Search

This article examines how selected socioeconomic characteristics of fishers and traders shape market prices at five coastal communities in Kenya. Focus groups elicited perceived factors affecting market prices, which were then tested using quantitative analysis. Ownership of fishing gear by fishers negatively influenced the prices taken. Fish traders who bought larger quantities paid a higher price. There was no significant relation between the choice of fish market by traders and fish price due to the diffused nature of the fish market. Although fish traders had relatively high income than fishers, the link between individual characteristics, market prices, and the outcomes of such interactions is more complicated than commonly perceived. The complexity is enhanced by the heterogeneity in different fisheries and of the prices at different markets and underlines the importance of continued documentation and exploration of the relationships between social and economic status and market prices for fishers and traders.

Globalization has increased the speed and flow of people, information, and commodities across space, integrating markets and increasing interdependence of geographically dispersed places worldwide. Places historically driven by largely local forces and market demands are now increasingly affected by drivers at multiple scales. Trade is particularly important in driving these changes and more fish is now exported to international markets than ever before. When small-scale fisheries are integrated into global markets, local social-ecological systems change with potentially both positive and negative impacts on livelihoods, economics and ecology, but few studies systematically investigate how and why the outcomes of market integration vary from case to case. This paper systematically assesses multiple (social, ecological, economic and institutional) local effects of market integration in cases around the world by drawing on the global environmental change syndromes approach. Furthermore, we examine the factors contributing to the syndromes observed. Our analysis identifies three distinct social-ecological syndromes associated with international seafood trade. Results suggest that the presence of strong and well-enforced institutions is the principal factor behind the syndrome characterized by sustained fish stocks, while a combination of weak institutions, patron-client relationships, high demand from China and highly vulnerable target species explain the other two syndromes distinguished by declining stocks, conflict and debt among fishers. A key finding is that the factors emerging as important for explaining the different syndromes derive from different scales (e.g. local market structures vs distant market characteristics), indicating a need for multi-level governance approaches to deal with the effects of market integration. Furthermore, the meta-analysis shows that each syndrome encompasses fisheries from multiple continents. This suggests that the increasingly g

Global seafood sourcing networks are expanding to meet demand. To describe contemporary fishery expansion patterns, we analyzed the worldwide exploitation of sea cucumber (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) traded via Hong Kong for consumers in China. In just 15 years (1996-2011), the sea cucumber sourcing network expanded from 35 to 83 countries; sea cucumber fisheries serving the Chinese market now operate within countries cumulatively spanning over 90% of the world's tropical coastlines. The emergence of such fisheries in nations where they were previously absent could not be explained either by their national governance capacity or by their distance from Hong Kong. Surging imports from these new fisheries have compensated for declines in long-standing fisheries elsewhere. The case of commercial sea cucumber trade for the Chinese market exemplifies a new global extraction phenomenon that we call contagious resource exploitation - A fast-moving system resembling a disease epidemic, where long-distance transport expedites largescale expansion followed by diffusive local spread into neighboring areas. Multi-level and multi-scale decision making is urgently needed to control and mitigate the effects of contagious exploitation.

This study, carried out in five fishing communities along the Kenyan coast, examined fisheries-derived income of fishers and traders in two different invertebrate fisheries (octopus and sea cucumber) and tested if differences in global market integration of these two products could explain differences in income inequalities among actors involved in the two fisheries. The structure of the value chains was mapped, differences in income between fishers and traders tested, and income inequalities among actors in each fishery examined. Although the octopus fishery included a greater diversity of actors and thereby provides income to a larger group of people, income inequality in this fishery was higher among fishers and traders than in the sea cucumber fishery. Thus, the often cited relationship between increasing market integration and income inequality may require a re-evaluation and a more nuanced treatment.

