The image of Galapagos has been communicated by the conservation rhetoric as the
paradisiacal and pristine destination for tourism and science in the last decades. This
discourse has served to motivate, convince, and persuade audiences about why and
how Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR) has been a positive outcome in marine
conservation. However, the role of humans in the GMR agency has intentionally been
left unnoticed, disregarding its influence in the GMR governability.
In recent years, the visibility of the human element in the GMR management has been
raised by developing more social-science-based research, mainly linked to economic
assessments. Although these initiatives have brought positive outcomes for local
interest groups, in many cases, this research-transition has proven to be insufficient
to address (and solve) the challenges in GMR governance. Consequently, the ruling
bodies' and interest groups' frustration, and the natural environment's degradation
have deteriorated the mutual interactions, compromising the MPA long-term
viability.
Generally, the success or failure of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is attributed to
the governance model placed to govern it. In GMR, the challenges to its governance
have remained unsolved along the years as issues linked to current events, when in
reality, GMR success or failure was incubated even before the reserve was created. In
fact, its current condition has been endorsed to the co-governance mode, to the
availability of funds, to the fulfillment of regulations, and to the enforcement of law.
This idea has disregarded the relevance of the institutional structure, the interactions between interest groups, the meta-governance elements (e.g., images of users), and
their attitudes toward the area governance.
This dissertation recognizes that alternative perspectives and instruments to look at
this MPA agency are needed and argues that a shift from the managerial framework
towards a governance paradigm to rule the GMR is urged in order to addresses high
complex, diverse, and dynamic governance issues occurring at multiple scales. This
thesis is inspired by the interactive governance theory and the governability notion,
both of which highlight the importance of the three governance dimensions (i.e., first,
second-, and third-order governance) and their mutual linkages, in addressing
conflicts and suggesting alternatives. Here it is argued that the horizontal model of
governance (or co-management) used in GMR has extensively been promoted as the
solution for problems with marine resources, MPAs, and fisheries. However in reality,
it is shown that it has been far from bein
