Challenges to the establishment of CCAMLR Marine Protected Areas (MPA): A stakeholder analysis of interests and positions

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are used in spatial management for fisheries and conservation purpose. Since the alarming reports on the status of the world’s oceans, MPAs have been on the international agenda for over a decade as they promise various ecological and socioeconomic benefits. The CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) is the fisheries management regime in the Southern Ocean that is committed to establishing MPAs. Member states have however repeatedly failed to reach consensus on the proposals for MPA establishment in the Southern Ocean. Two MPA proposals have recurrently been tabled and at least two other proposals are being planned and will be subject of the debate in the coming negotiations. The argument of MPAs in the Southern Ocean consumes a lot of time and vigor while defining the political agenda of CCAMLR’s everyday business. This thesis explores the causes of the absence of consensus on MPA establishment in the Southern Ocean by looking at the diverging interests and positions of the CCAMLR member states on MPAs in general and on the tabled MPA proposals. This research realizes a critical three step stakeholder analysis (henceforth SHA) approach. The three steps are the identification of stakeholders by predefined criteria, identification and categorization of stakeholder positions and interests, and investigation of relationships by means of an actor-linkage matrix. The data for the SHA are acquired by analysis of socio-economic interest data and a literature based content analysis of annual Commission reports and media reports using the MAXQDA software. Based on SHA results the author is able to identify challenges to the establishment of CCAMLR MPAs. The conflict situation between members can be assessed. By examination of arguments made in the MPA discourse the author estimates the severity of the identified barriers to MPA establishment. This research ultimately discusses ideas to overcome the identified challenges to find consensus and to manage potential and manifested conflicts effectively