Institutional arrangements for the management of marine protected areas in Taiwan

• The management of MPAs in Taiwan is discussed based on 3 institutional elements.
• A questionnaire survey is used to understand their perception of MPAs management.
• The Institutional arrangements regarding “participation and cooperation”.
• The institutional arrangements regarding “more responsible behavior”.
• Management needs enterprises, fishermen, and public participate and support others.

With the growth of population and rapid development of economy in Taiwan, problems including the reduced number of marine habitats and increased sea pollution have continued to harm marine bio-resources and diversity. Although the Taiwanese government has established several kind of marine protected areas (MPAs) but the management performance is dissatisfactory. Therefore, the management arrangements of MPAs in Taiwan are discussed in this study, based on 3 institutional arrangement elements: governmental organization, legal basis, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). A questionnaire survey was administered to 4 groups (industrial, governmental, scholar, and NGO) to understand how these groups perceive the institutional arrangements of the management of MPAs in Taiwan. Finally, the institutional arrangements of the management of the MPAs discussed. The research findings showed that most survey participants believed that governmental organizations most required improvement, particularly in “monitoring standard” and “financial budget allotment.” Other than “stability,” the participants disapproved of the legal basis in the institutional arrangements of the management of MPAs. Among the 4 participating groups, only NGOs agreed that NGOs should be involved in the institutional arrangements of the management for MPAs in Taiwan. All 4 groups approved the institutional arrangements regarding “participation and cooperation,” and none of the 4 groups approved the institutional arrangements regarding “more responsible behavior.”