The rocky path to sustainable fisheries management and conservation in the Galápagos Marine Reserve

Human activities in the Galápagos Marine Reserve are managed by a two-tier system involving a multi-stakeholder local participatory forum and a national inter-ministerial decision-making body. Despite efforts to achieve sustainable fisheries, the two main resources, spiny lobster and sea cucumber, have shown alarming signs of deterioration. The reasons for the management failure may lie in the design of the system, as Galápagos appears not to fulfill many of the critical enabling factors which facilitate successful common property management.