Commons and Ocean

Polynesian lagoons are part of economic, environmental and social networks
that are highly complex, particularly given the interactions between different
actors who do not necessarily share the same interests. The traditional
practice of rāhui is a system of periodic non-exploitation used in Polynesian
society which is today undergoing a certain revival. It has some similarities
to what Nobel prize winning economist Elinor Ostrom has called the Common
Pool. One of the aims of this book is to examine the relationship between this
tradition and new forms of management of the lagoon through the concept of the
commons. The book is made up of six chapters. The first two are focused on the
rāhui in ancient Tahiti, and its return in modern times. The next three focus
on case studies and the learnings that can be drawn from them from the point
of view of commons management. The final chapter looks at the technical
operationality of the notion of the Common Pool in French Polynesia and raises
the question of environmental financing. Tamatoa Bambridge is Director of
Research at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). As an
anthropologist with the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de
l’Environnement (CRIOBE) on Mo’orea, his work focuses on legal pluralism in
the area of land and property rights, traditional knowledge relating to
biodiversity, and contemporary governance practices for marine spaces in
Oceania. François Gaulme has a Doctorat d’Etat ès Lettres, and is an
ethnohistorian. He is a Research Associate with the African Centre of the
Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI). A former editor-in-
chief of the journals Marchés tropicaux et méditerranéens and Afrique
contemporaine, he has also served with the Agence Française du Développement
(AFD) and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
(Development Section). Christian Montet is Emeritus Professor in Economic
Sciences at the University of French Polynesia, and a member of the research
groupe GDI (Gouvernance et Développement Insulaire, Governance and Island
Development). His preferred research areas are competition economics,
appliedmicro-economics and international economics. Thierry Paulais is an
economist. His research interests include development economics,
infrastructure and local collectivit financing, urban development and housing
policy, the economic viability of investments and all aspects of project
development and management. He has worked for a number of engineering firms,
for the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, and for the Agence française de
développement (AFD)