Examining linkages between ecosystem services and social wellbeing to improve governance for coastal conservation in Jamaica

Cheryl Chan, Derek Armitage, Steven M. Alexander and Donovan Campbell

Ecosystem Services, 2019, vol. 39, issue C

Abstract: This research examines perceptions of the linkages between ecosystem services (ES) and social wellbeing in a small-scale fishing community in Bluefields, Jamaica. It analyzes the perceived changes to these linkages based on the impacts of a marine protected area (MPA) on this coastal social-ecological system. MPAs can have positive long-term social and ecological effects, but in the short-term they can negatively impact communities, and careful attention to these impacts is needed to achieve positive conservation outcomes. We conducted 42 semi-structured interviews and six focus groups discussions with community members in Bluefields. Key findings from this research include: 1) the importance of provisioning (e.g., fish, lobster) and cultural ES (e.g., cultural heritage, bequest values) and their bundled qualities to both fishers and non-fishers; 2) the perceived impact of the MPA is highest for inshore fishers, while offshore fishers/non-fishers reported few/no negative impacts; and 3) inshore fishers perceive being more marginalized in governance processes, despite reporting the greatest negative change to ES access and social wellbeing from MPA implementation. The results suggest that governance processes for coastal conservation must acknowledge the individual and shared values of coastal areas and traditional livelihoods to achieve long-term legitimacy and support.

Keywords: Co-management; Coastal management; Ecosystem services; Social wellbeing; Governance marine protected areas; Caribbean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212041618304509
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:39:y:2019:i:c:s2212041618304509

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2019.100997

Access Statistics for this article

Ecosystem Services is currently edited by Leon C Braat

More articles in Ecosystem Services from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().