No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the author.
Coasts for People: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Coastal and Marine Resource Management
Abstract
Issues of sustainability and increased competition over coastal resources are changing practices of resource management. Societal concerns about environmental degradation and loss of coastal resources have steadily increased, while other issues like food security, biodiversity, and climate change, have emerged. A full set of social, ecological and economic objectives to address these issues are recognized, but there is no agreement on how to implement them. This interdisciplinary and "big picture book" - through a series of vivid case studies from environments throughout the world - suggests how to achieve these new resource management principles in practical, accessible ways.
... What emerges clearly from this scholarship is that policies and governance solutions need to be responsive, adaptive and appropriate to the local context, offering a range of mechanisms and institutional arrangements that suit a diversity of contexts and are able to respond to high levels of uncertainty as well as shocks and stressors [2,39]. A second challenge identified in this scholarship is that participation of resource users and other relevant local actors in all aspects of governance is critical for devising and operationalising governance systems that work [5,10,65]. ...
... Participation of resource users is increasingly "becoming the norm" ( [5], pg 15), and seen as a necessary requirement to ensure legitimacy. These participatory processes require collaboration and deliberation across multiple actors and levels of governance and help shape the design of appropriate institutional arrangements. ...
... Instead, the provisions and mechanisms in the regulations have deviated from the policy and the statute's intent [50,51,58] in several instances. 5 Whereas the policy envisaged a community-based rights approach to the allocation of marine living resources and the establishment of a community-based legal entity to hold and manage fishing rights, the Fisheries Department has unilaterally decided to allocate individual rights under a cooperative system [23]. Furthermore, all cooperatives were required to adopt a generic state-imposed template for their constitution with no input from their members. ...
The development and implementation of a new small-scale fisheries policy in South Africa has been a protracted and convoluted process. Following a participatory policy formulation process, founded on human-rights principles and a commitment to a community-based approach to governance, implementation planning and policy-roll-out have deviated from these foundational principles leading to thousands of fishers being left out of the process and the persistence of state-centric management. Drawing on the fisheries governance and policy implementation literature, the paper systematically analyses the transition from the small-scale policy formulation process to implementation and highlights the governance processes and other factors that have resulted in a mismatch between policy rhetoric and implementation practices. Key factors that have contributed to this policy disjuncture include a lack of ongoing engagement and collaboration with stakeholders, adopting a one-size fits all approach, inappropriate legal mechanisms to operationalise the policy, issuing of individual permits in the interim period, shifting political agendas, changing socio-economic factors at national and local level, lack of resources and capacity to implement policy objectives, implementation delays and lack of clarity regarding implementation agencies. Insights from this analysis in relation to policy implementation theory and empirical studies are discussed. The paper concludes with proposals for addressing the mismatches.
... IPBES, another major international effort, has built on this approach, examining the interaction between human wellbeing and 'nature's contributions to people', with an emphasis on the cultural aspects of the relationship and the importance of diverse sources of knowledge . The assessments have recognised that humans-in-nature constitute a 'complex adaptive system', which tend to exhibit feedbacks that occur in ways that are not necessarily predictable (Berkes, 2015). The SES lens draws attention to the various characteristics of complex adaptive systems, as described in the next sections. ...
... Of particular importance for governance are locallevel institutions, which have been documented extensively (Ostrom, 2009;Berkes, 2015;. Nevertheless, there is a lack of understanding about how local institutions can be effective in an environment of multiple economic sectors. ...
... Every culture has its own way of thinking about the world and the functioning of the universe. A worldview entails a complex of knowledge, practice and belief (Berkes, 2015). Understanding the worldview in which a local or traditional management system is embedded is of paramount importance in the practice of community conservation. ...
Key messages:
The Koh Sralao community works together to safeguard mangrove forests which form a critical link to their livelihood.
Community activism concerning coastal resource management issues and resistance to sand dredging contributed to the termination of nearby dredging activities.
The development of a Special Economic Zone in the provincial capital has provided valuable economic opportunities for young women, contributing to livelihood diversification.
... IPBES, another major international effort, has built on this approach, examining the interaction between human wellbeing and 'nature's contributions to people', with an emphasis on the cultural aspects of the relationship and the importance of diverse sources of knowledge . The assessments have recognised that humans-in-nature constitute a 'complex adaptive system', which tend to exhibit feedbacks that occur in ways that are not necessarily predictable (Berkes, 2015). The SES lens draws attention to the various characteristics of complex adaptive systems, as described in the next sections. ...
... Of particular importance for governance are locallevel institutions, which have been documented extensively (Ostrom, 2009;Berkes, 2015;. Nevertheless, there is a lack of understanding about how local institutions can be effective in an environment of multiple economic sectors. ...
... Every culture has its own way of thinking about the world and the functioning of the universe. A worldview entails a complex of knowledge, practice and belief (Berkes, 2015). Understanding the worldview in which a local or traditional management system is embedded is of paramount importance in the practice of community conservation. ...
... Although there is a very delicate and longstanding debate on the quality of housing typologies (which should be carefully addressed), which is about social equity (La Cecla 2008, 2015Sabatini 1981;Sennett and Sendra 2020) and public health (Ghaffarianhoseini et al. 2018;Loftness et al. 2007;Ranson 2002;Zuhaib et al. 2018), this paper focuses on the urban level, in particular on land use and mobility criteria, as they can be analysed in depth from a proximity perspective, thus guaranteeing more coherent results. ...
... (Acierno et al. 2021;Arcidiacono and Ronchi 2021). In response to this lack, the urban amphibious support cities along the shore with coastal commons, shared environmental resources on which the city depends and whose importance is a priority for the development of coastal communities (Berkes 2015). The coastal commons must be framed in a socio-ecological perspective in which the human system, including socio-economic well-being, and the biophysical system are in a relationship of cultural, environmental and normative reciprocity. ...
This book gives an overview of the shifting paradigm from traditional design techniques and standards to new values and methods that occurred in response to confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. The theoretical studies of the phenomenon of "new normality" in architecture, urbanism and social sciences are a source of knowledge for researchers, professors and students in the fields of architecture, urbanism and interior design. On-site applications of post-COVID-19 structures will be interesting for students, practitioners, developers and city managers. The issue of online design teaching and learning provides a set of practices that can be applied by both educators and trainees. The book also is useful for readers who are interested in recent trends in architecture and interior design: it provides a deep analysis of recent changes in architecture, which aim to make the environment disease-free and the space habitable during the long periods of lockdown.
... There is no global definition for SSF. However, small-scale fisheries are typically characterized by limited technology, low-capital fishing methods, rudimentary fish processing and marketing, as well as some modernized and sophisticated gear that fishers own and operate [1,2]. SSF are typically place-based and reflect a way of life. ...
... Small-scale fisheries are often characterized as vulnerable, and their viability is a key issue in fisheries governance given their diverse contributions to economy, environment and society [1,5,7]. We adopt a general definition of vulnerability as the manner in which SSF are susceptible to diverse drivers of change or disturbance and with limited capacity to cope with those disturbances [2,3,8]. Our working definition of viability implies a SSF system with capacities to navigate disturbances, adapt and transform, as well as build resilience for unexpected circumstances. ...
... Although human impacts date back to antiquity, in recent decades intensified human pressures and development of coastal areas have significantly reduced the capacity of coastal ecosystems to absorb further disturbance. This affects especially populations whose well-being depends directly or indirectly on the integrity of ecosystems, infrastructure and the coastal environment in general (Berkes 2015). ...
... Participation should be considered not so much a solution as a way to deal with complex problems where uncertainty and conflicts prevail, knowledge is intrinsically lacking, and management is not about implementing an intervention, but about adaptation and long-term learning (Stepanova e Bruckmeier 2013). Participatory approaches are becoming increasingly central to coastal management research and practice (Berkes 2015). It is therefore worthwhile to develop experimentation, but while being aware of the limitations and problems that participatory processes entail: from the tendency to become empty rituals, to the potential for manipulation in knowledge production, to the risk of making those who already have greater capacity to influence decisions all the more powerful. ...
L’inefficacia delle tradizionali politiche di gestione costiera, basate su approcci “hard” focalizzati principalmente sulle opere di ingegneria per la protezione delle coste e utilizzati per molti decenni come l’unico modo per gestire i relativi rischi, è ormai ampiamente riconosciuta. Altrettanto insufficienti si sono dimostrati gli approcci regolativi alla pianificazione delle aree costiere, essenzialmente basati su vincoli e divieti. Il fallimento di tali metodi, dispositivi e misure è all’origine della crescente consapevolezza che per affrontare i rischi costieri occorra non solo una adeguata conoscenza tecnica dei principali fenomeni fisici, ma anche l’attribuzione della dovuta importanza al coinvolgimento degli stakeholder e delle comunità locali nei ‘processi di governance del rischio’. In linea con questo, i paesi del Mediterraneo da tempo collaborano e adottano misure per la Gestione Integrata delle Zone Costiere. Tuttavia, il mosaico dei regimi giuridici e normativi, dei diritti fondiari, delle strutture organizzative e delle culture amministrative mostra la permanenza di un vuoto giuridico-istituzionale della gestione delle coste nella gran parte del Mediterraneo. Questo contributo intende riflettere su alcune ragioni alla base delle difficoltà di attuazione delle politiche di gestione integrata delle zone costiere, focalizzando l’attenzione sull’esperienza condotta in una piccola città costiera della provincia pugliese di Barletta-Andria-Trani: Margherita di Savoia, uno dei comuni italiani maggiormente colpiti da erosione costiera e inondazione sia per la sua particolare conformazione urbana sia per lo stretto rapporto con l’economia legata al mare. Di fronte alla complessità e all’incertezza che caratterizzano la gestione delle aree costiere, l’adozione di approcci esplorativi basati sull’elaborazione di scenari consente di indagare la molteplicità dei possibili futuri e i relativi rischi. Se la costruzione di scenari si fonda su processi interattivi che mettono in luce preferenze, valori e aspirazioni di stakeholder e comunità locali, la conoscenza che se ne ricava si rivela particolarmente utile per orientare la progettazione e attuazione delle politiche di gestione. Allo stesso tempo la conoscenza a lungo termine fornisce una base essenziale per elevare la consapevolezza dei partecipanti in merito ai rischi e stimolare la loro partecipazione attiva alla gestione. Il contributo illustra metodo e risultati ottenuti nella costruzione di scenari per la città costiera di Margherita di Savoia nella provincia pugliese di Barletta-Andria-Trani. Dagli scenari emerge la necessità di orientare la progettazione e attuazione delle politiche per l’area costiera verso una gestione sostenibile che punti non solo alla tutela della spiaggia per assicurare prospettive durevoli al turismo balneare, ma che allarghi lo sguardo agli altri elementi dell’identità locale del territorio, legati principalmente alle saline, all’agricoltura arenaiola e alla pesca.
... Social-ecological systems are complex, integrated systems in which humans are part of nature [17]. Examining MPAs through a social-ecological lens has become more common in recent decades and can help to consider possible trade-offs between social acceptance and ecological success [8,16]. Best practices for implementing MPAs with attention to both social and ecological outcomes are emerging in the literature and in practice, and include empowering local communities through ownership, reinvigorating traditional resource management practices, and ensuring local communities retain access to their property [26,70,97,104]. ...
