By George Stoyle

Traditional ecological knowledge has been defined as "a cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission". One of the primary intentions of undertaking socioeconomic studies prior to detailed environmental evaluations is to acquire data regarding community environmental awareness and the extent of traditional ecological knowledge. Numerous examples have shown the use of local knowledge to be an essential aspect of management planning, without which various ecological data and resource statistics can be difficult and/or expensive to obtain. Local knowledge, for instance, can provide site-specific information regarding seasonal distribution and abundance of fish stocks and historical changes in environmental conditions enabling more effective progression in the implementation of management regimes such as MPAs, as well as aiding development tools such as environmental impact assessments. The current scientific  knowledge of many fisheries has significant gaps with respect to abundance and distribution of fish stocks. Management plans, as a result, are often ineffective, but the formation of these plans has continually failed to incorporate existing local knowledge. The poor planning and implementation of many Caribbean fisheries management strategies are a good example of this and there is now increasing recognition that successful management can only be achieved through a combination of local and scientific knowledge. In some areas, such as Belize, fishers' knowledge has been used in combination with scientific knowledge to provide detailed information regarding ecosystem interactions resulting in improved fish stocks through the establishment of protected areas. The incorporation of local knowledge is also much more likely to generate community support for new legislation resulting in a self-governing, sustainable system through measures such as community training and development, capacity building, power sharing, gender equality and empowerment.

The key arguments for the implementation of community-based management of natural resources have been identified as: the reduction of poverty through labour and investment; the preservation of local knowledge and technologies; empowerment for communities to make decisions and create self-governing institutions; more effective protection of resources through local, rather than government enforcement; long-term conservation through local recognition of resource values. Through community-lead resolution of issues such as resource tenure, jurisdictional boundaries, and environmental degradation, resource users are more likely to appreciate and comply with enforced regulations and participate in their continued maintenance. The issues surrounding the centralised approach to governance have now been recognised for many years. Regulations enforced through a bureaucratic government hierarchy, detached from the community, very often incite resentment and distrust among resource users who feel restrictions placed on their resources are unfounded and ill-informed. Very often these restrictions have been the result of ecological studies with no consideration of local knowledge. Coastal resource management is not about managing individual ecosystem processes, rather it attempts to combine natural and social interactions occurring within the coastal zone into an holistic entity. The role of socioeconomic surveys, as a precursor to environmental studies, should therefore be seen as fundamental to understanding and addressing the issues associated with the structure, function and integrity of the coastal system as a whole.

Dataless Management
In many developing tropical countries the use of conventional ecological research is often unfeasible due to spatial, temporal and financial restrictions. In an attempt to provide an alternative approach a management strategy has been proposed based on the replacement of scientific research with the use of socioeconomic surveys to obtain traditional ecological knowledge. Because of the complex nature of tropical coastal environments, concepts and techniques for management are often inconsistent, based on conflicting data regarding ecosystem dynamics over limited spatial and temporal scales. However, the requirement for quantitative data regarding environmental processes is still perceived by many as a crucial factor in coastal resource management, despite the fact that the acquirement of such data, in many cases, is either not possible or not cost-effective. The alternative approach, termed 'dataless management', involves the establishment of protected sites through the sole use of information provided by resource users. For example, effective fisheries management through the designation of area closures in order to effectively manage maximum or optimum yields, can be attained through the use of local knowledge, such as the timing and location of spawning aggregations, as well as the local perception that these aggregations are threatened. The involvement of local knowledge also has the benefit of instilling a sense of pride and ownership into the community resulting in improved communication among sectors and observation of resource use.