Co-management, a collaborative decision-making approach between governments and diverse user groups regarding shared resources, has evolved across natural resource settings. Traditionally applied in fisheries, forestry, and water management, co-management tackles short-term resource allocation and long-term climate adaptation challenges. Despite aquaculture's perception as a private enterprise, it relies on shared resources and ecosystem services, necessitating collaborative risk and resource management. Acknowledging this connection, aquaculture co-management is integral to enhancing aquatic food production, aligning with the FAO's Blue Transformations vision. The guidebook offers a framework for government, NGOs, and private sectors to develop aquaculture co-management, defining its characteristics, goals, and practices. It outlines a process for implementing and evaluating aquaculture co-management systems, aiming to enhance environmental, social, and economic outcomes. The publication also emphasizes the relevance of aquaculture co-management across diverse production systems, ranging from offshore marine cage culture to coastal, reservoir and riverine pond, cage and pen systems and terrestrial tank systems.

This document provides a summary of the presentations, discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Expert Workshop on the Development of the Aquaculture Co-management Guidebook held in Manila, the Philippines from 9 to 11 October 2023. [Author] The workshop was prepared and coordinated by the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Division with the support of the FAO representation in the Philippines. [Author] The main objectives of the workshop were to (i) enhance understanding of aquaculture co-management; (ii) identify key aquaculture co-management best practices, models and case studies; and (iii) undertake a thorough review and validation of the background document Guidebook for developing aquaculture co-management systems. [Author] During the workshop, participants were presented with the proposed content of the background document that was shared ahead of the event. [Author] They were then invited to discuss the content, validate it and provide input on a revised text. [Author] The expert input will be taken forward into the final draft of the Guidebook. [Author]

The FAO Expert Workshop on Aquaculture Co-management gathered global experience and knowledge relevant to the definition and characterization of aquaculture co-management. The main objectives of the workshop were to: elucidate the concept of aquaculture co-management in terms of definition, rationale, scope, objective and underlying principles; discuss the effective implementation of aquaculture co-management; draft a methodology and the main steps to guide a successful implementation of co-management systems in aquaculture; and reflect on future sector developments and the role of co-management in aquaculture. The workshop took place in hybrid mode from 8 to 11 June 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda. Eighteen experts attended the workshop, with eleven attending in person and seven joining online. The main topics discussed included: (i) overview of the background document on Aquaculture Co-management; (ii) presentation of the concept and application scope, requirements and characteristics of aquaculture co-management; (iii) the models and practices to guide a successful implementation of co-management system in aquaculture; (iv) future sector developments and the role of co-management; (v) the monitoring and evaluation of aquaculture co-management; and (vi) the main steps to guide a successful implementation of aquaculture co-management. During the workshop, participants were presented with a draft rationale, a definition, principles and models of aquaculture co-management as outlined in a background document which was shared ahead of the event. They were then invited to provide advice on these elements of aquaculture co-management to establish a shared understanding of the concept and define a pathway for its further development. The expert input will be used to develop a methodology, produce a guidebook to establish aquaculture co-management systems, write case studies and conduct outreach activities.

During the last decade, there has been a shift in the governance and management of fisheries to a broaderapproach that recognizes the participation of fishers, local stewardship, and shared decision-making.Through this process, fishers are empowered to become active members of the management team,balancing rights and responsibilities, and working in partnership with government. This approach iscalled co-management.This handbook describes the process of community-based co-management from its beginning, throughimplementation, to turnover to the community. It provides ideas, methods, techniques, activities, checklists,examples, questions and indicators for the planning and implementing of a process of community-basedco-management. It focuses on small-scale fisheries (freshwater, floodplain, estuarine, or marine) indeveloping countries, but is also relevant to small-scale fisheries in developed countries and to themanagement of other coastal resources (such as coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass, and wetlands). Thishandbook will be of significant interest to resource managers, practitioners, academics and students ofsmall-scale fisheries.

The FAO Virtual Expert Workshop on the Toolbox for Fisheries Co-management was held on 24, 26 and 28 May 2021 using the Zoom platform to finalize the outline and contents of the Toolbox for Fisheries Co-management Evaluation and to find out what tools are available for evaluating fisheries co-management effectiveness. Twenty-one participants attended the Workshop: 11 experts, 2 FAO observers and 8 FAO secretariat members. During the Workshop, the drafts of the Toolbox and the Guidebook for Evaluating Fisheries Co-management Effectiveness were presented. The experts were invited to advice on tools and reference materials to perform the evaluation process envisaged in the Guidebook. The experts’ inputs and recommendations received on best practices, indicators, examples of approaches for measuring the indicators, suggested tools and resources will be employed to improve the Toolbox and the Guidebook.

This handbook is unique in its consideration of social and cultural contributions to sustainable oceans management. It is also unique in its deconstruction of the hegemonic value attached to the oceans and in its analysis of discourses regarding what national governments in the Global South should prioritise in their oceans management strategy. Offering a historical perspective from the start, the handbook reflects on the confluence of (western) scientific discourse and colonialism, and the impact of this on indigenous conceptions of the oceans and on social identity. With regard to the latter, the authors are mindful of the nationalisation of island territories worldwide and the impact of this process on regional collaboration, cultural exchange and the valuation of the oceans. Focusing on global examples, the handbook offers a nuanced, region relevant, contemporary conceptualisation of blue heritage, discussing what will be required to achieve an inclusive oceans economy by 2063, the end goal date of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. The analysis will be useful to established academics in the field of ocean studies, policymakers and practitioners engaged in research on the ocean economy, as well as graduate scholars in the ocean sciences.