Marine, Coastal and Shoreline Tenure

Along the world’s coasts of oceans, estuaries, lakes, and rivers, societies have relationships with fluid environments and the resources they hold. For centuries, these societies have defined and exercised rights and responsibilities over coastal ecosystems,
determining who is allowed to use which resources, in what way, for how long, under what conditions, and how entitlements, responsibilities and cultural values are passed on. This is tenure. Tenure provides the foundation for livelihoods, food security, cultural identity, and environmental stewardship for small-scale fishers, coastal communities, and Indigenous Peoples.

Coasts, oceans, rivers and lakes hold rich biological diversity, provide a foundation of nourishment and wellbeing for millions of people, and offer vast developmental opportunities to society. These values have attracted the attention of governments,
private enterprises, philanthropic organizations, and conservation organizations. Oceans and coasts are now subject to escalating demands and diverse visions for the future. Amid these escalating and powerful interests are coastal communities, Indigenous
Peoples, small-scale fisheries, and their diverse tenure systems.

The objective of this report is to build knowledge and awareness about diverse tenure systems in an effort to empower and respond to rights-holders as partners. This report will prime an informed discussion among duty bearers and rights-holders on what recognizing and strengthening tenure entails in different coastal contexts, and for different people. This report is neither the complete nor final word on aquatic tenure. Instead, it draws together multiple perspectives and streams of knowledge to broaden the way in which we understand tenure. The intention is to stimulate action along a path toward more equitable and secure aquatic tenure, where rights-holders experience greater certainty in the future existence of their rights. Progress and direction along this path must be led by rights-holders, but also enabled through effective partnership with, and accountability of, duty bearers, including philanthropic funders, intergovernmental organizations, overseas development assistance, national and state governments, and the research community.