Fisheries co-management is widely promoted as a pathway to more equitable, legitimate, and effective resource governance. However, relatively few studies have examined how governance transformations towards co-management occur in developed, centralised management systems. This presentation explores the recent transformation fisheries governance at Christmas Island, one of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories, where a government-led management model has purposefully shifted towards a community-centred, co-management approach.
The transformation was triggered in 2019 when proposed recreational fishing rules generated widespread community opposition, underpinned by a lack of trust in the existing governance arrangements and frustration with top-down decision-making processes, which were considered to be disconnected from local realities.
The resulting conflict created a rare window of opportunity to reconsider how fisheries governance was structured and who could participate in shaping management decisions.
Drawing on a six-year practitioner-led case study, we examine how the transition was deliberately guided through four phases of transformative change including pre-transformation, envisioning and preparing for change, navigating the change, and institutionalising the new system (Moore et al. 2014). Particular attention is given to the role of community leadership, local institutions, bridging organisations, and government partners in navigating complex political, legal, and social challenges. We also explore how legislative reform, new advisory structures, locally based fisheries management organisations and staff have contributed to shifting authority, responsibility, and participation within the system.
The Christmas Island experience shows that governance transformations are not driven solely by ecological crises (e.g. Herrfahrdt-Pähle et al. 2020) but may also emerge through social and political discontent with existing arrangements.
The case highlights the importance of trust-building, community leadership, knowledge brokering, and sustained investment in local capacity when transitioning towards co-management. More broadly, it provides practical insights for fisheries managers, scientists, and communities seeking to create more collaborative and place-based approaches to fisheries governance in complex institutional settings.