Governance of coastal wetlands: Beyond the community conservation paradigm

Governance plays an important role in coastal wetland protection and restoration. Through a review of the literature on the governance of coastal wetlands, we assessed the drivers influencing the governance of coastal wetlands. We found 66 cases addressing seven governance themes: politics, institutions, land tenure, economy, policies, resources, and behavior. The literature was dominated by studies focused on the protection of mangrove areas in lower-middle-income countries and at the local scale. We found 61 drivers that influence the governance of coastal wetlands. The literature highlighted the participation of local communities as a critical driver of protection and restoration practices and identified a range of challenges. Local communities' participation in governance depends on the implementation of multilevel, decentralized, and integrated practices that promote equitable distribution of power between actors. Solutions to enhance local community rights and land tenure, compensation for alternative livelihoods, and unequal power dynamics are significant knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in future research.