How is Shrimp Aquaculture Transforming Coastal Livelihoods and Lagoons in Estero Real, Nicaragua?: The Need to Integrate Social–Ecological Research and Ecosystem-Based Approaches

Abstract

Ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture integrate environmental concerns into planning. Social-ecological systems research can improve this approach by explicitly relating ecological and social dynamics of change at multiple scales. Doing so requires not only addressing direct effects of aquaculture but also considering indirect factors such as changes in livelihood strategies, governance dynamics, and power relations. We selected the community of Puerto Morazán, Nicaragua as a case study to demonstrate how the introduction of small-scale aquaculture radically transformed another key livelihood activity, lagoon shrimp fishing, and the effects that these changes have had on lagoons and the people that depend on them. We find that shrimp aquaculture played a key role in the collapse, in the 1990s, of an existing lagoon common-property management. Shrimp aquaculture-related capital enabled the adoption of a new fishing technique that not only degraded lagoons but also led to their gradual privatization. The existence of social ties between small-scale shrimp farmers and other community members mitigated the impacts of privatization, illustrating the importance of social capital. Since 2008, community members are seeking to communally manage the lagoons once again, in response to degraded environmental conditions and a consolidation of the shrimp industry at the expense of smaller actors. This research shows that shrimp aquaculture intersects with a complex set of drivers, affecting not only how ecosystems are managed but also how they are perceived and valued. Understanding these social-ecological dynamics is essential to implement realistic policies and management of mangrove ecosystems and address the needs of resource-dependent people.

Perceptions of shellfish aquaculture in British Columbia and implications for well-being in marine social-ecological systems

“…Under the Oceans Act, DFO is moving toward an integrated management model that includes consideration of the social consequences of management decisions and planning processes. Such ecosystem-based management approaches need to adopt a nuanced understanding of social dynamics and other insights from social-ecological research of the kind we have presented (Benessaiah and Sengupta 2014). Specific efforts to enhance and advance environmentally and socially sustainable aquaculture in Canada under the National Aquaculture Strategic Action Plan Initiative call for enhancing "social license" by improving governance and oversight.…”

Multi-Decadal Mangrove Forest Change Detection and Prediction in Honduras, Central America, with Landsat Imagery and a Markov Chain Model

“…Moreover, although the region was legally characterized as state lands officially managed by governmental institutions during this period, the estuary coastal lowlands were de facto areas. Various management regimes (ranging from private to common property and open access) coexisted [54], which allowed an individual or a corporation to intensify shrimp aquaculture. …”

Systematic Planning and Ecosystem-Based Management as Strategies to Reconcile Mangrove Conservation with Resource Use

“…However, incorporation of social-ecological aspects, such as people's perception and traditional uses in conservation policies, is deficient (McConney and Charles, 2008). As pointed out by Benessaiah and Sengupta (2014), one challenge is that many ecologists and managers tend to define ecosystems in a localized sense, rather than adopting a broader understanding of ecosystems as self-organizing units comprised of interacting ecological and social components operating at different scales. Adopting a social-ecological system approach explicitly defines issues as an integrated system of people and environment (Benessaiah and Sengupta, 2014;Nayak and Berkes, 2014).…”

“…As pointed out by Benessaiah and Sengupta (2014), one challenge is that many ecologists and managers tend to define ecosystems in a localized sense, rather than adopting a broader understanding of ecosystems as self-organizing units comprised of interacting ecological and social components operating at different scales. Adopting a social-ecological system approach explicitly defines issues as an integrated system of people and environment (Benessaiah and Sengupta, 2014;Nayak and Berkes, 2014). The term social-ecological is used throughout this paper in the sense of the integration of humans and nature in complex, adaptive systems (Berkes and Folke, 1998).…”