Paper short abstract:

This paper explores how the circulation of the goods, services and value of marine waters in southern Sri Lanka has resulted in recent attempts to change the governance of the ornamental fishery in response to both local and global pressures.

Paper long abstract:

In response to perceived local degradation of coral reefs and nearshore waters in southern Sri Lanka, as well as to western-science led advice to improve marine and reef fisheries management, the government of Sri Lanka seeks to initiate a co-management scheme of the ornamental fishery. The declared aim is to prevent further deleterious effects to the marine waters, as well as safeguarding of local people's livelihoods in accordance with international poverty alleviation and biodiversity conservation goals. The productivity of these coastal waters, which provide for local and global consumers, has declined in recent times while local communities' dependence upon them has increased. This circulation of goods, services and value of these waters and the actions of people who rely on them has resulted in power struggles developing among agencies with divergent agendas. These range from a variety of often conflicting interests seeking to control access, maximise profits and/or preserve and restore biodiversity.

Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in the region, this paper uncovers the currently negative power and blame dynamics and the lack of trust, co-operation and respect of knowledge bases circulating between the different levels of societal groups involved in using and managing the coastal seas. The paper assesses the extent to which these conflicts derive from international pressure for developing countries to achieve conservation targets and/or the local interpretation of these global initiatives. It also discusses the potential for new forms of participatory governance to shift the fishery and its encompassing waters toward a more sustainable marine hydro-social pathway.