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Stakeholder perspectives about the governance of the Egadi Islands MPA 39

incentives are perceived as the only mechanism that allows the application of
conservation measures because they raise big interests among stakeholders. The
MPA establishment was the result of a top-down imposition of conservation
initiatives through a non-participative approach that caused general opposition from
resident people. Since 2010 the level of participation and transparency associated
to the MPA has been increasing even if differences among stakeholders still exist.
Only recently the MPA management body has promoted accountability. As regards
equity and justice, artisanal fishers enjoy fishing rights inside the MPA and the
related additional earnings. The trawl fishery, the industry, and residents who feel
a sense of “dispossession” (Badalamenti et al., 2000) were identified as the losers.
As regards the sources of uncertainty, they have been poorly managed in the MPA
for about 20 years hindering an effective implementation of the reserve. Research
has lacked integration and multidisciplinarity, while the rivalry among research
organisms hampered cooperation. The legislative acts supporting key sectoral
policies were fragmented and disconnected and the institutional landscape contains
redundant bodies that partially overlap with no harmonization of their competences
and decisions.

Conclusions - The Egadi Islands MPA has proved an interesting case study that has
highlighted many institutional, legislative and knowledge gaps that have determined
inefficient management and governance in the area during the past 20 years. The
unsolved conflicts represent an important deterrent for an efficient management of
the MPA and they put politicians, trade associations, managers and researchers in
a sort of “game of roles” aimed at defending the interests of single sectors (Himes,
2007). The lack of integration is common in Italian MPAs, since only a few of them
have attained an effective co-management of natural resources based on a synergy
between managers and stakeholders (Guidetti and Claudet, 2010). However, the
degree of integration, participation and accountability in the MPA management has
reversed since 2010 and is now increasing according to the interviewed stakeholders.
Using incentives, knowledge from research and the intermediary role of NGOs, an
eco-social dialogue among all stakeholders could be concretely attained with benefits
for the MPA governance.

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank all stakeholders interviewed for their kindness and
collaboration.

References
BADALAMENTI F., RAMOS A.A., VOULTSIADOU E., SANCHEZ LIZASO J.L., D’ANNA G.,

PIPITONE C., MAS J., RUIZ FERNANDEZ J.A., WHITMARSH D., RIGGIO S. (2000) -
Cultural and socio-economic impacts of Mediterranean marine protected areas. Environ. Cons.,
27: 110-125.
GUIDETTI P., CLAUDET J. (2010) - Comanagement practices enhance fisheries in marine
protected areas. Conserv. Biol., 24: 312-318.
HIMES A.H. (2007) - Performance indicators in MPA management: using questionnaires to
analyze stakeholder preferences. Ocean Coast. Manage., 50: 329-351.

This study is part of the EU FP7 program “Monitoring and Evaluation of Spatially Managed Areas”
(MESMA; grant number: 226661; www.mesma.org).