... These linkages increased knowledge diversity, provided access to alternative funding sources, and built capacity in communities. These connections facilitated by CI and TNC also facilitated co-management, which refers to sharing of power and responsibility between government and local resource users, but can also include other broader networks [16]. This co-management in Raja Ampat exists between the multiple levels of government and local communities, and also includes the facilitation by CI and TNC, and the support by the other linked institutions (Fig. 3). ...
Coral reef ecosystems are among the most diverse habitats on earth, providing essential social and ecological services. Raja Ampat, Indonesia - located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of marine biodiversity - has a rich history of traditional management, which included area-based management tools akin to modern marine protected areas (MPAs). Decentralization and restoration of tenure rights in 2001 provided an opportunity for resurgence and stronger recognition of these traditional systems. Conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs), noting the remarkable biodiversity and increasing threats due to destructive fishing practices, worked with local communities to facilitate community-based MPAs as a conservation strategy. Here we employed a case study approach to assess the specific bridging strategies utilized by NGOs during the adoption, implementation and management of the Raja Ampat MPA Network. This descriptive case study included six targeted in-depth interviews and other secondary sources. Our results suggest that NGOs played different roles over time in the MPA process. Interviewees identified specific initiatives that occurred during this process, which involved multiple bridging tools. Three of these key initiatives are: the Tourism Entrance Fee System, the Raja Ampat MPA Patrol System, and the Blue Abadi Fund. The specific bridging tools employed included: linking stakeholders, co-producing knowledge, providing access to resources, facilitating community engagement, and building capacity. Recent research has pointed to social and ecological effectiveness of the Raja Ampat MPA Network, which could in part be attributed to the bottom-up approach facilitated by NGOs, including through bridging practices. However, we also note the limitations of this study in only providing an NGO-centric perspective which may be more nuanced if other stakeholder perspectives could have been obtained.
... Two overarching trends are evident from the above understanding of SSF and DF sectors. Firstly, SSF and DF production provide critical contributions to nutrition and food security, poverty alleviation and livelihoods, and local and national economies, especially in developing countries (Béné et al., 2007;Berkes, 2015). They (SSF and DF production) substantially add to the overall human security, especially to the economic, cultural, social, and political aspects of the poor and marginalized sections of society who remain involved in SSF and related activities. ...
... They (SSF and DF production) substantially add to the overall human security, especially to the economic, cultural, social, and political aspects of the poor and marginalized sections of society who remain involved in SSF and related activities. Secondly, despite these contributions, most SSF and DF communities are economically marginalized, increasingly vulnerable to climate and environmental change, and, until recently, have remained largely invisible in global and national policy discussions (Berkes, 2015). Consequently, an estimated 5.8 million fishers in the world reportedly earn less than $1 per day (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, 2015). ...
The survivability of the small-scale fishery and dried fish production in Indian Sundarbans, despite increasing threats posed by climate, environmental, economic, and policy drivers, suggests that they possess certain unique strengths and capabilities. One thread of these strengths is connected to the fact that Sundarbans’ fishery system is strongly anchored in the values and beliefs of the local fishing communities. There is, however, limited empirical information available on the prevailing individual and collective attitudes, expectations, traditions, customs, and, above all, values and beliefs that strongly influence local fishing communities of Sundarbans. This manuscript aims to address this gap by drawing on qualitative data to (1) map the nature of values and beliefs associated with the Sundarbans’ Sagar Island fishing communities who are engaged in small-scale fishery and dried fish production; and (2) highlight the contributions of values and beliefs to the small-scale fishery and dried fish production systems of Sagar Island. Our study reveals that historical factors such as the patriarchal and patrilineal system prevalent in the Indian Sundarbans as well as the current drivers, including environmental and social-economic changes, create inconsistent values and beliefs among male and female members of its society. Issues around values and beliefs are heavily influenced by social-ecological realities comprising material, relational and subjective dimensions. They can range from being strictly personal to largely community-oriented as they are shaped by realities of gender, class, power dynamics, and politics. Values and beliefs are fundamental to human perception and cognition but often get neglected in mainstream literature covering human dimensions of resource management. Our research adds weight to the theoretical and place-based understanding of the contributions of values and beliefs to the small-scale fishery and dried fish production systems. We learn from the case study that values and beliefs can act as mirrors, reflecting the current as well as future realities of small-scale fisheries and dried fish production systems and provide important directions for sustainability and viability of the entire social-ecological system that hosts this sector.
... To achieve these interconnected targets, both CS and ILK advocates have made concerted efforts to overcome structural barriers, such as power differences, centralization and domination of decision-making by powerful actors (e.g., Hill et al. 2015), and strengthen the respect by professional scientists for laypeoples' truth claims (Houde 2007, Roué and Nakashima 2018, Wheeler et al. 2020. Possible cognitive barriers to inclusion of nonacademic actors and their knowledge have also been identified, such as the absence of shared worldviews that are crucial to enabling collaboration and cooperation (Berkes 2015, Austin et al. 2018). On the basis of these similar aspirations of CS and ILK advocates and the solidarity they often engender, many actors have started to see CS as a method through which IPLC can mobilize their knowledge for natural resource policy, decision-making and stewardship of land and biodiversity (Bonney et al. 2014, 2021). ...
... Hereditary governance structures and other cultural institutions are the anchor of the knowledge and customary practices (Berkes 2018). Berkes (2015) brings attention to the cultural context of three aspects of knowledge systems, the content, processes, and values of the knowledge systems. First, the content of a knowledge system is usually empirical and for that reason is the most easily perceived as complementary across knowledge systems and cultures. ...
Citizen science (CS) is receiving increasing attention as a conduit for Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in ecosystem stewardship and conservation. Drawing on field experience and scientific literature, we explore the connection between CS and ILK and demonstrate approaches for how CS can generate useful knowledge while at the same time strengthening ILK systems. CS invites laypersons to contribute observations, perspectives, and interpretations feeding into scientific knowledge systems. In contrast, ILK can be understood as knowledge systems in its own right, with practices and institutions to craft legitimate and useful knowledge. Such fundamental differences in how knowledge is generated, interpreted, and applied need to be acknowledged and understood for successful outcomes. Engaging with complementary knowledge systems using a multiple evidence base approach can improve the legitimacy of CS initiatives, strengthen collaborations through ethical and reciprocal relationships with ILK holders, and contribute to better stewardship of ecosystems.
... In a spirit of collaboration, researchers will explore synergies between disciplines, as well as encounter numerous opportunities to bridge the gaps between ecology, genetics, social sciences and beyond. By adopting a multidisciplinary approach, the complex relationships between communities and their environments can be resolved and pressing issues can be addressed such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and climate change [6,7] . ...
... Berkes, 2015;Gee et al., 2017;Muhl & Sowman, 2020;Strand et al., 2022). Consequently, many contemporary responses to climate change fail to address cultural dimensions of climate impacts and can even exacerbate and put at risk important elements of social life (Adger et al., 2013). ...
... Most extractive resources within ABNJ (e.g., fish, minerals) comprise common pool resources as there is a high cost to exclude users (i.e., through monitoring and enforcement), and there is high subtractability (i.e., one person's use of the resource results in less of that resource for other people) of the resource units (i.e., fish populations) 3,4 . There is a general consensus that fisheries management in the high seas has failed to conserve populations [5][6][7] . ...
With the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement adopted, the negotiations process left questions related to what would be included in the final text and how the BBNJ Agreement architecture would function. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), an international body, has successfully established high seas marine protected areas (MPAs), a key aspect of the BBNJ Agreement. Here, we investigate if and how CCAMLR has influenced negotiations on the BBNJ Agreement and how it may influence the forthcoming structure. This work used ethnographic notes and documents from the negotiations and interviews with actors who overlapped at both the BBNJ negotiations and the CCAMLR meetings to elucidate themes of influence that CCAMLR has had on the BBNJ negotiations. We found that CCAMLR is influencing the BBNJ negotiations in several ways, including through setting precedent and as an example for lessons learned. Additionally, we found that there was a divergence of views on whether CCAMLR would be considered a competent body by the decision-making mechanism of the BBNJ Agreement to establish MPAs due to the issues CCAMLR faces on reaching consensus. We found that some aspects of CCAMLR, such as the exclusivity (i.e., restricted to only actors working within the CCAMLR space) was perceived negatively by interviewees, thus affecting the BBNJ Agreement negotiations through hidden red lines. With the BBNJ Agreement adopted, there is still the potential for CCAMLR to be an example for the BBNJ structure and to be a participant in the BBNJ Agreement architecture.
... Es importante considerar que no toda la biodiversidad se puede conservar a través de áreas protegidas, pues la mayor parte de la biodiversidad del mundo no se encuentra en áreas protegidas sino en tierras y aguas utilizadas por las personas para su sustento; además, puede haber demasiado énfasis en las áreas protegidas libres de personas y tal vez no lo suficiente en las áreas de uso sostenible, de tal forma que la conservación de la biodiversidad a largo plazo en gran parte del mundo se puede lograr de manera más efectiva en asociación con las personas que se ganan la vida en esas áreas (Berkes, 2015). Tabla 3. Clasificación, descripción y objetivo de las áreas protegidas establecidas por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. ...
... Es importante considerar que no toda la biodiversidad se puede conservar a través de áreas protegidas, pues la mayor parte de la biodiversidad del mundo no se encuentra en áreas protegidas sino en tierras y aguas utilizadas por las personas para su sustento; además, puede haber demasiado énfasis en las áreas protegidas libres de personas y tal vez no lo suficiente en las áreas de uso sostenible, de tal forma que la conservación de la biodiversidad a largo plazo en gran parte del mundo se puede lograr de manera más efectiva en asociación con las personas que se ganan la vida en esas áreas (Berkes, 2015). Tabla 3. Clasificación, descripción y objetivo de las áreas protegidas establecidas por la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza. ...
A synthesis of current advances and approaches in the conservation of marine and
coastal areas is presented. Protected Areas, Fishing Refuge Zones and Marine Spatial Planning, together, constitute a governance structure that has been built with great effort and represents an opportunity for effective management to operate in the achievement of conservation purposes and use of the seas and coasts of Mexico, following as an example of success the two Protected Areas with marine environments that are currently on the green list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In a country with more sea (62%) than land (38%), it is important to increase scientific knowledge of marine and coastal areas to better support decision-making aimed at compliance with sdg 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources), so the decade of the oceans 2021-2030 represents an opportunity to strengthen the science and culture we need for the ocean we want.
... Observing the existing trends in social capital research will contribute to research on disaster management at the local level. A change in the result of reconceptualizing the role of human communities in managing natural resources by engaging local stakeholders in planning and management through a more socially inclusive environmental policy (Berkes, 2015;Bockstael et al., 2016;Brody et al., 2013;Brosius et al., 2005;Few et al., 2007). ...
This study investigates how different facets of social capital affect community resilience in The face of disasters. There has not been a thorough study that examines social capital across various types of frequently occurring disasters and across the different phases of a disaster, that is, pre-disaster, during disaster, and post-disaster. Previous research on social capital has been conducted in both developed and developing countries using various disaster cases. To synthesize previous research, identify knowledge gaps, and set the course for future research, this study used a literature review technique. This method is both methodical and rigorous. The current analysis found a rising trend in the amount of research on the use of social capital in disaster management, demonstrating a growing interest in the function of social capital in boosting community resilience in the face of disasters. The findings of this study showed that community resilience in disaster management is influenced by social capital components. The study found that the trust and network components of social capital—which include trust, beliefs, norms, rules, networks, and values—have the greatest effects on community resilience. Greater knowledge of the function of social capital in disaster management and the aspects of social capital that are most important for fostering community resilience are provided by these results, which have a substantial impact on future research and disaster management methods.
