16/04/04

Local taboos could save the seas

Fiji's coastline Copyright: John McManus/Reefbase

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>Local taboos could save the seas</h1>
<h4></h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p><P>Coastal communities in the southwest Pacific may be granted legal control over local seas in a move that acknowledges failings of Western-style centralised fisheries management systems. The action is a response to declining fish and mollusc populations in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and other Melanesian nations.</P><br />
<P>In this article, Emma Young reports that the concept involves establishing local marine area committees, fishing quotas and ‘no-take zones’ based on the Melanesian custom of taboo. Traditional laws will be presented to each Melanesian government and, if adopted, will contribute to a regional action plan. In areas where traditional customs no longer apply, existing national laws would persist.  </P><br />
<P>A pilot study in Fiji has yielded encouraging results and there are hopes to repeat the system throughout Melanesia and beyond. Indeed, Micronesian and Polynesian nations are also exploring ways to invoke traditional law to protect the environment.<U></U></P><br />
<P><a  href="http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994883" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article in NewScientist.com</A> </P></p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/features/local-taboos-could-save-the-seas/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/global/features/local-taboos-could-save-the-seas/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

Coastal communities in the southwest Pacific may be granted legal control over local seas in a move that acknowledges failings of Western-style centralised fisheries management systems. The action is a response to declining fish and mollusc populations in Papua New Guinea, Fiji and other Melanesian nations.

In this article, Emma Young reports that the concept involves establishing local marine area committees, fishing quotas and ‘no-take zones’ based on the Melanesian custom of taboo. Traditional laws will be presented to each Melanesian government and, if adopted, will contribute to a regional action plan. In areas where traditional customs no longer apply, existing national laws would persist.

A pilot study in Fiji has yielded encouraging results and there are hopes to repeat the system throughout Melanesia and beyond. Indeed, Micronesian and Polynesian nations are also exploring ways to invoke traditional law to protect the environment.

Link to full article in NewScientist.com