Gender, Governance and Blue Livelihoods: A Strategic Framework for Inclusive Locally Managed Marine Areas in the Western Indian Ocean.

Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) are an important component of community-based marine conservation in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), yet persistent gender inequalities in governance, livelihoods and access to resources constrain their inclusiveness and long-term effectiveness. Women remain underrepresented in decision-making despite their substantial contributions to coastal and marine livelihoods. This perspective paper examines how gendered power relations shape participation and influence in LMMA governance across Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros, and proposes a strategic framework for advancing gender-transformative governance. Drawing on regional literature, country case evidence and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) findings from the ReSea project, the paper identifies a gendered architecture of exclusion comprising five interconnected barriers: unequal access to resources, exclusion from decision-making, unpaid care work and time poverty, gender-based violence and restrictive socio-cultural norms. Cross-country analysis highlights four persistent patterns: gaps between gender-equality policy commitments and implementation; the interaction between economic and governance exclusion; a participation-to-power gap in which women's presence does not consistently translate into influence; and the role of care burdens, violence and social norms as structural constraints on participation. In response, the paper proposes five interconnected strategic objectives: strengthening inclusive governance and leadership; promoting gender-transformative livelihoods and equitable blue economy opportunities; addressing unpaid care work and restrictive social norms; preventing and responding to gender-based violence and harassment; and strengthening institutional capacity and strategic partnerships. An indicative implementation framework distinguishes short-, medium- and long-term actions and outcomes. By linking gender analysis to practical governance reforms, the framework positions LMMAs as potential gender-responsive nature-based solutions and provides a policy-relevant pathway for advancing more inclusive, equitable and resilient marine governance in the WIO.