Factors influencing marine resource management success: a focus on environmental and conservation knowledge levels of a formally sea nomadic community as a help or hindrance to marine resource management, South East Indonesia

Much research has been conducted to study possible factors that influence the success of marine resource management. This study aimed to investigate the possible factor of environmental and conservation knowledge as affecting the success of marine resource management. Research was carried out in the formally sea nomadic community of Sama Bahari in Indonesia to discover if environmental and conservation knowledge levels of the community were a help to marine resource management or a hindrance. Using a variety of semi-structures interviews and other techniques it was discovered that the community had a vast knowledge of the marine environment in which they live and also had a good basis with which to form conservation initiatives. However the community lacked knowledge levels in certain areas of the marine environment and coupled with a lack of understanding of conservation projects currently active in the area. It can be concluded that the community despite much potential to be a help to marine resource management are at this current time are more of a hindrance.