Documenting fisheries co-management in action: Case of the Grand Cape Mount County Co-Management Association, Liberia

In a world of increasing uncertainties associated with the overexploitation of natural resources, collaborative (or co-) management regimes have been touted as a promising mechanism to build resilience and provide positive and equitable outcomes to the communities that rely on these social-ecological systems. Assessments of co-management associations (CMAs), particularly in fisheries in West Africa, is still nascent and show mixed results. Here, using archival research and stakeholder interviews, we document the experience of the Grand Cape Mount County Co-Management Association, the first of its kind in Liberia. The CMA has gained a number of achievements including: consolidation and reconciliation between resource user groups; addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; establishing rescue missions; and conflict resolution. However, ongoing challenges regarding lack of political will from central government, financing, decision-making practices, and leadership structures persist. Based on the lessons learned from these experiences, we offer several recommendations for the expansion of CMAs in Liberia, and in similar contexts elsewhere.