Social Seascapes, Political Landscapes: Conflict and Cooperation Within an Indonesian Marine Park

Eastern Indonesia is one of the richest marine biodiversity areas in the world and has attracted a great deal of attention and conservation funding over the past decade. MPAs are increasingly popular marine governance devices used to combat coral reef degradation and improve social conditions. In Southeast Asia, these governance tools have been sites of heated conflict between park managers and local communities, often leading to their failure. In an 18-month ethnographic research project in a marine national park, I use qualitative and quantitative methods---ethnographic research combined with a household survey and document and archival analysis---to examine moments of struggle and collaboration between local communities, environmental and human rights NGOs, for-profit businesses, and the state.