With the ambition to contribute to the endeavour of co-management, this paper focuses on the critical aspect of legitimacy and sets out to explain stakeholder acceptance in natural resource governance. A comparative study of five coastal and marine areas in Sweden is conducted. The empirical results demonstrate, first, how the past and the present institutional landscape set the underlying conditions and affect stakeholders' acceptance of new co-management initiatives. Second, the results point to the critical function of network governance. Conscious choices regarding what composition of actors to involve, and in particular the inclusion and commitment of government actors, have significant bearing on stakeholder acceptance. Furthermore, deliberative efforts to reframe the process, adjusting the agenda to ongoing collaborative processes and key stakeholder goals, are seemingly as important. Thus, strivings towards legitimate co-management require skilful manoeuvring of the present institutional landscape as well as deliberate strategies for the evolution of social networks., AuthorCount:3

This study, carried out in five fishing communities along the Kenyan coast, examined fisheries-derived income of fishers and traders in two different invertebrate fisheries (octopus and sea cucumber) and tested if differences in global market integration of these two products could explain differences in income inequalities among actors involved in the two fisheries. The structure of the value chains was mapped, differences in income between fishers and traders tested, and income inequalities among actors in each fishery examined. Although the octopus fishery included a greater diversity of actors and thereby provides income to a larger group of people, income inequality in this fishery was higher among fishers and traders than in the sea cucumber fishery. Thus, the often cited relationship between increasing market integration and income inequality may require a re-evaluation and a more nuanced treatment., AuthorCount:3

More inclusive forms of governance are increasingly advocated that allow for stakeholder participation and joint capacity building. Platforms for dialogue and the exchange of knowledge are seen as one tool to integrate different knowledge systems such as science and local knowledge. In this study, we examine a Swedish Co-management Initiative of fisheries using an integrated version of Plummer and Fitzgibbon’s ‘Adaptive Co-Management’ (2004) and Senecah’s ‘Trinity of Voice’ (2004) frameworks in analysing the participation process, communication, and learning outcomes. The results show that participating actors were successful in developing trust and enhancing learning, starting with a conflict situation and diverging interests. Attention to ‘access’ and ‘standing’ as part of participation, and skilled facilitation, were key issues in achieving these results. The article provides insights with regard to the use of established frameworks, here applied to an empirical case, enhance our understanding of learning in conflicted contexts, and helps practitioners in designing and institutionalizing learning processes and platforms in other contexts., Ekologisk kunskap och hållbart resursutnyttjande. Vikten av kunskapsbildning för kapacitet att hantera samförvaltning av naturresurser

In this paper we apply multiple perspectives in order to investigate a co- management initiative of fisheries in Sweden, using the frameworks of Adaptive Co-Management and the Trinity of Voice along with a cognitive and social perspective. The analysis and evaluation of participation in environmental governance, here fisheries, focuses on the context, pre-conditions and outcomes, as well as the participatory and communicative process of the initiative, identifying critical factors supporting and hindering the success of the exercise in relation to expected outcomes. We conclude that the project generated positive outcomes and discuss the supporting factors of this result. The discussion also focuses on the need to bring a cognitive and social perspective in to the analysis as it explains the pre-conditions - in terms of the differing ways that participants view and understand ecological problems and changes - and that these views are crucial aspects of the communicative process and need to be addressed and attended to., Ekologisk kunskap och hållbart resursutnyttjande. Vikten av kunskapsbildning för kapacitet att hantera samförvaltning av naturresurser

Coral reef fish are an important source of food security and income for human coastal populations. They also underpin ecosystem processes vital for the future ability of coral reefs to generate ecological goods and services. Identifying socio-economic drivers behind the exploitation of fish that uphold these key ecosystem processes and the scales at which they operate is therefore critical for successful management. This study addresses this issue by examining the reef-associated fish value chain in Zanzibar, and how it links to functional groups of fish and maturity stage of fish within these groups. Semi-structured interviews with 188 respondents (fishers, traders and hotel staff) involved in the fisheries and trade with reef-associated fish in Zanzibar and participatory observations were used. The trade with reef fish in Zanzibar is a complex structure involving many different agents and this study shows that these different agents exhibit differential preferences regarding fish functional groups and/or maturity stages within these groups. Consequently, both high and low trophic species, as well as small and large fishes are fished and sold, which leaves no refuge for the fish assemblage to escape fishing. When other market agents than fishers have so much influence and there are few alternative income generating activities, it is not possible to put all burden on fishers. Management measures that extend down the value chain to include all market agents as well as their links to ecosystem processes are thus likely to be needed to reach the target of sustainable fisheries., AuthorCount:5

