#FISBISNIS: LIVELIHOOD ENHANCEMENT AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN LANGALANGA LAGOON, SOLOMON ISLANDS

Young people in Solomon Islands have to negotiate an uncertain future impacted by rapid social and environmental change. The degradation of coastal ecosystems is undermining the resource base on which rural communities depend... [ view full abstract ]

Young people in Solomon Islands have to negotiate an uncertain future impacted by rapid social and environmental change. The degradation of coastal ecosystems is undermining the resource base on which rural communities depend for nutrition and livelihoods. Urbanization, education and globalization are fundamentally altering production and consumption patterns, and expectations of life. However, most young people have very limited opportunities to fulfill these dreams. High drop-out rates, high youth unemployment levels, and the erosion of traditional support and governance systems lead to a variety of social problems, including alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual violence and petty crime. To be effective in the long term, community-based resource management efforts have to address this ‘poverty of opportunity’. Here we describe the on-going efforts in Langalanga Lagoon to test and evaluate methods to actively engage youth in fisheries management and develop livelihood enhancement activities. Initial results show that vocational training and mentoring can strengthen collective action, reduce social frictions, and empower young people to set realistic goals and take concrete steps to improve their lives.