... The Bajau still believe acknowledging specific marine areas as sacred is an appropriate and sufficient coastal management system. Identification of sacred ecology, co-management of communal assets, and the strengthening of socio-ecological systems and institutions are noteworthy steps that have been taken to fortify sustainable coastal management practises [23][24][25]. However, this understanding has not yet been integrated into WNP as a customary-based conservation area in accordance with the Bajau traditional ecological knowledge system. ...
The complexity of institutional issues that cross sectors and borders in natural resource management determines how a community entity might persist and endure. In Bajau communities, institutional supports are portrayed as impediments to carrying out their sea-oriented cultural activities. This research explores how institutional support intersects with Bajau community activities in a locally managed marine area. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Wakatobi Regency of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia, to generate descriptive data into portrayals of institutional supports and impediments. However, the Bajau cultural governance system shows signs of degradation due to several factors. The complex customary system and multi-scale governance that overlap in the marine and coastal areas of Wakatobi dissuade the Bajau from consenting to the implementation of locally managed marine areas. Instead of migrating or preserving their customary system, the Bajau encounter contemporary challenges within intercultural conflicts, rapid population growth, stigmatisation, and acculturation. Consequently, new ways of theorising about Bajau indigeneity, communal property rights, local knowledge recognition, and new policies for settling the intricacy of institutional and cultural interrelations are urgently needed.
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
... Also, successful implementation involves a lot of people, and these people are not in an obvious command structure, but they can choose whether to cooperate. Comanagement of fisheries leads to enhanced interaction, deliberation, learning, and participation of stakeholders from the fishing community and governmentWamukota et al. 2012;McCay et al. 2014;Berkes 2015;Botto-Barrios and Saavedra-Díaz 2020; Silver et al. 2022). ...
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
Highlights
> There are no global law or policy instruments focused
explicitly on kelp, but kelp forests do benefit from
some international regimes.
> Many national laws and policies provide for the
protection, management, restoration and use of kelp,
although approaches vary in different jurisdictions.
> Awareness of the value and status of kelp forests is
growing, with further research needed to identify
ways to enhance laws and policies.
> Holistic governance is crucial to ensuring that
cumulative impacts are addressed, ecosystem
approaches are embedded and all stakeholders are
engaged.
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
Managing the harvesting of wild growing kelp is still
the most developed form of kelp management / Humans’ intensifying use of the ocean is exposing kelp to many pressures in addition to harvesting. The cumulative impacts of these pressures need to be addressed in an integrated manner / Ecosystem-based management is a strategic approach to integrated ecosystem management that
can act as an umbrella for other approaches, including marine spatial planning, MPAs and initiatives towards individual activities that affect kelp ecosystems / The management of kelp as ecosystems is usually
not specific and tends to be included in more general approaches to ocean management.
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/42255/into_the_blue.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y
... Typical issues that need to be addressed by a harvesting regime include the allocation of harvesting rights, the creation of mechanisms to avoid overexploitation of resources and to prevent ecosystem damage, and the resolution of conflicts with other activities. Traditionally, kelp harvesting was managed at the local level, with systems built on local knowledge and activities conducted based on both formal and informal social norms (Berkes 2015;Ostrom 2008). In modern societies, national governments have the primary responsibility for the conservation and utilization of living resources according to the law of the sea. ...
... Asimismo, actúan como barreras frente a los desastres naturales. Suelen ser zonas de intensa actividad humana con alto valor cultural y productivo y consecuentemente los conflictos son cada vez más importantes (Beatley, et al., 2002;Berkes, 2015). La costa en Uruguay es un espacio de creciente conflicto socio ambiental, donde una transformación no planificada es la causa de una larga serie de cambios socio ambientales (de Álava 2007; Verrastro 2020). ...
... This type of production is often described as a household capital and still acts as a catalyst for households' future income, which is critical for survival. Livelihood strategies are often location-specific, since the options or possibilities for communities to engage in survival behaviors vary by region (Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries [DAFF], 2012;Berkes, 2015). Rural livelihoods are sometimes linked with impoverished livelihoods, which obscures the complexity of integrated livelihood options used by disadvantaged rural families (DFID, 2004). ...
The current research examines the degree to which indigenous crop and livestock production are still practiced and relied upon as sources of household income in a rural community in South Africa's Limpopo Province. The study is motivated by observations that indigenous knowledge contributes to rural economies by ensuring household food security and generating income. A total of 61 small-scale farmers, purposely sampled were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. The study findings show that indigenous subsistence crops and livestock production continue to be the primary sources of food and income in the studied community. In subsistence crop production, maize and groundnuts are the most often produced crops in the home-gardens. The fresh fruits are consumed with surplus maize exchanged for maize meal at the local milling company. Like maize, groundnuts are consumed fresh while surplus is sold in the local market. Additionally, the farmers raise cattle as a source of revenue, with the stock being sold for cash to supplement family income. Fewer farmers keep livestock, particularly cattle as a result of scarcity of stock feed and water to raise and maintain the stock. This mode of subsistence has withstood the influence of Western knowledge systems and the adverse effects of climate change.
... For example, the management of coastal zones has traditionally been conducted in a fragmented manner, with responsibilities for coastal activities being spread across many agencies, according toBerkes (2015).5 First published inMorrissey (2021). ...
Pillar five a just resilience is framed in honest recognition of the hard times to come. If pillar one established the boundaries, pillar five seeks to protect those boundaries. Even if a warming limit of 1.5 °C were to be achieved, the impacts and consequences for communities globally will be severe in the decades to come, with many communities already grappling with climate-related devastation. The just disruptions ideas presented under pillar five center the application of justice principles and social sustainability in community responses to disruptions of socio-economic and environmental systems.KeywordsJusticeResilienceSocial sustainabilityCommunity responsesJust disruptions
... As emphasised by Gilek et al. (2021), marine spatial planning (MSP) practice and research continues to be 'dominated by blue economy and environmental concerns', often neglecting social sustainability needs. This is equally true of other integrated ocean management approaches, such as marine protected areas (MPAs), where research show there is a lack of consideration given to social and cultural dimensions, values and beliefs, as opposed to economic and ecological dimensions and priorities (see Berkes, 2015;Christie et al., 2017;Muhl and Sowman, 2020). Social sustainability is closely linked to concepts of social justice, and central to the concept is the recognition of sociocultural diversity (Saunders et al., 2020), highlighting livelihoods, rights and wellbeing of Indigenous and vulnerable communities (Elwell et al., 2018). ...
Current ocean management approaches are often characterised by economic or environmental objectives, paying limited consideration to social and cultural dimensions, as well as Indigenous and local knowledge. These approaches tend to inhibit ocean stewardship, often marginalising coastal communities or limiting people’s access to spiritual, traditional and recreational uses of the ocean and coast. Piloting arts-based participatory research methods to co-create knowledge with co-researchers in Algoa Bay, South Africa finds that these methods can be useful in highlighting cultural connections to the ocean, and remembering and imagining, or reimagining, ways in which people relate to and care for the ocean and coast. For example, using photography and in situ storytelling often allows people to convey memories and histories of more accessible coastlines, or envisaging a future with more inclusive and participatory ocean management. The study finds that there is a strong sense of exclusion from and lack of access to coastal and ocean areas in Algoa Bay where Indigenous and local communities have depended on for spiritual, cultural and recreational purposes for several generations. Co-creation of knowledge regarding connections, values and priorities of the coast and ocean with Indigenous and local communities should therefore be planned for before the implementation of integrated ocean management approaches and intentionally designed as part of adaptive management processes. Emphasising these cultural connections, and better recognising them in ocean management has the potential to include i people’s awareness of the ocean which could translate into an increased sense of care and stewardship towards the ocean and coast as people feel more connected to their contextual seascapes. This could in turn contribute to a more sustainable sociocultural approach to ocean management which is necessary for equitable and sustainable future ocean social-ecological wellbeing.
... They drive the dynamic interaction between the social and ecological subsystems, including their components and processes (Binder et al., 2013) that impacts the structure, conduct and performance of value chains. We consider variables such as intensification, diversification, specialization, social interactions that are used to analyse nonlinear feedbacks in social-ecological systems and discuss them in the context of primary and secondary feedback loops as experienced in value chain operations (see Berkes, 2015;Berkes and Ross, 2016;Binder et al., 2013;Cash et al., 2006;Kooiman et al., 2005.;Nayak and Berkes, 2011;Sundkvist et al., 2005) Fig. 1 outlines variables of nonlinear feedback and their understanding in the context of dried fish value chain. First, intensification is seen as a common strategy adopted by different actors involved in fisheries operations (McCay, 1978;Nayak, 2017;Van Tuyen et al., 2010). ...
Small-scale fisheries (SSF) support over 90% of the 120 million people engaged in fisheries globally. Dried fish is an important sub-sector of SSF, which is characterized by declining social, economic, political conditions of people involved in its production, and the ecosystems they depend on. Dried fish accounts for 12% of the total fish consumption globally but can increase up to 36% in low-income countries. About half of the people involved in dried fish production and marketing are women. The approach taken to analyse dried fish sector has so far followed a narrow subset of commodity chain approaches with a focus on financial value, transmitted in a linear ‘vertical’ fashion across value chain actors. Existing value chain approach fails to factor the non-capital relationships of dried fish that are contingent upon specific histories, ecologies, peoples, places, and the practices. The narrow neoclassical economic perspective of dried fish value chain (DFVC) also impedes appropriate responses to their unique attributes pertaining to social, ecological, institutional interactions across multiple scales. Failure to consider social-ecological system (SES) attributes, its connections and relationships with dried fish value chain not only undermine social wellbeing of upstream actors but also perpetuates social-environmental inequity and injustice. The paper offers a novel SES-oriented DFVC perspective that focuses on social wellbeing of fishers and dried fish workers. The reconceptualisation of structure, conduct and performance of DFVC is done by conducting an interdisciplinary analysis of peer-reviewed literature from SES, value chain and social wellbeing.
... Desde niños, los pescadores artesanales acostumbran a llevar a sus hijos a las faenas de pesca para enseñarles su oficio y convertirlos en poseedores de un conocimiento ancestral de los ecosistemas en donde se encuentran los peces y las interacciones de los seres vivos que allí habitan. Toda una vida en el mar, ha permitido que los pescadores artesanales construyan una memoria individual y colectiva conocida como conocimiento ecológico local -CEL- (Olsson & Folke, 2001;Berkes, 2015). ...
This entry is a continuation of the INFOZOA Boletín de Zoología, a scicomm initiative from MIKU research group. Vol. 13 gives a little insight about what are nemertines, why they matter and what have been done in Colombian coasts. Additionally, the reader can find how parasitic nemertines are related to fisheries with some known examples of host-parasit relationships. As more research is been done in Colombia, here we share some results of the project with Carcinonemertes conanobrieni in the Caribbean spiny lobster in collaboration with artisanal fishers, sharing part of their vision.