Mangroves are an imperilled biome whose protection and restoration through payments for ecosystem services (PES) can contribute to improved livelihoods, climate mitigation and adaptation. Interviews with resource users in three Solomon Islands villages suggest a strong reliance upon mangrove goods for subsistence and cash, particularly for firewood, food and building materials. Village-derived economic data indicates a minimum annual subsistence value from mangroves of US$ 345–1501 per household. Fish and nursery habitat and storm protection were widely recognized and highly valued mangrove ecosystem services. All villagers agreed that mangroves were under threat, with firewood overharvesting considered the primary cause. Multivariate analyses revealed village affiliation and religious denomination as the most important factors determining the use and importance of mangrove goods. These factors, together with gender, affected users’ awareness of ecosystem services. The importance placed on mangrove services did not differ significantly by village, religious denomination, gender, age, income, education or occupation. Mangrove ecosystem surveys are useful as tools for raising community awareness and input prior to design of PES systems. Land tenure and marine property rights, and how this complexity may both complicate and facilitate potential carbon credit programmes in the Pacific, are discussed.

QC 20220607

Parrotfish play two important roles in coral reef social–ecological systems; first as important sources of food for reef dependent people, and second by underpinning the ecological function of herbivory (i.e., grazing of algae) on coral reefs. Overfishing of herbivores can be detrimental to coral reef ecosystems because their removal may allow algae to outcompete corals. However, little is known about the drivers behind the exploitation of parrotfish. We describe the trade of parrotfish in Zanzibar with the aim to visualize the linkages between ecological function, market price, and socioeconomic drivers behind their exploitation. Three interesting findings emerge. First, parrotfish are an important part of the fish trade in Zanzibar and are traded at all market scales (from local consumers to international tourists). Second, size is an important determinant of price, with larger fish generating much higher values. Third, size determines which market parrotfish are sold to. Overall the study shows that all sizes of parrotfish are exposed to exploitation, leaving no size-refuge for escaping harvest. In light of an increasing global demand and high market prices, we thus propose that traditional fisheries management be complemented with assessments of both ecological understanding and socioeconomic dynamics to take into account of global market drivers behind parrotfish exploitation at local scales.

The demand for bottled water has grown tremendously in recent years, together with concern about its environmental impacts. The authors surveyed individuals in Phoenix, Arizona about their water consumption behaviour, socio-demographic characteristics, perception of water quality and trust in the government's willingness to respond to water quality issues. Using a logit model, the authors then tested the relationship between the respondents' characteristics and bottled water consumption for cooking and drinking in the home. Our results indicate that bottled water consumption reflects lifestyle choice not environmental concerns.

This study examines the socio-organizational model of science-policy knowledge transfer. Using social network analysis, the authors study how interactions between researchers-policy makers affect utilization of research by policy makers in a boundary organization designed to mediate between research and policy communities. Two types of social interactions with independent effects on utilization are identified. Policy makers with more direct contacts with researchers are more likely to utilize research. Policy makers interacting more with other policy makers regarding research are also more likely to utilize it. This indicates the importance of policy makers’ embeddedness in social networks and the importance of external reputation of boundary organizations for successful knowledge transfer.

This report addresses some of the knowledge gaps in the Western Indian Ocean region by investigating the factors driving fishers to migrate from their home grounds in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar and the Comoros., Other authors: Simeon Mesaki (UDSM, Tanzania); Almeida Guissamulo (UEM, Mozambique); Jacob Ochiewo (KMFRI, Kenya); Chris Poonian (Community Centred Conservation, Comores); Jim Anderson (ReCoMaP, Mauritius)

Coastal areas, and their small-scale fisheries, are important targets for both internal and transboundary migration partly because high mobility is an inherent feature of many artisanal fisheries livelihoods. As climatic changes are forecast to occur, environmental changes may trigger increased flows of migrant fishers. Policies that seek to promote development in ways that do not extensively degrade natural resources will thus have to deal with likely increases in flows of people across administrative boundaries. However, to date little attention has been directed at this issue and little is known about how policies related to coastal resources and development address these issues. This paper addresses this knowledge gap by analyzing policies and legal documents related to coastal resource management and development to examine the extent to which they recognize and integrate fishers' migration in their provisions. Migrant well-being and vulnerabilities are also addressed by examining the extent to which existing policies dealing with socio-economic development and environmental management address migrants and their needs. The analysis shows that policies related to governance of marine resources and coastal development lack an acknowledgment of fishers' migration issues and suggests that this signals an important gap in policy. The implications of this are discussed. The paper also highlights the fact that the invisibility of the issue in policy means that institutions developed to deal with coastal management at the community level may not have sufficient support from legal and policy documents, and may not be developed or equipped to handle the possible conflicts and difficult trade-offs that need to be addressed as a result of current and potentially increasing fishers' mobility., authorCount :2

