Initializing multi-stakeholder engagement in the context of Marine Protected Area management and capacity-building programmes: A Tun Mustapha Park case study

Abstract

As global trends in Marine Protected Area (MPA) management shi? towards par?cipatory co‐governance, the importance of effec?ve stakeholder engagement in its implementa?on stages warrant greater emphasis. This case study highlights key lessons learned from the employment of a mixture of focus group discussions (FGDs), interviews and reconnaissance surveys in a preliminary study‐site visit to Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), Sabah, Malaysia, where our research team is undertaking a 4‐year research and capacity‐building project. We found that trust building, understanding the local culture and poli?cs, and recogni?on of complex stakeholder dynamics were key elements to successful engagement, while iden?fying key decision‐makers for follow‐ ups were crucial for on‐going engagement. This paper presents insights into the types of informa?on collected by our team, which would be useful among conserva?on prac??oners who will be conduc?ng similar engagement work in the future.