Mapping Moorea's Lagoons: Conflicts over Marine Protected Areas in French Polynesia

Abstract

"This article examines the process of establishing a series of marine protected areas (MPAs) in the lagoon around Moorea, French Polynesia from 1998 to 2001. This case study is set within the context of tourism development resulting from the end of French nuclear testing and its concomitant incomes and social subsidies. Theoretically, I engage the approach of political ecology to explore the relationships between capitalist economic restructuring; environmental decision-making, and politics over lagoon knowledge and resources. My analysis raises questions about the objectivity of Geographic Information Systems and MPA science, as well as assumptions that local control and public participation are always effective in environmental decision-making."