... In this paper, LEK is used as an umbrella term for place-specific, non-scientific, informal knowledge that is passed down the generations through cultural practices and traditions. Local knowledge, therefore, is different from the scientific one, both in content and expression (Berkes, 2015). In this context, LEK and social identity are assumed to be inextricably linked, since perpetuation of cultural continuity as a transfer of knowledge between generations forms and maintains the feeling of belonging to a certain group, in this case marine fishers. ...
Natural and cultural diversity is gaining wider global recognition as the key to sustain- able development. This article looks at the challenges of conserving marine biocul- tural diversity by investigating the unique heritage of marine salmon fisheries through a case study of a small group of marine fisheries in Norway, still fishing for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. Tight relationships between declining natural resources and daily struggles to keep cultural heritage alive are highlighted through theoretical per- spectives of social identity and local ecological knowledge. The theoretical lens of social identity contributes to better understanding tensions between scientific and local knowledge by bringing forward social categorisation, polarisation and power re- lations as drivers of conflicts. Involvement of local communities and respect for their cultural heritage, knowledge and practices can assist in more effective management and governance of multifunctional biocultural landscapes, and contribute to their re- silience and adaptability.
... Ecosystem-based approaches are needed to sustainably manage coastal and marine resources (Berkes 2015;Foley et al. 2010). The sustainability of small-scale social-ecological systems (SESs) after natural disasters or climate change is challenged by external socio-economic and environmental drivers' changes that interact with endogenous drivers unexpectedly and in complex ways. ...
This part discusses the relationships between residents’ health conditions and their self-efficacy for greenspace management in a post-disaster recovery phase in rural communities, which are environmentally vulnerable to natural disasters. Self-efficacy of residents is crucial to enhance local communities’ inherent capabilities to build such a resilient living environment by promoting residents’ participation in green activities. The prioritized issue is to restore post-disaster environments. Residents’ health would be the key to enhance their self-efficacy and manage their neighboring living environment. Thus, this study aimed to examine residents’ health conditions and self-efficacy for managing a post-disaster environment in Japan. Results showed no significant association of self-efficacy with physical activity or self-reported health (SRH). In contrast, good SRH was significantly associated with a higher rate of self-efficacy. Additionally, weeding experience and higher awareness of Eco-DRR had a positive association with self-efficacy. This study highlights how residents’ good SRH influences self-efficacy for green environmental management at the individual level. If the residents who conduct community-based management are unhealthy, they would not feel confident about managing their green environments. This study implies the importance of integrating public health approach into post-disaster environmental management based on EbA strategies in a post-disaster rural context.
... Ecosystem-based approaches are needed to sustainably manage coastal and marine resources (Berkes 2015;Foley et al. 2010). The sustainability of small-scale social-ecological systems (SESs) after natural disasters or climate change is challenged by external socio-economic and environmental drivers' changes that interact with endogenous drivers unexpectedly and in complex ways. ...
Nature-based solutions represent a critical concept that harnesses natural systems to provide essential services for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. As a nature-based solution, blue-green infrastructure takes advantage of nature’s innate ability to substitute for or strengthen infrastructure systems by preserving, enhancing, or restoring a natural system's elements to build high quality, resilient and lower-cost infrastructure. The chapter describes how ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, ecosystem-based adaptation, and blue-green infrastructure are implemented in the Philippines, including the policies that support them, the status of implementation, and through a case study in Polillo, Quezon, Philippines. Findings show that despite policies in place to support and advance the mainstreaming of nature-based solutions in the country, the environment's cross-cutting nature as a sector makes enforcement and implementation of programs, plans, and activities extremely challenging. Implementing nature-based solutions in the Philippines has so far been undertaken as a response to environmental challenges. More than being reactive, a proactive focus on nature-based solutions for prevention, mitigation, and rehabilitation is needed. The science and evidence for blue-green infrastructure would need to be strengthened to inform decision-making better, gain political commitment at all levels, secure funding and private sector engagement, and ultimately advance its implementation.
... Ecosystem-based approaches are needed to sustainably manage coastal and marine resources (Berkes 2015;Foley et al. 2010). The sustainability of small-scale social-ecological systems (SESs) after natural disasters or climate change is challenged by external socio-economic and environmental drivers' changes that interact with endogenous drivers unexpectedly and in complex ways. ...
Building information modeling (BIM) is a set of tools that represent the physical and functional properties of a building digitally. BIM is used to document building designs or simulate construction and operation of new facilities. The emerging model is information-rich and object-based, where data can be inserted, extracted, updated, modified, and analyzed to improve the design of facility. Owners initiate and finance building projects. By selecting service providers and deciding on the type of delivery process to be used, owners make very strategic decisions in the facility delivery process. The effectiveness of BIM on an integrated project depends on these conclusions and decisions. Nowadays, construction projects are also moving towards sustainability through owners being committed to having green-rated buildings and infrastructure. This paper focuses on building information modeling with an owner’s perspective since owners being committed to having green-rated buildings and how this approach and interpretation of BIM may differ from that of an engineer, or contractor. This paper involves a study of the performance of a construction project in which BIM was implemented by the owner in the project from a later stage and a comparative earned value analysis between the two stages.
... The work of Elinor Ostrom along with the numerous contributions of anthropologists, biologists, and ecologists exploring indigenous tenure systems around the world offered key insights regarding the value of local rules and selfgovernance to solving collective action issues (Cordell, 1989;Ostrom, 1990Ostrom, , 2007Johannes, 1993;Ruddle, 1998;McCay, 2002;Basurto et al., 2012;Lauer, 2017). Central to the approach was the identification of a collection of design principles that could foster long-term stewardship in the adaptive management of resources (Berkes, 2015;Trimble and Berkes, 2015). User characteristics, their needs and conditions, along with the type of resources (stationary vs. mobile), and the existing governance structures regulating exchanges between users and resources, were three crucial dimensions to consider according to the theory. ...
This article presents a case study of a fishery in the port-town community of Ende, Flores, a former littoral hub located at the periphery of major commercial systems in the Indo-Pacific region. The article argues that more attention be paid to the role of transregional maritime networks, nautical conventions, and navigational practices embedded within local tenure systems to understand the apparent absence of formal control of marine and coastal resources. Through ethnographic and archival research, this study identifies the presence of indigenous institutions for fishing grounds regulation and documents the existence of broader transregional norms dictating proper fishing and navigation. Exploring the interactions between more pluralistic customary systems that exist in port-towns such as Ende and recent fishery development policies, the article discusses some of the obstacles to implementing sustainable co-management strategies. While the Indonesian central government is strongly promoting co-governance approaches for resource management, these institutional models are based on geographically narrow definitions of tradition and customary law which can lead to management failures, such as elite capture and local fishers’ disenfranchisement. In this case, policies emphasize the formation of cooperative groups without considering transregional beliefs about independence and pre-established systems of obligations. As a result, disputes among the fishermen, conflicts with local fishery officers, and the use of non-sustainable practices continue. For example, embodying predominant Southeast Asian beliefs, Endenese are known for their entrepreneurial nature and strong self-sufficiency ethos. Yet, these notions are ignored by local government agencies that view the fishermen as selfish and disorganized. In order to formulate true participatory solutions, a careful assessment of the role played by transregional perspectives that go beyond geographically localized understandings of customary practices is needed. The article concludes with a consideration of the role played by decentralization processes, subsidies, and aid programs in entrenching poverty and inequality among local communities.
... Examples include the collapse of the North Atlantic cod stocks and the decline of the white sturgeon in the Lower Fraser Basin [20,21]. While much of the research on fishers' knowledge has been carried out in marine ecosystems [22,23], there is also need for greater monitoring in freshwater ecosystems [24][25][26]. The Mackenzie River Basin in northwestern Canada is among the river systems considered data-poor and at risk [27,28]. ...
Monitoring methods based on Indigenous knowledge have the potential to contribute to our understanding of large watersheds. Research in large, complex, and dynamic ecosystems suggests a participatory approach to monitoring—that builds on the diverse knowledges, practices, and beliefs of local people—can yield more meaningful outcomes than a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Here we share the results of 12 community-based, participatory monitoring projects led by Indigenous governments and organizations in the Mackenzie River Basin (2015–2018). Specifically, we present and compare the indicators and monitoring methods developed by each of these community-based cases to demonstrate the specificity of place, culture, and context. A scalar analysis of these results suggests that the combination of core (common) indicators used across the basin, coupled with others that are meaningful at local level, create a methodological bricolage—a mix of tools, methods, and rules-in-use that are fit together. Our findings, along with those of sister projects in two other major watersheds (Amazon, Mekong), confront assumptions that Indigenous-led community-based monitoring efforts are too local to offer insights about large-scale systems. In summary, a networked approach to community-based monitoring that can simultaneously engage with local- and watershed-level questions of social and ecological change can address gaps in knowledge. Such an approach can create both practices and outcomes that are useful to local peoples as well as to those engaged in basin-wide governance.
... A potential avenue of integrating IPCAs is provided within the context of the Aichi target 11 as "other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs) [40]. IPCAs and Indigenous managed land-and seascapes can safeguard ecocultural health by revitalizing traditional management practices, monitoring and protecting overharvested species [20,48,[59][60][61]. A recent study found that Indigenous-managed lands had a slightly higher species richness of vertebrates compared to protected areas in Canada, Australia and Brazil [46]. ...
The biodiversity crisis is paralleled by a decline in the ability of Indigenous peoples to practice traditional livelihoods, cultures and languages. The world’s oceans and coastal communities face such threats, prompting increasing interest in establishing conservation measures. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is a structured approach to establish conservation measures with clearly defined objectives, such as protected areas. Many Indigenous peoples are resurging to reclaim and protect some of their traditional lands and revitalize their cultures as rights holders. SCP goals and Indigenous goals could thus align. This research documents the Indigenous-led marine conservation planning process of the Songhees Nation to reclaim and assert stewardship around the Tl’ches archipelago near Victoria, Canada. We compare the Songhees marine conservation planning approach to SCP approaches. The Songhees approach showed similarities to SCP in the initial scoping phase of the marine conservation planning, in the review and compiling of existing data prior to the collection of data as well as the focus on focal species. The Songhees approach to marine conservation planning also differed from SCP as it included one zone only, did not involve any other stakeholders, and tried to account for the whole social-ecological system in one process step. This research provides useful insights and a guidance to help interested Indigenous communities worldwide to conduct their own marine conservation planning.
The contribution aims to explore the concept of urban coastal society, a community intimately connected to the coast and to the sea, in the context of the socio-spatial and climatic-environmental critical issues that characterize the development of large coastal cities during the past pandemic situation. In spatial and functional terms, the urban shore could be considered as an urban amphibious, that is, the urban area where the land and the sea physically meet, in relationship with the ability of the city and the coastal community to constantly adapt to these two systems. It is an aggregator of coastal commons, shared resources whose importance is fundamental for the adaptation of the coastal society to external impacts. Anyway, its integrity appears to be fragmented since it is composed of variegated elements (port areas, production plants, urban beaches, insecure or abandoned spaces) that can also be considered as pieces of a potential green–blue infrastructure. In this sense, the concept of city–sea interface can be mobilized, as the physical, ecological, social and functional contact area between the edge of the city and the edge of the water: it can be considered as an expression of the urban amphibious, a space in which different ways of experiencing the coastal life of the city are juxtaposed, with a strong need for flexible management. These premises require us to investigate how to plan and manage ‘blue spaces’, considering them as potential quality public areas along the urban shore: during the Covid-19 pandemic, this necessity becomes even more absolute in relation to the evolution of social needs that require a greater amount of public space to guarantee to each user valuable social spaces while preventing contagion. Coastal areas therefore take on an even greater social and therapeutic value in large coastal cities.
