Diversified livelihoods and alternative responses to dilemmas of poverty and environmental degradation in coastal fisheries and marine conservation

Integrated coastal management and marine conservation programs in developing countries nowadays explicitly recognize the value of livelihood support to tackle poverty and environmental degradation. Successful livelihood... [ view full abstract ]

Integrated coastal management and marine conservation programs in developing countries nowadays explicitly recognize the value of livelihood support to tackle poverty and environmental degradation. Successful livelihood interventions can improve the outcomes of such programs and therefore governments and donors make considerable investments in diversifying the livelihoods of small-scale fishing communities. The effectiveness of such interventions in terms of improving incomes and food security, while reducing environmental degradation, remains however a matter of unresolved debate.

Our research places dimensions of human well-being, food security and social equity within the wider debate on societal and cultural considerations of coastal and marine conservation. Outcomes and lessons learned over three years of livelihood interventions through the USAID-funded Enhanced Coastal Fisheries in Bangladesh (ECOFISH) activity challenge common assumptions about linkages between alternative livelihoods and income generation, and potential outcomes for management and conservation of coastal and marine biodiversity.

Our results demonstrate that livelihood diversification has contributed to enhanced resilience of coastal hilsa shad fishing communities, but not primarily through ‘conventional’ pathways of creating alternative employment and income generation. Economic and social empowerment of women in hilsa fishing communities has led to enhanced fisheries-based livelihoods through a diversified livelihood portfolio and reduced debts, while motivating their male community members to refrain from illegal and destructive fishing practices. This confirms the notion that the real value of livelihood interventions from a conservation perspective may lie in alternative responses that improve local attitudes towards conservation through increased cooperation and improved community relations.