small-scale fisheries guidelines, (2) debt-for-‘blue’-nature swap in the Seychelles, and (3) the United Nations’ negotiations for a legally binding treaty to govern the high seas. Through our analysis, we find that preparing for transformative change is enabled by the identification of a governance related challenge, growing social support for governance change and the communication of compelling narratives. Windows of opportunity can be opened through policy negotiations and social or ecological crises. Navigating governance transitions can be facilitated through multi-stakeholder collaborations and building resilience with the new governance regime is predicated on contextualized institutional support. We also find that caution should be exercised in accounting for the diversity of policy landscape within which governance transformations occur, the uneven distribution of the costs and benefits of governance change, and conflicting perspectives on the appropriate direction of change. The three cases examined in this study offer insights into the processes required to initiate and navigate governance transformations in marine and coastal social-ecological systems. Ultimately, we aim to contribute to ongoing efforts to better understand processes that facilitate governance transformations towards more sustainable and equitable oceans.