Typically, a Locally Managed Marine Area evolves along a well-tested trajectory, with the following steps:
- Community discussions on goals and expectations
- Two-day action-planning workshop
- Community/district adoption of management plan
- Three-day biological monitoring workshop for projects with newly adopted management plan that can include a no-take zone or restrictions on gears and fishing methods
- Monitoring in each community within three months of management plan adoption
- Training in socioeconomic monitoring (usually once biological monitoring is well in place)
- Actual socioeconomic monitoring in sites where training has taken place
- Support visits to each site at least every six months
- Country- or region-wide meetings to discuss how project teams can work together and how adaptive management can be done at the national level
