The labelling of protected marine areas as "biosphere reserves" (in the context of UNESCO's MAB programme) or as "world heritage sites" implies that what is at stake for the protected marine areas of West Africa goes beyond a strictly national context and is in fact of global importance. There is the question of whether these marine and coastal protected areas can act as a catalyst in the preparation of public policy options applied more generally to the governance of renewable natural resources. This module is based on knowledge relative to the conceptual and analytical framework of the governance of the areas concerned and has been broken down into three parts :
The definition of public policy options applicable to coastal and marine protected area in the context of the regionalisation of their governance and of their subsidiary nature.This is seen, in concrete terms, as a greater implication in decision-making on the part of the local residents. The options available for State public policy call for its insertion into a regional area (because the inter-relationships between the three protected areas in question are very strong) and also for the democratisation of public life to be taken into account.
The definition of public policy options transposable to economic activity on the periphery of coastal and marine protected areas, which implies a change in the scale of decisional competence.This second point calls for a wider audience, and an emphasis on institutional analysis and analysis of the means of regulation of access.
A reflection on the potentialities of coastal and marine protected areas to constitute experimental laboratories, and a reflexion on their exemplary nature. On the one hand, the relatively confined nature of their setting limits the introduction of new technologies. On the other hand, the social structure (still relatively well-knit) makes easier the introduction of the principles of management on a community level .In this way, the protected areas can be seen as excellent laboratories for the clarification of management methods, means of exploitation and valorization of resources, or systems of distribution of added value.
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