The sustainable development of any socio-ecological system depends on the complex, mutual interaction of societal, economical, and ecological subsystems. In the ramification of climate change, the livelihood and well-being of individuals become endangered. Sundarbans, spanning across the border of India and Bangladesh, is one of the most vulnerable ecoregions, with diverse habitats of rich aquatic resources. Thus, the book chapter was conducted to assess the livelihood and ecological context of the climate change crisis for the women fisherfolk communities and their coping practices for their future uplifting in terms of the sustainable small-scale fishery. To achieve the goal of the study, the authors conducted a systematic literature review using a 6-step, systematic literature review protocol. Different journals, research papers, and books were reviewed for assessing the climate change impacts and coping practices of the women fisherfolk communities in the UNESCO heritage Sundarbans. A large rural population is dependent on climate-sensitive sectors of fishing activity and capture fishery in Sundarbans. As climate change directs ecosystem transformation, over the last two decades this region’s small-scale fishery is confronting challenges of extreme natural events, anthropological, and socio-political conflicts. The influence of climate change is disproportionately high on women fisherfolk as they are more dependent on their livelihood on natural resources.KeywordsSundarbansClimate changeWomen fisherfolkSmall-scale fisheriesSustainability
This article examines the subject of women’s knowledge in a small fishing community on Smith Island, Maryland in the U.S. I discuss this how fluid gender division of knowledge relates to life on a small island, and how it also lends itself to a certain social cohesion. Between women. I focus on this gender cohesion, as I explore the rituals of Smith Island women, framing my discussion around the annual event known as the Ladies Dinner. By following the structure of a particular gender-specific celebration, I not only discuss solidarity in women’s agency, but also offer an in-depth analysis of the satirical skits performed on stage, showing a double figure elicited through the technique of comic inversion. In my analysis of the comedic parodies presented, I further discuss the playful and fluid nature of such engagements and the subversions of gender, which women use when they are confronted with perceived gender boundaries. This article shows how deeply Smith Island women embrace their collective life and reveals their strategies for reinventing their multilevel knowledge in the face of a changing socioecology.
Attaining sustainable resource management encompasses multilevel challenges and interdisciplinary
approaches from grassroots efforts to international agreements. In the context of coastal and marine management,
the complexities represented by the variety of local entities, regimes, and institutional supports are captured as
current challenges in sustainability efforts. Such challenges, unfortunately, persist in the group of customary
communities such as those of the Bajau, who live in coastal and marine areas. In an effort to address the
aforementioned challenges, this research proposes a model for integrating the Traditional Ecological Knowledge
(TEK) of the Bajau into Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) scheme in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi. A
qualitative approach involving multi-sited ethnography and interviews was employed in this study. TEK as a
concept is drawn upon to strengthen the local practices for sustainable resource use and therefore develop policy
recommendations. However, in the case of Bajau communities, the dimensions of the TEK encompass
conservation practices, ethno-fisheries, cultural beliefs, customary laws, weather and cultural astronomy, and
adaptive management. The manifestation of the TEK needs to add the term 'exchange knowledge' due to the
history and nature of former nomadic groups that interacted and exchanged knowledge and goods with other
groups with whom they were in contact. Intercultural relations between the Bajau and dominant customary groups
in Wakatobi position the Bajau as migrants and second-class people, both socio-culturally and in the context of
various conservation activities. The co-management programs that involve the Bajau do not seem to consider the
basic needs and practices of this group in current sustainable resource management. This situation indirectly
contributes to the marginalization and growing development threats for the Bajau in Wakatobi. In addition, the
complexities in the realm of contemporary Bajau society are not adequately considered in Wakatobi's
development priority programs. The culturally inclusive projects and LMMA model do not engage Bajau
communities, even though this group is pivotal in nurturing marine ecology in alignment with multiple TEK
practices and a maritime culture orientation. In brief, the output model of this research examines the various terms
to disentangle the challenges in cultural identity, intellectual property and rights, capacity building, livelihood
diversification, and communal space in the Bajau communities in Wakatobi. In advance of making
recommendations to implement the model, this research explored key attributes related to Bajau customary
institutions, local government, and Wakatobi National Park.
Transformation has become a prevailing and desirable concept in blue economy literature. In parallel, researchers have been considering ways to effectively engage stakeholders to support just transformational agendas. Globally, coastal communities are already being affected by the inevitable impacts of climate change and changes to the blue economy. These pressures present complex contexts for coastal zone stakeholder engagement. In this paper, I argue that taking a systems integration approach to interacting with stakeholders is needed to support just transformational change. Assessing stakeholder systems and their relationship to coastal resources is imperative for understanding dynamics that may promote or hinder just transformation. Taking an adaptive management approach to working alongside stakeholders through transitional processes, thus building capacity, is needed to generate momentum toward just transformational change. Lastly, I explain how applications of the subsidiarity principle in integrating stakeholder systems can support a just transformational process and can inform more durable transformational outcomes.
In the context of climate change, which accentuates the growing scarcity of fishery resources, young fishermen are exploring increasingly remote fishing grounds with the immediate consequence of numerous cases of accidents and disappearances at sea and many human and material losses. Faced with this situation of looking for solutions to prevent accidents, the traditional knowledge of West African fishermen was examined. Semi-structured interviews and focus group meetings with fishermen aged 50 years or older were used to explore ways of understanding and predicting changes in the marine environment. It shows that experienced fishermen can apprehend the sea state, the occurrence of wind or precipitation, or orient themselves and understand the nature of fishing grounds and species through the stars, swell, waves, water table, animals, trees, clouds, sky colour, dugout, fish. The understanding, interpretation and, subsequently, the meaning they develop from their observations are based on empirical knowledge that can be tested and confirmed in other parts of the world. In this sense, the ways in which fishermen understand changes in the marine environment can be considered universal knowledge. Such knowledge, when properly transcribed, can be useful for conventional marine research and the prevention of accidents at sea, especially for the new generation of fishermen who rely solely on new technologies.
Current framing of Blue Economy is problematic and deficient in a number of key aspects, specifically in terms of how resilience and justice are currently understood and applied in Blue Economy discourse. A more holistic and comprehensive understanding and framing of what a sustainable Blue Economy is, is required to avoid perpetuation of the ecological and social problems of conventional economic growth. New understandings of Blue Economy which place justice, resilience and sustainability centrally are required if the Blue Economy concept is to retain credibility in the context of ongoing climate disruptions, socio‐economic challenges and the progressive degradation of coastal ecosystems. Blue Economy needs to represent a practical, real‐world solution to these issues for coastal communities striving for sustainability. While ideas of ‘just transition’ have been afforded considerable attention in the literature, here the argument is forwarded for a ‘just disruptions’ approach, underpinned by presentation of a novel framework. The ‘just disruptions’ framework posits that rights based and capabilities‐based approaches to justice, including principles of distributive and procedural justice be applied to inform adaptive and resilience focused responses in coastal zones. Applying these principles in practice, the realities of space, place, scale, and power relations need to be acknowledged and more deliberately considered. Such a framing is urgently required to firmly ground debates on Blue Growth and Blue Economy in the imperatives of resilience, and social and ecological sustainability.
Canada has prioritized “reconciliation” with Indigenous peoples just as debates over the ecological impacts of extractive industries are rising in volume and vigour in the public sphere. While apparently distinct, these two substantial and pressing priorities—and their underlying harms of colonialism and extractivism—can be seen as intertwined issues of social, economic, and environmental justice and sustainability. Thus, interweaving—more than “integrating” or “bridging” as employed in the literature—Indigenous ways of living and knowing and Euro-Canadian knowledge systems in resource development projects stands to help Canadians advance both environmental protection and respect for First Peoples and their traditionally used and claimed territories. Building on these premises, this study by “a White person of consciousness” examines the needs, benefits, obligations, frameworks, and challenges of involving Indigenous ways of knowing in the current framework for approving and managing resource development projects in Canada. It notes imperatives and efforts to link Indigenous and settler systems of “knowledge” in such projects and lessons learned and suggests best practices for policies and practices aimed at encouraging both environmental protection and Indigenous conciliation, which can further each other. Finally, the study considers implications of such interweaving for Canada’s international standing.
The ever-rising threat of environmental catastrophe and the continuing displacement, dishonor, and attempted erasure of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional lands are linked by capitalism’s externalizing the costs of conquest, whether ecological or human. This work investigates efforts to address these intertwined issues of social, economic, and environmental justice through interweaving Indigenous and settler ways of knowing in resource-development projects in Canada. In seeking to dramatize the need for further informed and engaged public dialogue on how to redress the twin menaces of extractivism and colonization, this arts-based research unfolds as a script for a semi-satirical radio play or podcast. Here, our researcher seeks to explain research findings and advance environmental protection and decolonization on a radio talk show, only to be confronted by a skeptical host and a battery of opinionated guests reflecting real-world challenges to those two emancipatory goals. We close with a brief methodological reflection.
Livelihoods in Cambodian fishing communities are complex and dynamic. Fluctuations in resource abundance, seasonal cycles of resource use, and changes in access create conditions that bring challenges for rural households, as do economic and policy drivers. Nonetheless, people are continuously "doing something" in response to these stresses and shocks. This paper sets out to explore how households and community members attempt to mitigate against such challenges. The analysis of livelihood stresses and shocks in two Cambodian fishing villages shows that diversification is a commonly used strategy for coping and adapting. Analyzing responses at multiple scales, with emphasis on resilience-building strategies at household and community levels, illuminates aspects of livelihoods. To study local-level perspectives of resilience, well-being was used as the surrogate of resilience, producing three clusters of responses related to economic conditions, resources, and relationships.
Managerial ecology is embedded within a complex set of historical relationships. The institutions and processes of resource and environmental management have traditionally been the means by which a select few (managers) have side stepped democratic politics and environmental ethics in favour of top-down anthropocentric administration. By assuming an unlimited capacity to eliminate indeterminism and achieve certainty through science and technology, resource management (as conceptualized and practiced) has proven itself to be extremely undemocratic and unsustainable with respect to human communities and biophysical ecosystems. Recent developments within the science of ecology have challenged managerial approaches to nature by shifting attention away from the "balance of nature" paradigm that permitted certainty, command, and control toward a "flux of nature" paradigm focused on coping with uncertainty and complexity in dynamic and interconnected ecological systems. The change in emphasis within managerial ecology from "control" to "coping" strategies has the potential to undermine control while highlighting the importance of political and moral ecology - that is the need to make good ecological decisions in the presence of conflict and in the absence of universal Truth. However, the shift from a confident ecological science of control to a tentative and ambiguous science of coping has also encouraged the relocation of projects of managerial control from biophysical systems onto the behaviours, attitudes and values of individual human beings and the collective behaviour of their societies and cultures. By describing the ambivalent responses to this shift within the field of resource and environmental management, the paper questions the legitimacy of managerial approaches to natural and cultural worlds, while clearing a path for recognizing and re-imagining alternatives.
