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Why Use an LMMA?
Dynamite fishing is an extremely destructive and dangerous fishing practice. Photo: Juergen Freund
Coral trampling by fishers and tourists also kills coral and degrades habitat. Photo: Toni Parras
Anchoring directly on coral heads damages living coral and degrades habitat. Photo: Toni Parras
Common threats to marine habitats and resources in the areas we work include overfishing, destructive fishing (use of dynamite and poisons), sedimentation and pollution from development or industrial activities on land, physical damage from anchors and trampling by tourists and fishers, and coral extraction for building materials and souvenirs.
Establishment of an LMMA enables communities to make decisions on which fishing methods and other activities can or cannot be carried out in their waters. Typically, a community also designates a portion of their marine area as a no-take zone where no fishing is allowed, providing additional protection and an increase of marine life in many cases.
Fish Catch in Open Harvest Area
Fish Catch with one-fifth of Reef as No-Take Area
Top Reasons for Using an LMMA Approach
- Improved habitat quality (coral cover, seagrass, mangroves)
- Increased fish population, reproduction and biomass
- Enhanced local capacity to manage their resources
- Increased environmental stewardship and community cohesion
- Increased income from marine resources
Fish catch in Bohol, Philippines.
Photo: Daisy Flores-Salgado
