Potential barriers and windows of opportunity for transboundary marine management in the sulu-sulawesi seascape: A policy analysis

Transboundary conservation aims to facilitate environmental conservation and management at the ecosystem level through the cooperation of two or more countries operating across political boundaries. Though there is increased interest and advocation for transboundary conservation initiatives around the world, there remains limited understanding of how to best support their success through coordinated policies. This is especially true for marine resources and seascapes, where management efforts are often more difficult and complicated to implement. This study addresses these key gaps through a policy analysis focusing on the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape as a case study. Indonesian, Malaysian, and Philippine policies related to fisheries, coastal zones and marine protected areas, and environmental quality were examined to explore their similarities and differences across various policy elements important to facilitating more consistent and collaborative management across scales. Assessing policy alignment and disparateness may help highlight potentially prominent barriers to and opportunities for transboundary coordination that would be beneficial to acknowledge and address in future planning. The analyses focused on elements such as the policies’ authorities, restrictions, enforcement, and participation opportunities, among others. Analysis results emphasize that policies and management within Sulu-Sulawesi could benefit from greater adaptability to diverse community needs, participatory processes, and governance integration and standardization. These findings contribute to gaps in knowledge regarding how policy alignment may impact transboundary conservation and may help inform the best practices for increasing the social and environmental success of transboundary conservation initiatives in Sulu-Sulawesi and other transboundary marine systems.