Most debates on government fisheries management, focusing on dramatic fishery collapses, have skirted the ethical dimension implicit in the exploitation, for private gain, of fishery resources that are publicly owned. The privilege to fish, a conditional right often nefariously perceived as a legislated "right," implies ethical responsibilities linked to marine stewardship. To date, however, granting this privilege to fish
has not been legally tethered to the fiduciary responsibilities of
businesses to their clients or governments to their citizens:
sustainable management of fisheries and conservation of living marine resources. Legal rights must be coupled with moral responsibilities if governments, private fishing enterprises, and civil society are to conserve marine resources for present and future generations. Evolving a social contract for ethical fisheries that explicitly mandates collaborative governance and corporate responsibility can protect public goods and society's right to fish, both to eat and to exist in the sea.
Community Conserved Areas ... or ICCAs / Territories of Life as they are now internationally known ... have for long been the hidden jewels of biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and diverse cultures. They may be spread across more area of the globe than officially declared protected areas. But they are threatened by 'development', inappropriate conservation policies, and much else, and need urgent recognition and support. If strengthened and secured, they could contribute enormously to tackling the global ecological (including biodiversity loss and climate) and livelihoods crises we face.
This article highlights the findings of the literature on aboriginal fire from the human-and the land-centered disciplines, and suggests that the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples be incorporated into plans for reintroducing fire to the nation's forests. Traditional knowledge represents the outcome of long experimentation with application of fire by indigenous people, which can inform contemporary policy discussions.
Although the Sustainable Fisheries Act that amended the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1996 defined fishing communities to be places with significant harvesting and/or processing activities, a collaborative mapping project in the Northeast has made clear the limits of such a port-based definition by documenting the presence and nature of communities "at sea." Using vessel trip report data, unique maps depicting community territories were created for a variety of communities dependent upon Gulf of Maine fisheries. Community-based researchers interviewed fishermen from the region and asked them to engage with the maps, discuss the nature of community within those "at sea" locations, and document the type of local environmental knowledge they maintained. The participatory interviews made clear the varied ways that communities respond to and are changed by the recent history of regulatory and environmental change. While the dominant port-based vision of fishing communities sees communities as sites of impact and decline, a focus on relationships between fishermen and between fishermen and their environments reveals communities as ongoing and emerging processes. While the former produces doubt relative to the development of any community-based initiatives for fisheries management, the latter points to the resilience of "community" and the always-emerging potential for community-based approaches.
The marine aquarium trade has played an important role in shaping the ecological state of coral reefs in Indonesia and much of the Asia-Pacific. The use of cyanide by ornamental fishers in Buleleng District, Bali, in the 1980s and 1990s has resulted in a precipitous decline in the ecological health of reefs. Cyanide-free harvesting techniques were introduced after 2000, along with reef restoration measures. This paper examines social and ecological processes in the fishing village of Les, Bali, in ending the use of cyanide and the resulting ecological restoration. An emphasis on conservation-development (with livelihood objectives) was important in securing interest and cooperation across stakeholder groups. Adaptive approaches to governance and knowledge co-production were also important. The strategy used at Les is now being exported to other communities across Indonesia, and provides a promising example of a marine resources-based conservation-development initiative that may be implemented at other, similar communities. © content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Fisheries science and management have been shrouded in controversy and rhetoric for over 125 yrs. Human reliance on fish through history (and even prehistory) has impacted the sea and its resources. Global impacts are manifest today in threatened food security and vulnerable marine ecosystems. Growing consumer demand and subsidized industrial fisheries exacerbate ecosystem degradation, climate change, global inequities, and local poverty. Ten commonly advocated fisheries management solutions, if implemented alone, cannot remedy a history of intense fishing and serial stock depletions. Fisheries policy strategies evaluated along five performance modalities (ecological, economic, social, ethical, and institutional) suggest that composite management strategies, such as ecosystem-based management and historically based restoration, can do better. A scientifically motivated solution to the fisheries problem can be found in the restorable elements of past ecosystems, if some of our present ideology, practices, and tastes can be relinquished for this historical imperative. Food and social security can be enhanced using a composite strategy that targets traditional food sources and implements customary management practices. Without binding laws, however, instituting such an ethically motivated goal for fisheries policy can easily be compromised by global market pressures. In a restored and productive ecosystem, fishing is clearly the privilege of a few. The realities of imminent global food insecurity, however, may dictate a strategy to deliberately fish down the food web, if the basic human right to food is to be preserved for all.
Resilience thinkers share an interest in collaborative deliberation with communicative
planners, who aim to accommodate different forms of knowledge and styles of reasoning to promote social
learning and yield creative and equitable agreements. Members of both fields attended a symposium at
Virginia Tech in late 2008, where communicative planners considered how social–ecological resilience
informed new possibilities for planning practice beyond disaster mitigation and response. In turn,
communicative planners offered resilience scholars ideas about how collaboration could accomplish more
than enhance rational decision making of the commons. Through these exchanges, the symposium fostered
ideas about collaborative governance and the critical role of expertise in fostering communicative resilience.
In this study we examine poverty in local fisheries using a social-ecological resilience lens. In assessing why "fishery may rhyme with poverty", Christophe Béné suggests a typology of impoverishment processes, which includes economic exclusion, social marginalization, class exploitation, and political disempowerment as key mechanisms that accelerate poverty. We extend his analysis by exploring these four mechanisms further and by intertwining them with processes of environmental change and degradation. Our goal is to understand poverty in local fisheries as a process rooted in social and institutional factors as influenced by ecological dynamics. We argue that understanding poverty will require a focus on the social-ecological system (SES) as a whole, and addressing poverty will mean rebuilding not only collapsed stocks but the entire social-ecological system, including restoring relationships between resources and people.
Information from two cases, the Chilika Lagoon on the Bay of Bengal in India, and the Paraty region on the southeastern coast of Brazil, is used to understand how fishery social-ecological systems come under pressure from drivers at multiple levels, resulting in a range of impacts and pushing the system to a breaking point or collapse. We analyze elements of what it takes for the whole system to break down or collapse and push fishers into poverty and marginalization. The Chilika SES has already broken down, and the Paraty SES is under pressure from multiple drivers of change. The two cases help contrast key dynamics in the social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental spheres, for lessons on system collapse and recovery. Rebuilding fisheries may be examined as a process of building and strengthening resilience. The challenge is to make the fishery social-ecological system more resilient, with more flexibility and options, not only within fishing activities but also within a range of other sectors.
As society seeks to meet the needs of a growing human population and rising aspirations for consumption, many of the ecosystem services on which society depends have declined in the global aggregate. Although some local societies sustainably manage their natural resources for long time periods, the more frequent pattern is overuse of renewable resources and a trajectory toward degradation. How can this degradation be reversed? In this paper we draw on four New Zealand examples and the literature to posit a set of design principles and recommendations to foster transformation from social-ecological degradation toward more sustainable pathways. These include a strong sense of place, prioritizing long-term solutions over short-term benefits, collective engagement of all key stakeholders and willingness to compromise, right to organize and manage, negotiated consensus on sustainability goals, formal and informal monitoring, flexibility to renegotiate goals and adapt, and guidance by a skilled facilitator. We also identify guidelines that foster consensus-building in the face of contested solutions. Examples from New Zealand and the literature suggest that local social-ecological systems can self-organize to shift toward more sustainable trajectories and that society can foster conditions that increase the likelihood of favorable transformations.
This article examines the processes of change in a large lagoon system, and its implications for how commons can be managed as commons in the long run. We use two related concepts in our analysis of change: commonisation and decommonisation; 'commonisation' is understood as a process through which a resource gets converted into a jointly used resource under commons institutions that deal with excludability and subtractability, and 'decommonisation' refers to a process through which a jointly used resource under commons institutions loses these essential characteristics. We analyse various contributing issues and dynamics associated with the processes of commonisation and decommonisation. We consider evidence collected through household and village level surveys, combined with a host of qualitative and quantitative research methods in the Chilika Lagoon, the largest lagoon in India, and one of the largest lagoons in Asia. We suggest that in order to keep the Chilika commons as commons will require, as a starting point, a policy environment in which legal rights and customary livelihoods are respected. With international prawn markets stabilised and the 'pink gold rush' over, the timing may be good for a policy change in order to create a political space for negotiation and to reverse the processes causing decommonisation. Fishers need to be empowered to re-connect to their environment and re-invent traditions of stewardship, without which there will be no resources left to fight over.
While the community conservation approach has gained broad acceptance, questions regarding its effectiveness persist. Many of the changes that community conservation projects seek to impart among participants correspond with their values and attitudes. This paper proposes the use of transformative learning as one of the measures of the success of a community conservation project in terms of promoting learning that leads to significant changes in a participant's values and attitudes. Using the ASSETS programme in coastal Kenya as a case study, we focused on participant learning and the extent to which such learning resulted in a more positive attitude towards conservation of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. Participation in ASSETS resulted in instrumental learning and communicative learning, as described in the transformative learning theory. Findings show that participation in ASSETS led to a variety of learning outcomes, such as learning new information about the forest, and learning to question local cultural norms and speak out for conservation.
In this article we build on an accompanying critique of recent writings in international biodiversity conservation (this issue). Many scholars and observers are calling for stricter enforcement of protected area boundaries given the perceived failure of integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) and other people-oriented approaches to safeguard biodiversity. Pointing to many ongoing, field-based efforts, we argue that this resurgent focus on authoritarian protection practices largely overlooks key aspects of social and political process including clarification of moral standpoint, legitimacy, governance, accountability, learning, and nonlocal forces. Following a discussion of these six points, we off er a series of recommendations aimed at highlighting existing work and encouraging dialogue and constructive debate on the ways in which biodiversity protection interventions are carried out in developing countries.
Large-scale shrimp aquaculture can have major social and environmental impacts. Can community-based approaches be used instead? We examined three coastal community-based shrimp aquaculture operations in northwestern Sri Lanka using a case study approach. These shrimp farms were individually owned by small producers and managed under community-level rules. The system was characterized by three layers of institutions: community-level shrimp farmers’ associations; zone-level associations; and a national-level shrimp farming sector association. The national level was represented by a joint body of government and sector association. We evaluated the effectiveness of this institutional structure especially with regard to the management of shrimp disease that can spread through the use of a common water body. Lower operational costs make them a highly attractive alternative to large-scale aquaculture. In many ways, private shrimp aquaculture ownership with community-level institutions, and government supervision and coordination seem to work well.
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine Gitga'at First Nation approaches and objectives concerning the use of local biological and cultural resources through the lens of a locally‐driven proposal to establish an eco‐cultural tourism enterprise.
Design/methodology/approach
This project was developed in collaboration with the Gitga'at First Nation and employed a qualitative case study approach. Primary data gathering techniques were active participation, semi‐structured interviews, focus group discussions and work with key informants.
Findings
Participant responses highlight the interconnectivity and importance of social, ecological and cultural integrity in local economic development. Three major principles for resource use were widely expressed: control and management by Gitga'at; equitable distribution of any benefits; and the imperative of environmental and cultural sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
Gitga'at band members living within the Gitga'at traditional territory played a central part in this research. Future work could include non‐resident band members. Furthermore, if the Gitga'at decide to move forward with this proposal, further research could examine how the resource use principles discussed here may be applied.
Practical implications
This research provided a forum to explicitly identify research participants' hopes and concerns surrounding eco‐cultural tourism and the possible outcomes of this potential project.
Social implications
This research may be beneficial to other communities interested in eco‐cultural tourism development or other development activities dependent on local resources use.
