Bridging Organizations Drive Effective Governance Outcomes for Conservation of Indonesia’s Marine Systems

This study empirically investigates the influence of bridging organizations on governance outcomes for marine conservation in Indonesia. Conservation challenges require ways of governing that are collaborative and adaptive across boundaries, and where conservation actions are better coordinated, information flows improved, and knowledge better integrated and mobilized. We combine quantitative social network analysis and qualitative data to analyze bridging organizations and their networks, and to understand their contributions and constraints in two case studies in Bali, Indonesia. The analysis shows 1) bridging organizations help to navigate the ‘messiness’ inherent in conservation settings by compensating for sparse linkages, 2) the particular structure and function of bridging organizations influence governing processes (i.e., collaboration, knowledge sharing) and subsequent conservation outcomes, 3) ‘bridging’ is accomplished using different strategies and platforms for collaboration and social learning, and 4) bridging organizations enhance flexibility to adjust to changing marine conservation contexts and needs. Understanding the organizations that occupy bridging positions, and how they utilize their positionality in a governance network is emerging as an important determinant of successful conservation outcomes. Our findings contribute to a relatively new body of literature on bridging organizations in marine conservation contexts, and add needed empirical investigation into their value to governance and conservation in Coral Triangle nations and beyond.

本研究以实证方式探讨了桥接型组织（bridging organizations）对印度尼西亚海洋保护治理成效的影响。海洋保护所面临的挑战，亟需能够实现跨边界协作与自适应的治理模式——该模式可实现保护行动的协同优化、信息流通的改善，以及知识的整合与动员。本研究结合量化社会网络分析与质性数据，通过印度尼西亚巴厘岛的两个案例，对桥接型组织及其网络展开分析，并探究其在保护实践中的贡献与制约因素。分析结果表明：其一，桥接型组织可通过弥补联结稀疏的缺陷，破解海洋保护场景中固有的复杂混沌问题；其二，桥接型组织的特定结构与功能，会对治理流程（即协作与知识共享）及后续的海洋保护成效产生影响；其三，“桥接”行为可通过多样化的协作与社会学习策略及平台得以实现；其四，桥接型组织能够提升调整适配动态变化的海洋保护场景与需求的灵活性。对占据桥接位置的组织及其在治理网络中如何运用自身位置性的认知，正逐渐成为影响海洋保护成效的关键决定因素。本研究成果丰富了海洋保护场景下桥接型组织相关的新兴研究文献，并为珊瑚三角区（Coral Triangle）及其他地区的治理与保护实践中桥接型组织的价值提供了亟需的实证研究支撑。