Table 3.

Examples of different statements given by experts in the interview form for constraints for management

Current constraints for better management in the Western Indian Ocean
“Management is focused on ‘sexier’ ecosystems”	“The image of the intertidal is that it is degraded”
“Management plans are designed for known environmental problems”	“Low priority, because intertidal users are considered as a non-threat compared to other marine resource users”
“Intertidal zones are rarely targeted for particular management”	“Managers need ‘borders’, the intertidal becomes a moving target!”
“Intertidal zones are not included in management plans because they are mostly viewed as a wasteland”	“Important habitats within the intertidal zone, such as octopus reef flats, mangrove and seagrass do receive management attention”
“There is a need for more research on locations, dynamics and economic values of the intertidal area”	“Government should recognize the importance of the intertidal zone and ongoing activities”
“Sometimes it is classified as ‘land’ and sometimes it will be ‘water’”	“More focus needed in the intertidal area management, and that there is a need for more funding for this area”
“Management plans often deal with one or two areas that can be found in the intertidal (e.g. seagrass meadows or mangroves) but not with a holistic approach”	“Today, too much money is wasted on badly designed and focused projects! Better planning is needed and money should be invested in good projects! This would probably mean that more money is needed in the end”
“I think the mangroves might be higher prioritized than other parts of the intertidal but compared to (Coral) reefs and fishing issues it’s probably less prioritized”	“No there is not enough knowledge about intertidal areas and this is ubiquitous (everywhere) for the coastal seascape. I think there is a knowledge gap but it could be better managed with common sense alone—therefore it is probably not the lack of knowledge that is the biggest gap. It is a very complex situation and lack of management probably more often relates to governance and social equity rather than lack of knowledge on ecology etc”.