A range of studies from Earth system scientists argue that human activities drives multiple, interacting effects that cascade through the Earth system. Recent contributions state and quantify nine, interacting «planetary boundaries» with possible threshold effects. This article provides an overview of the Earth system governance challenges that follow from this notion of multiple, interacting and possibly non-linear «planetary boundaries». Here we discuss four interrelated global governance challenges, as well as some possible ways to address them in future research. The four identified challenges are related to 1) the interplay between Earth system science and global policies; 2) the capacity of international institutions to deal with individual planetary boundaries, as well as interactions between them; 3) the role of international organizations in dealing with planetary boundaries interactions; and 4) the role of Earth system governance in framing social-ecological innovations.

This paper analyzes the middlemen-fishermen link in coastal communities along the coast of southern Kenya and Zanzibar, and explores effects of reciprocal agreements and credit arrangements on social-ecological feedbacks of coastal systems The existence and generality of such arrangements are mapped and their effect on resource use and ecosystem dynamics is then explored Data show that credit arrangements are widespread and that fishermen are bound by reciprocal agreements and financial guarantees during periods of lower catches that provide short-term stabilizing social effects These arrangements create incentives which disconnect resource extraction from ecosystem dynamics and impede development of sustainable use practices The role of middlemen is seldom accounted for in fisheries governance Scenarios for the development of small-scale fisheries in the region are outlined and the function of middlemen is discussed considering the influence of external drivers Policies that incorporate middlemen are recommended to improve the governance of fish stocks and coastal ecosystems in East Africa., authorCount :4

Ecological knowledge and sustainable resource management: The role of knowledge acquisition in enhancing the adaptive capacity of co-management arrangements

This science blog is hosted by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, in collaboration with our closest international research partners, and Think Globally Radio. The idea is simple. We will post lectures, conference summaries, article reviews, interviews and other interesting things in the field of earth system science and governance research. The writing team consists of scholars from a range of research centres, with background in diverse disciplines. But we all have one thing in common: the ambition to explore the role of governance, institutions, networks and organizations in building adaptiveness, and supporting innovation in an era of global environmental change., Internet (Blog/Online article/Newsletter)

Policy Brief

Coastal cities in East Africa are growing rapidly and consequently there is a rapid increase in urban sewage production, putting added pressure on already strained treatment systems. As a result, peri- urban mangroves are receiving extensive amounts of sewage but very little is know as to the ecological and societal consequences of this. However, UNEP among others advocate the use of low-cost, natural sewage treatment technology whenever possible and mangroves have been suggested as useful second stage biofilters. Because of the high resource dependency in many peri-urban coastal communities in East Africa, it is imperative to investigate potential societal impacts on local communities using sewage impacted peri-urban mangroves. Consequently this paper aims to characterize stakeholder groups currently affected by sewage impacted mangroves and thus also map vulnerabilities across local users in relation to future initiatives to use mangroves as biofilters along the East African coast. As risk perception is an important part of vulnerability, and risk perception related to sewage and pollution in an African setting has been little studied, we also aim to contribute baseline data on risk perception related to pollution across peri-urban populations in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.

