The past half century has seen shifts in global goals and governance for greater socio-ecological sustainability. Recent global governance developments identify the critical need to rapidly reduce biodiversity loss through a “whole-of-society” approach to nature conservation and repair (i.e., Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). Among the various conservation actions required to curb biodiversity loss, community-based conservation and restoration efforts have a critical role to play in the future of coastal marine environments. But what knowledge do we have on what makes community-led projects successful and sustainable over time?
We conducted a comprehensive qualitative synthesis systematic review analysing governance of community-led conservation and restoration journal papers published over the past three decades. Our analysis identified twelve key themes on the governance of community-led conservation and restoration, which relate to governance, community collaboration, social equity and gender inclusion, and social justice for Traditional Owners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders of community-led coastal restoration groups, and qualitative data analysed using grounded theory and Nvivo software. Results will be shared, including next steps for broader research of governance structures for successful and sustainable community-led coastal restoration.