Johann Stiepani: Changing Coastlines of the Indo-Pacific: Local livelihoods and use of ecosystem resources from a social-ecological systems perspective

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the impacts of global environmental change upon the interactions and connections between coastal ecosystems and small-scale fishers. The analysis builds on social and ecological data, obtained in four locations including: Unguja Ukuu, Zanzibar (Paper I); Malalison island, the Philippines (Paper II); Batan, the Philippines (Paper III); and Penang, Malaysia (Paper IV). Each of these locations is currently impacted by processes of global environmental change that challenge the sustainability of local livelihoods based on natural capital. These processes of global environmental change include environmental degradation (Papers I-III), and mangrove degradation due to land use change (Papers III-IV). Papers I-II focus on gleaning as a specific example of a coastal livelihood and found that gleaners over time struggle with local declines of the species they target. In Paper II gleaning was found to be important as a supplemental livelihood activity when local people were unable to perform regular SSF livelihood activities due to disturbances caused by e.g. typhoons. Environmental degradation was also present within the multi gear SSF at Batan (Paper III) within the mangrove estuary. Within the context of both Papers III-IV land use change fragmented the coastal ecosystems which likely impacted the biodiversity and structure of a mangrove forests. In conclusion, this thesis highlights an array of stressors that threaten these social-ecological system of small-scale fishing villages, in particular their coastal ecosystems found at their fringe. This work confirms the importance for local coastal management to understand different components of a SES to strengthen local livelihood security. Future work and management of these coastlines and livelihoods that are based on their environments need both ecological and social data to enable sound management. Alternative livelihoods could be one strategy to reduce dependency of livelihoods on SSF.