Abstract
Departing from a theoretical methodology, we estimate empirically an index of adaptive capacity (IAC) of a fishing community to the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs). We carried out household surveys, designed to obtain information for indicators and sub-indicators, and calculated the IAC. Moreover, we performed a sensitivity analysis to check for robustness of the results. Our findings show that, despite being located between two MPAs, the fishing community of Bazán in the Colombian Pacific is highly vulnerable and that the socioeconomic dimension of the IAC constitutes the most binding dimension for building adaptive capacity. Bazán is characterized by extreme poverty, high dependence on resources, and lack of basic public infrastructure. Notwithstanding, social capital and local awareness about ecological conditions may act as enhancers of adaptive capacity. The establishment of MPAs should consider the development of strategies to confer adaptive capacity to local communities highly dependent on resource extraction.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adger, W.N., T.P. Hughes, C. Folke, S.R. Carpenter, and J. Rockström. 2005. Social–ecological resilience to coastal disasters. Science 309: 1036–1039.
Alban, F., G. Appéré, and J. Boncoeur. 2006. Economic analysis of marine protected areas: A literature review. EMPAFISH Project Booklet 3.
Arin, T., and R.A. Kramer. 2002. Divers’ willingness to pay to visit marine sanctuaries: An exploratory study. Ocean and Coastal Management 45: 171–183.
Armitage, D., F. Berkes, and N. Doubleday. 2007. Introduction: Moving beyond co-management. In Adaptive co-management: Collaboration, learning, and multi-level governance, ed. D. Armitage, F. Berkes, and N. Doubleday, 1–15. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
Aswani, S., and R.J. Hamilton. 2004. Integrating indigenous ecological knowledge and customary sea tenure with marine and social science for conservation of bumphead parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum) in the Roviana Lagoon, Solomon Islands. