Towards effective and equitable management: community perceptions of marine policy in Western Australia

Interventions to manage and conserve marine resources will result in a variety of impacts for the communities which rely on them, and there is a strong linkage between their social and biological success. In Western Australia, this research applied a mixed methods approach to examine the impacts of a marine protected area and a fishery restructure on local communities and their perceptions of management. The results highlight the diverse ways in which policy affects stakeholders, leading to wide contrasts in experiences. Perceptions of injustice in distribution, procedure and recognition all appear as key sources of conflict and discontent amongst stakeholders.