info:eu-repo/semantics/published

Widespread mangrove degradation coupled with the increasing awareness of the importance of these coastal forests have spurred many attempts to restore mangroves but without concomitant assessment of recovery (or otherwise) at the ecosystem level in many areas. This paper reviews literature on the recovery of restored mangrove ecosystems using relevant functional indicators. While stand structure in mangrove stands is dependent on age, site conditions and silvicultural management, published data indicates that stem densities are higher in restored mangroves than comparable natural stands; the converse is true for basal area. Biomass increment rates have been found to be higher in younger stands than older stands (e.g. 12 t ha-1 year-1 for a 12 years plantation compared to 5.1 t ha-1 year-1 for a 80-year-old plantation). Disparities in patterns of tree species recruitment into the restored stands have been observed with some stands having linear recruitment rates with time (hence enhancing stand complexity), while some older stands completely lacked the understorey. Biodiversity assessments suggest that some fauna species are more responsive to mangrove degradation (e.g. herbivorous crabs and mollusks in general), and thus mangrove restoration encourages the return of such species, in some cases to levels equivalent to those in comparable natural stands. The paper finally recommends various mangrove restoration pathways in a functional framework dependent on site conditions and emphasizes community involvement and ecosystem level monitoring as integral components of restoration projects. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved., SCOPUS: re.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The juvenile fish community associated with natural, degraded and replanted Sonneratia alba mangroves in Gazi Bay was sampled during the South East and North East monsoons between April 2002 and June 2003. A total of 1800 individuals belonging to 49 taxa and 34 families were collected from the intertidal forest using stake nets. Fish abundance ranged from 0.93 ± 0.20 ind. m−2 (SEM02) to 1.16 ± 0.18 ind. m−2 (SEM03) between seasons and between 0.54 ± 0.07 ind. m−2 and 1.64 ± 0.33 ind. m−2 for individual sites across seasons. Five taxa accounted for approximately 70% of the total fish abundance, with Gobidae and Gerres oyena dominating. ANOSIM revealed seasonal differences in fish species composition and abundance (p = 0.01) due to fluctuating abundances of primarily Terapon sp. and Thryssa sp. The majority (65%) of fishes were reef associates, which implies a tight coupling between mangroves and coral reefs. The high proportion (75%) of commercial species indicates that fringing S. alba mangroves of Gazi Bay are important in sustaining coastal fisheries in the area. The fact that the replanted mangroves of Gazi Bay harbor a significant number of commercially important species as juveniles suggest their function as nursery habitats for nekton may well have been restored. This study is original in quantitatively evaluating the use of replanted intertidal mangroves by juvenile fish in the West Indian Ocean; a topic poorly studied worldwide to date.

info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Recolonization of epibiotic flora and fauna in two fringing Sonneratia alba reforestation plots was investigated and compared to a natural mangrove stand and a denuded site in Gazi Bay, Kenya. The reforested sites differed with respect to land history and planting density. Habitat availability in the form of pneumatophore surface differed among forested sites (P<0.001), and between landward and seaward zones (P<0.05). Eighteen algal species were found in the natural area compared to 23 and 10 in replanted sites. Only one species was encountered in the denuded area. SIMPER analysis distinguished Enteromorpha ramulosa, Polysiphonia sp., Hypnea sp. and Caloglossa leprieuri as the main algal species responsible for differences between sites. Algal bio- mass was positively correlated to pneumatophores area (P<0.001). Total algal biomass differed mark- edly between forested sites: 1.4 (matrix replantation), 28.6 (natural stand) and 44.3 g m-2 (integrated replantation) in the seaward zones. The matrix replantation showed strong differences in algal community assemblages compared to the other forested sites, and this site also had significantly lower biomass of sessile benthic fauna (P<0.001). Statistical differences in algal (P<0.01) and sponge (P<0.05) community composition between landward and sea- ward zones were observed in all sites and trunk fouling fauna was distinctly different between sites. Reasons for the above patterns are discussed and it is suggested that zonation patterns affecting pneumatophore surface and inundation time, in combination with proximity of sites to natural seeding areas, are the most likely explanations for observed patterns of epibiotic community distribution in this study.

This thesis studies some of the links between the social and ecological components in a coastal Social-Ecological System (SES) of East Africa to gain insight into factors affecting natural resource management at a community level. It does so by assessing the return of ecosystem goods and services in restored mangroves through both ecological and socio-economic measurements, and by empirically studying variations and diversity in content of local ecological knowledge among resource users, its relation to valuation of ecosystem goods and services and its distribution across a social network. Taking its starting point in a study of the return of ecological functions in restored mangroves (Paper I) the main results of the thesis are presented in three sections. The ecological perspective, showing restored mangroves as nursery grounds for juvenile shrimp communities, is complemented by findings from interviews with local user groups revealing a range of ecosystem goods and services associated with natural and replanted forests (Paper II). The thesis moves on to show heterogeneity in local ecological knowledge held by groups of resource users (Paper III) and how this can be correlated with structure of the social network for transferring such information and knowledge (Paper IV). This network structure is elaborated upon in the third and final section to look at the role it might play for community social capital and for structurally well positioned individuals to access such capital and initiate collective action for natural resource management (Paper V). The role played by social capital in shaping the informal institution represented by middlemen in the study area is also touched upon as is the function of middlemen in linking social and ecological dynamics of the coupled Social Ecological System (Paper VI). Finally, the implications of these findings are discussed in the context of natural resource management with focus on co-management and community involvement.