Stakeholder participation in management planning for grouper and snapper fisheries in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia

Abstract In 2016, a collaborative management planning for grouper and snapper fisheries started in Saleh Bay, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia, as the first attempts to adapt a national fisheries management plan engaging local stakeholder (such as government units, fishers, traders, academics, and non-governmental organisations). In this work, we describe a management planning based on stakeholders over two years. We found that engaging stakeholders from the beginning fostered a strong sense of ownership within the planning process; enabled scientifically generated recommendations to lead to the most suitable management measures; and facilitated early communication leading to acceptance of the proposed fishing rules during public consultations. To synthesis the process, we propose and discuss a framework aiming to guide management planning in other parts of Indonesia.