Exploring coastal and marine management, and local governance capacity in Hare Bay, the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland

Rural, coastal communities of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland (GNP), Hare Bay in particular, are constantly responding to social and ecological changes to maintain their livelihoods as hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching remain important to the culture here. Enhancing local governance can build adaptive capacity to remain resilient in a changing socialecological system. This research uses a governance analysis to determine the structures, institutions, processes, and procedures related to coastal and marine management, and the role that actors have at different scales. The emergence of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) as a process is explored in addition to ways it can be integrated with conservation, social development goals, and local benefit sharing. Furthermore, this analysis uncovers the elements of capacity development that can lead to collective action for marine conservation. Through this analysis, a framework for assessing local governance capacity was developed from the literature and used to determine gaps and opportunities for coastal and marine management within Hare Bay. This framework was used to guide interviews conducted with local stakeholders. In addition, document analysis and participant observation occurred to identify cultural and ecological values throughout Hare Bay. Local capacity development and incorporating spatial and non-spatial tools into existing conservation measures (i.e. existing ecological reserve) were found to bring social-ecological benefits. It is recommended that appointing local people to take on roles in marine governance, embracing partnerships, expanding research and education, initiating a community-based monitoring program, learning from other jurisdictions, and zoning, are all mechanisms that could support conservation planning in Hare Bay and provide opportunities for the coastal communities here.