Développement durable, gouvernance et insularité: Le cas de la réserve naturelle marine de la réunion

Abstract

Marine protected areas (NPAs) make an essential contribution to the protection of global ecosystems and the socio-economic development of the population, particularly so in an island environment. The constant presence of the marine environment, the importance of quality and the urgent need to limit damage caused by demographic growth means that conservation projects on marine biodiversity are fundamental issues for the sustainable development of islands. On the island of La Réunion, the Marine Nature Reserve offers a particularly good example: how does it reconcile governance and sustainable development ? The first step is to identify the different stakeholders in decisions who have authority over this territory, which is a recent territorial development and ofa regulatory nature. Several different administrative powers are exercised in the area. Analysis of the different levels of administrative powers reveals a complex pattern of powers and stakeholders, which makes the governance of this NPA, with its multiple layers of institutional decision-making, particularly complicated and even confusing. Some recommendations propose a way of measuring the efficiency of institutional governance in order to promote sustainable development.