The Importance of Stakeholder Analysis in Marine Resources Management Strategy

Marine resources such as fisheries, coral reefs, and coastal ecosystems are more than just natural assets. They feed communities, provide income, and protect biodiversity. The truth is, managing these resources is not a straightforward task.

In fisheries management, stakeholders commonly include local fishers, community groups, government agencies, scientists, and environmental NGOs.

Each group may hold different priorities, such as maximizing livelihood security, ensuring ecological sustainability, or promoting biodiversity conservation. Without recognizing these diverse perspectives, management strategies risk conflict, lack of compliance, or even failure.

This is where stakeholder analysis becomes so important. It allows managers to identify the key players, understand what they care about, and determine how much influence they hold in shaping decisions (Hörisch et al., 2014).

Stakeholder analysis is a systematic process used to identify and understand the interests, roles, and influence of groups or individuals who are directly or indirectly connected to the management of marine resources.

In the context of fisheries and coastal ecosystems, this method helps clarify who benefits from, depends on, or is affected by marine resources, as well as who holds power to shape management outcomes.

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Studies highlight that stakeholder analysis is crucial for managing marine resources sustainably. For example, Suharno et al. (2020) applied stakeholder analysis in Central Java fisheries and identified four key groups: subjects, bystanders, actors, and players, each with distinct levels of influence and interest in resource use.

Similarly, Schwermer et al. (2019) emphasized that effective participation requires clear definitions of who counts as a stakeholder and what form of involvement is applied.

By mapping stakeholders’ roles, influence, and relationships, stakeholder analysis enables managers to design fairer, more adaptive, and cooperative strategies for marine resource governance. It also provides a basis for resolving conflicts, building trust, and promoting co-management practices where communities and institutions share responsibility for sustainability.

References:

Hörisch, J., Freeman, R. E., & Schaltegger, S. (2014). Applying Stakeholder Theory in Sustainability Management. Organization & Environment, 27(4), 328-346. DOI:10.1177/1086026614535786.

Suharno, S., Arifin, Z., & Kurniawan, E. (2020). The Stakeholder Analysis for Fisheries Management in the Regency of Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 530, 012023. DOI:10.1088/1755-1315/530/1/012023.

Schwermer, S., Barz, M., & Bost, F. (2019). A Literature Review on Stakeholder Participation in Fisheries Governance. Marine Policy, 107, 103593. DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103593.

Seara, T., Williams, N. E., & Wilson, J. A. (2024). Development and Analyses of Stakeholder-Driven Scenarios for Marine Resource Management in the U.S. Caribbean. Marine Policy, 155, 105754. DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105754.