Wellbeing-ecosystem services bundles for adaptive governance of coastal systems experiencing rapid change

The identification of linkages between ecosystem services (i.e., the benefits people obtain from nature) and social wellbeing (e.g., material needs, social relations and subjective wellbeing) is fundamental to coastal... [ view full abstract ]

The identification of linkages between ecosystem services (i.e., the benefits people obtain from nature) and social wellbeing (e.g., material needs, social relations and subjective wellbeing) is fundamental to coastal conservation. Our objective in this presentation is to (i) examine the bundles of interactions between people’s wellbeing and the benefits they derive from ecosystems (what we refer to as ‘WEBs’ or wellbeing-ecosystem service bundles); and (ii) assess how a better understanding of WEBs can support more adaptive and collaborative forms of management under conditions of rapid coastal change. We present preliminary insights from three study regions, including Chilika Lagoon, Bay of Bengal (India), Port Antonio (Jamaica), and the southeast coast of Brazil. Preliminary findings highlight the relevance of WEBs as a strategy to guide socially just and ecologically sound conservation measures. In the Chilika Lagoon, for instance, a WEBs perspective draws attention to the trade-offs between fisher wellbeing and ecosystem services in the context of a wildlife sanctuary that has displaced multiple fishing villages from their customary fishing grounds. In Port Antonio, a WEBs perspective is showing that livelihood diversification efforts have resulted in changes in fishing activities, but their impacts on exploitation of nearshore fisheries have been minimal. For ‘Caiçara’ communities in Brazil (i.e., descendants from Indigenous people, African slaves, and Portuguese colonizers), fisheries represent more than a source of income and food security; rather relational processes (i.e., fishing identity) are as important as the outcome (i.e., amount of catch). These insights point to the limitations of livelihood diversification as a core strategy to reduce human impacts, and the importance of maintaining or enhancing the wellbeing of those that have historically depended upon coastal resource. Ongoing outcomes of this project will involve linking WEBs insights in each case study site with efforts to foster more adaptive and collaborative management of coastal systems, and further unpacking the implications of a WEBs perspective for coastal communities and ecosystems.