The Tragedy of the Commoners: The Decline of the Customary Marine Tenure System of Tonga
The breakdown of traditional marine tenure systems and overexploitation of marine organisms as a result of rapid modernization, urbanization and population growth in the case of Tonga is outlined. The customary marine tenure system is described and the threats against the coral reefs are discussed. It is shown how accumulative strategies correlate with the move toward overexploitation. It is argue