Originality/value
Although essential to creating economic opportunities that reflect local goals and interests, socio‐cultural dimensions are often overlooked in local economic development. This research explicitly sought to unpack these domains.
This paper reflects on the evolution of a university-community partnership that has benefited both the community and the university, through joint research and mutual capacity development. It highlights the value of working collaboratively with communities and other stakeholders to jointly tackle complex human-ecological problems and demonstrates that knowledge that resides in communities is fundamental to resolving problems. While the initial focus of the project was on providing ‘expert’ advice to assist a fishing community, as well as to ‘build their capacity’ to enable effective participation in management decisions, over time the relationship shifted to one characterised by mutual learning, collaborative research and the co-production of knowledge in the face of policy changes. This article offers reflections on this 15 year university-community engagement process and highlights the shifts in perceptions, research approaches and positions of the university researchers as the partnership developed and expanded as understanding of this fishery system increased.
We examine new dynamics of privatization and collective action in common pool resource situations facilitated by the nonstate multistakeholder institutions of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), the global leader in sustainability certification for wild caught seafood. Through a review of the literature and two case studies of fishing cooperatives in Baja California Sur, Mexico and on Fogo Island in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), we advance two interrelated arguments. First, certification and eco-labeling institutions privatize fisheries governance in largely unexamined ways through the injection of new forms of exclusive rights or privileges into common pool resource situations already complicated by access and property privileges, creating conditions for confusion and conflict as well as cooperation. Second, the MSC whole stock definition of sustainability places greater demands on certification clients for engaging in collective action by encouraging coordination over all social extractions from targeted fish stocks. Although rules encouraging collective action in common pool situations militate against the narrow private capture of certificate and eco-label rights, they also undermine the ability of small-scale and community-based fisheries that are embedded in larger unhealthy fishery contexts to acquire the right to the MSC stamp of sustainability. We conclude that MSC certification and eco-labeling create new institutions of private property rights and collective action, which can result in exclusionary practices, inclusionary collective action, or both. Much will depend on the specific common pool context and history of the fishery.
Aboriginal and nonaboriginal fishing-dependent communities on the coast of British Columbia, Canada, having lost traditional fisheries management institutions along with significant fishing opportunity, are in the process of rebuilding local and regional institutions to allow their survival. Sometimes, the rebuilding effort involves the creation of largely new institutions. It can also involve the reactivation, reinvention, or repositioning of older ones. We consider the aspirations, strategies, and activities of organizations in two regions of the coast involved in two different fisheries: salmon on the north coast and intertidal clams in the Broughton Archipelago. We analyze what the two regions have in common, as well as their differences, to generate general predictions and recommendations about what preconditions appear to be necessary for success in rebuilding institutions in communities and regions at these scales and what actions are likely to be most effective, according to a body of literature on self-management and comanagement. In both cases, we found favorable conditions in the communities, the external political arena, and in government to support the rebuilding goals of the organizations working in the two regions. Although both areas would benefit from greater financial resources, the most critical need is for external support in the form of alliances, issue networks, and access to multiple sources of power.
The theme of the mare 2009 Conference, 'Living with Uncertainty and Adapting to Change', is well suited to Latin American reality when thinking of the uncertainties of fisheries and the economically poor livelihoods of people in riverine and coastal areas. Currently, there are multiple pressures on those liveli-hoods, many of which come from imposed conservation restrictions by govern-mental environmental agencies or by industrial fishing. Artisanal fishing in Latin America is economically important, since it contributes to about a half of national catches for most countries, and it guarantees the subsistence and protein intake of riverine and coastal livelihoods. In order to manage aquatic resources in Latin America, attention to its particularities is needed, including an understanding of the: 1) local level of communities; 2) their geographic dispersion; 3) pre-existing local rules regarding the use of resources; 4) lack of data on aquatic resources; 5) significant body of available local ecological knowledge; and, 6) current levels of poverty and social needs. Moreover, this study addresses the absence of data on natural resources in most Latin American countries, and as a consequence, the problem of detecting overfishing which has been one obstacle in the man-agement of natural resources. Considering those aspects, different approaches to co-management are highlighted in this study, since they are useful for the under-standing of the different contexts where co-management is developed. Historical accounts by fishermen are much needed in fisheries that lack a baseline: such relevance increases the importance of participatory approaches in management and the necessity to rely on the use of local knowledge. Cooperatives and Reserves are illustrated, covering marine and freshwater systems. A Brazilian case com-paring ecological-historical management processes in the Atlantic Forest coast to Amazonian reserve movements serves to illustrate the need for a temporal understanding of management systems. One of these reserves, the 'Sustainable Development Reserve' in Brazil, is illustrated as a form to include livelihoods in the management process. Finally, the challenges that the management fishery resources in Latin America are faced are analyzed in this study, including the importance of turning attractive management for the poor, taking into considera-tion the subtractability of managed resources, and the questionable legitimacy of some institutions.
The new protected area (PA) designation of Conservancy in British Columbia, Canada marks a positive shift in government policy concerning PAs and the role of First Nations in provincial land and resource management and conservation. We present a review of the Conservancy designation within a legal and political ecology context, and assess some of the related opportunities and challenges presented by this new designation. Our data were gathered through document, literature and legal reviews, complemented by field research observations and personal communications with key informants from the Gitga'at First Nation.
The sustainability of regional development can be usefully explored through several different lenses. In situations in which uncertainties and change are key features of the ecological landscape and social organization, critical factors for sustainability are resilience, the capacity to cope and adapt, and the conservation of sources of innovation and renewal. However, interventions in social-ecological systems with the aim of altering resilience immediately confront issues of governance. Who decides what should be made resilient to what? For whom is resilience to be managed, and for what purpose? In this paper we draw on the insights from a diverse set of case studies from around the world in which members of the Resilience Alliance have observed or engaged with sustainability problems at regional scales. Our central question is: How do certain attributes of governance function in society to enhance the capacity to manage resilience? Three specific propositions were explored: (1) participation builds trust, and deliberation leads to the shared understanding needed to mobilize and self-organize; (2) polycentric and multilayered institutions improve the fit between knowledge, action, and social-ecological contexts in ways that allow societies to respond more adaptively at appropriate levels; and (3) accountable authorities that also pursue just distributions of benefits and involuntary risks enhance the adaptive capacity of vulnerable groups and society as a whole. Some support was found for parts of all three propositions. In exploring the sustainability of regional social-ecological systems, we are usually faced with a set of ecosystem goods and services that interact with a collection of users with different technologies, interests, and levels of power. In this situation in our roles as analysts, facilitators, change agents, or stakeholders, we not only need to ask: The resilience of what, to what? We must also ask: For whom?
Place-specific knowledge systems, combined with hands-on resource use and a long-term commitment to sustaining resources and ecosystems, are vitally important in restoring the planet to health. This approach is already an integral part of the resource use and management systems of many Indigenous and tribal peoples worldwide, whose knowledge and practices reflect a long history of co-evolving and interdependent social-ecological systems. Negotiated settlements of Indigenous rights issues in New Zealand and Canada have resulted in new opportunities for the expression and application of Indigenous management approaches, including in coastal fisheries. Using examples from both nations, including the Maketu taiapure in New Zealand and Gwaii Haanas in Canada, we find that the recognition of Indigenous interests in fisheries management is creating a distinctive ‘third space’ of biocultural conservation that differs quite radically from the polarizing all-or-nothing regime of commercial fisheries vs marine reserves. These approaches to marine conservation simultaneously support cultural renewal and biocultural diversity; bridging the gap between scientific biodiversity conservation on the one hand, and local and Indigenous values of biodiversity for livelihoods on the other. Enabling Indigenous communities to apply their knowledge and practices in stewarding culturally important fisheries is a real
alternative to the creation of artificial islands of conservation through human-free protected areas. Locally driven approaches may be the best hope for long-term conservation in a complex world.
This paper outlines the results of a systematic review of the literature on adaptive comanagement (ACM). Adaptive comanagement is an emergent governance approach for complex social–ecological systems that links the learning function of adaptive management (experimental and experiential) and the linking (vertically and horizontally) function of comanagement. Given the rapid growth of adaptive comanagement scholarship, there is value in a systematic analysis of how the concept is being conceptualized to elucidate agreement and discrepancies and to examine the challenges this presents for cross-case comparisons and the possibility of arriving at more generalizable insights. A synthesis-based methodology has been developed involving a comprehensive search and screening of academic databases and the internet. A detailed analysis of 108 documents was undertaken to characterize the state of the ACM literature, unpack the construct of ACM, and examine relationships among aspects of ACM based on accumulated experiences to date. The systematic review and analysis reveals imprecision, inconsistency, and confusion with the concept. Robust evidentiary insights into how the variables or components of ACM interrelate as well as relate to goals and outcomes are, therefore, presently not possible. These findings lead to the discussion of a series of challenges for ACM scholarship. Opportunities remain for ACM scholars to pursue theoretical development in rigorous ways that facilitate empirically based cross-site comparisons.
Maintaining food production while sustaining productive ecosystems is among the central challenges of our time, yet, it has been for millennia. Ancient clam gardens, intertidal rock-walled terraces constructed by humans during the late Holocene, are thought to have improved the growing conditions for clams. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the beach slope, intertidal height, and biomass and density of bivalves at replicate clam garden and non-walled clam beaches in British Columbia, Canada. We also quantified the variation in growth and survival rates of littleneck clams (Leukoma staminea) we experimentally transplanted across these two beach types. We found that clam gardens had significantly shallower slopes than non-walled beaches and greater densities of L. staminea and Saxidomus giganteus, particularly at smaller size classes. Overall, clam gardens contained 4 times as many butter clams and over twice as many littleneck clams relative to non-walled beaches. As predicted, this relationship varied as a function of intertidal height, whereby clam density and biomass tended to be greater in clam gardens compared to non-walled beaches at relatively higher intertidal heights. Transplanted juvenile L. staminea grew 1.7 times faster and smaller size classes were more likely to survive in clam gardens than non-walled beaches, specifically at the top and bottom of beaches. Consequently, we provide strong evidence that ancient clam gardens likely increased clam productivity by altering the slope of soft-sediment beaches, expanding optimal intertidal clam habitat, thereby enhancing growing conditions for clams. These results reveal how ancient shellfish aquaculture practices may have supported food security strategies in the past and provide insight into tools for the conservation, management, and governance of intertidal seascapes today.
Resilience has become prominent in academia where it is used as a central framework in disciplines such as ecology, climate change adaptation or urban planning. Policy makers and international development agencies also increasingly refer to it. The objective of this paper is to assess the advantages and limits of resilience in the context of development. Although the review highlights some positive elements—for example, the ability to foster an integrated approach—it also shows that resilience has important limitations. In particular, it is not a pro-poor concept, in the sense that it does not exclusively apply to, or benefit, the poor. As such, resilience building cannot replace poverty reduction. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The trend towards the inclusion of diverse groups in environmental decision-making has led to the need to explore new forms of communication to engage communities in expressing their values and aspirations. Participatory art as an emergent methodology was explored with Traditional Owner groups involved in policy development through the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in northern Queensland, Australia. The works began with a moderated focus group exploring the theme What does caring for country mean to you? Participants then worked collaboratively on one canvas over some six weeks. Individual expressions were discussed with participants during and following their creation. Themes emerging from the focus group and painting workshop included those related to culture, well-being, environment, politics, and holism, which was central to the discussions. The common thread of the work was that people need to interact with country in order to care for country.
Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ) was one of the last land masses settled by humans, with the arrival of Māori ca. 1280 AD. This relatively recent human history allows unprecedented opportunity to investigate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in changing environmental and societal contexts. Before European contact, Māori culture had a strongly developed tradition of oral literature, including ancestral sayings (whakataukī). Whakataukī represent one of the main ways of transmitting critical information about all aspects of life and society, including TEK. Our aim in this paper was to analyse information on marine resources contained in whakataukī. We analysed linguistic cues to place whakataukī that refer to marine resources in five time periods, before examining the frequencies of occurrence for these whakataukī, and thus infer the likely importance of these resources through time. References to specific fish reduced through time, in contrast to generic references; we argue that these patterns are associated with societal developments. Naming of fish species during the initial settlement period likely reflects prior Polynesian voyaging experience. Many early fish references are associated with food, but later references to fish do not strongly reflect this pattern. The occurrence of marine resources such as elasmobranchs and shellfish in the whakataukī differ from their occurrence in the archaeological record, reflecting limitations associated with both forms of record.
Community-based institutions used to be driven by local needs, but in recent decades, some of them have been responding to national and global economic opportunities. These cases are of interest because they make it possible to investigate how local institutions can evolve in response to new challenges. A promising set of cases comes from the UNDP Equator Initiative, a program that holds biennial searches to find and reward entrepreneurship cases that seek to reduce poverty and conserve biodiversity at the same time. What can we learn from these local entrepreneurship cases that seem to be playing at the global level? Here we focus on partnerships and horizontal and vertical linkages in a sample of ten Equator Initiative projects. We find that successful projects tend to interact with a large array of support groups, typically 10 to 15 partners. Based on information from on-site research, these partners include local and national NGOs; local, regional and (less commonly) national governments; international donor agencies and other organizations; and universities and research centers. These partners provide a range of services and support functions, including raising start-up funds; institution building; business networking and marketing; innovation and knowledge transfer; and technical training. These findings indicate that a diverse variety of partners are needed to help satisfy a diversity of needs, and highlight the importance of networks and support groups in the evolution of commons institutions.
A number of international donors, including Sida, are promoting an approach to coastal management that is based on learning. The assumption is that coastal management initiatives are public policy experiments and should be framed and evaluated as such. This paper explores this approach by reconstructing as hypotheses the fundamental ideas that shaped coastal management in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s, These hypotheses were applied to three pilot projects sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that were initiated in 1985, This led to national initiatives that featured a participatory, issue-driven approach to coastal management and a commitment to institution building at both the national and local levels. All three pilots succeeded in making the transition from activities devoted to training and planning to programs that are today a formal element of the national governance structure and are adequately funded for an ongoing period of implementation. Lessons learned on implementing a teaming-based approach to coastal management are offered.
Traditional natural-resource management systems of the indigenous communities of the Pacific islands, based on communal-property concepts, continue to function in the face of many changes. All have been weakened by changes accompanying economic development - yet they have adapted, and persist. Independent Pacific island governments accept that these systems are basic to the continued welfare of their societies, but they are proceeding to implement forms of economic development which are in conflict with them. This poses a development dilemma which is crucial for the future of the people of the South Pacific islands. With an emphasis on the resource-rich Melanesian islands, practical examples of the development dilemma in the areas of forestry and fisheries are presented. Suggestions are made as to how agents of development might yet give practical meaning to official policies of support for traditional systems of resource management. Melanesia still has a chance, if excessive population growth rates can be curbed. -from Author
The Inuvialuit Region of the Canadian western Arctic continues to support a variety of land-based activities as part of the regional mixed economy. Tourism development, one of the newer elements of the mixed economy, has potential to conflict with beluga whale hunting, one of the traditional activities. The paper asks the question: can local employment be created through nature-based tourism development in Inuvik, Aklavik, and Tuktoyaktuk in the Inuvialuit Region in ways that support the local mixed economy and minimize conflict with the traditional sector? Results of interviews with Inuvialuit elders and tour operators indicate that both parties regard tourism as a desirable employment option and a creator of economic benefits, with relatively few economic drawbacks and relatively little environmental concern. The problem, however, is that tourism also brings with it social impacts and cultural drawbacks that are, in the Inuvialuit view, mostly related to (a) intrusiveness of tourists, especially in relation to the beluga hunt; (b) representation of the aboriginal hunt in a negative light; and (c) commodification of culture. On the balance, nature-based tourism development has the capability to support the local mixed economy, subject to resolving the conflict between beluga whaling activities and tourist. Fundamentally, however, the conflict is between Inuvialuit lifestyles and values versus the values and expectations of tourists.
Nancy Turner has studied Indigenous peoples' knowledge of plants and environments in northwestern North America for over forty years. In Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge, she integrates her research into a two-volume ethnobotanical tour-de-force. Drawing on information shared by Indigenous botanical experts and collaborators, the ethnographic and historical record, and from linguistics, palaeobotany, archaeology, phytogeography, and other fields, Turner weaves together a complex understanding of the traditions of use and management of plant resources in this vast region. She follows Indigenous inhabitants over time and through space, showing how they actively participated in their environments, managed and cultivated valued plant resources, and maintained key habitats that supported their dynamic cultures for thousands of years, as well as how knowledge was passed on from generation to generation and from one community to another. To understand the values and perspectives that have guided Indigenous ethnobotanical knowledge and practices, Turner looks beyond the details of individual plant species and their uses to determine the overall patterns and processes of their development, application, and adaptation. Volume 1 presents a historical overview of ethnobotanical knowledge in the region before and after European contact. The ways in which Indigenous peoples used and interacted with plants - for nutrition, technologies, and medicine - are examined. Drawing connections between similarities across languages, Turner compares the names of over 250 plant species in more than fifty Indigenous languages and dialects to demonstrate the prominence of certain plants in various cultures and the sharing of goods and ideas between peoples. She also examines the effects that introduced species and colonialism had on the region's Indigenous peoples and their ecologies. Volume 2 provides a sweeping account of how Indigenous organizational systems developed to facilitate the harvesting, use, and cultivation of plants, to establish economic connections across linguistic and cultural borders, and to preserve and manage resources and habitats. Turner describes the worldviews and philosophies that emerged from the interactions between peoples and plants, and how these understandings are expressed through cultures' stories and narratives. Finally, she explores the ways in which botanical and ecological knowledge can be and are being maintained as living, adaptive systems that promote healthy cultures, environments, and indigenous plant populations. Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge both challenges and contributes to existing knowledge of Indigenous peoples' land stewardship while preserving information that might otherwise have been lost. Providing new and captivating insights into the anthropogenic systems of northwestern North America, it will stand as an authoritative reference work and contribute to a fuller understanding of the interactions between cultures and ecological systems.
Individual transferable quotas (ITQs) are a type of catch share system, which is a tool used by some governments to manage fisheries. Technical reasons for taking a rather cautious approach to the implementation of ITQs have been provided previously. In the current contribution, I first highlight the strengths and weaknesses of ITQs and then provide suggestions on how to design and implement these quotas to mitigate their weaknesses. ITQs need to be designed carefully as part of a broad ecosystem-based management scheme to meet the three generally accepted objectives of modern fisheries management: ecological, economic, and social sustainability.
The theoretical underpinnings of various analyses of the social dimensions of ecosystem management are closely related to our mental models of human-nature relations. This article presents examples of eco- and anthropocentric, interdisciplinary and complex system mind maps of human-nature relations. It shows that the interpretation of the social dimension in ecosystem management in each mind map advances the study of human-nature relations in a particular way. However, the dysfunctional reductionism of eco- and anthropocentric mind maps and the weak capacity of interdisciplinary mind maps to analyse intersystem and cross-scale linkages is only overcome by complex system approaches. Different types of complex systems mind maps are found capable of comprehensively operationalising the social dimension of ecosystem management for monitoring purposes and also of linking a variety of knowledge types in integrative analyses to support resilience-oriented management. The participation of system stakeholders in transformative and adaptive transdisciplinary work is central in these endeavours.
Broken symmetry and the nature of the hierarchical structure of science.
This book explores the connections between two of the most transformative processes of the 21st century, namely global environmental change and globalization. It presents a conceptual framework for analyzing the interactions between these two processes, and illustrates, through case studies, how these interactions create situations of "double exposure." Drawing upon case studies largely related to climate change, the book shows how prominent recent and current environmental events - recurring droughts in India, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and the melting of the Arctic ice sheet - demonstrate different pathways of interaction between globalization and global environmental change. Each of these pathways shows how broader human security concerns, including increasing inequality, growing vulnerability, and unsustainable rates of development, are integrally connected to both processes of global change. The double exposure framework not only sheds light on the dangers associated with these two global processes, but also reveals possibilities for using the interactions to generate opportunities for positive action. The book ultimately challenges the ways that global environmental change and globalization are viewed and addressed. By drawing attention to double exposure, the book shows how integrated responses to global environmental change and globalization can create new types of synergies that promote sustainability and enhance human security.
To understand the interplay of factors that shape changes in management strategies, we tracked the evolution of beluga whale co-management involving the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC), and the Tuktoyaktuk Hunter and Trapper Committee from its beginnings in the mid-1980s to the present. The objective was to analyse changes over time in the communication network involved in dealing with the Husky Lakes beluga entrapment issue, using social network analysis (SNA). Along with qualitative information, the use of SNA provided quantitative data to document the development of co-management over time. According to both government and indigenous parties, a fully functional problem-solving partnership developed over the course of two decades. Using the beluga case as the illustration, we traced the development of joint management processes, overcoming some of the initial obstacles and accommodating the needs of the various parties. This case demonstrates the importance of legal arrangements (the indigenous land claims agreement), the role of key individuals and the bridging organisation (FJMC) created by the agreement, and the maturation of co-management over time.
This exciting new book grew out of an international symposium held at FAO, Rome in July 2008, but it is not just a collection of papers from that symposium. Rather, the publication brings together work on social-ecological marine research that cuts across disciplines, identifies key common elements and approaches that promote resilience of marine social-ecological systems in the face of global changes, and points to next steps. The book comprises contributions on conceptual issues relating to social-ecological responses in marine systems to global changes; offers illustrative case studies of specific examples of social-ecological responses in marine systems to significant environmental changes manifested locally; develops a syntheses between natural and social scientists on the topic, and points the way forward with innovative approaches to the use of science and knowledge in management, policy and advice. World Fisheries is part of Wiley-Blackwell's prestigious Fish and Aquatic Resources Series, and encompasses chapters from many scientists at the top of their fields worldwide. Carefully drawn together and edited by four world experts in the area, World Fisheries is a landmark publication which is an essential purchase for all fisheries managers worldwide.
This paper examines the adoption of a technology to appropriate an ecologically constrained resource within the context of a restructuring fisheries sector utilising the conceptual lenses of adaptive learning and practice. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were undertaken in the coastal community of Ponta Negra, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from May 2010 to March 2011. The materials collected were translated and transcribed into English and then manually coded. Through a restorying process the English transcripts were developed into an analytical narrative that described the process of the adoption of pound nets and how this initiated a process of social differentiation between fishing households. The pound net technology constituted a new field of practice that both created and constrained opportunities for livelihood diversification. In this case, individual adaptations made to diversify household economies initiated a cascading process of social differentiation within a coastal community.
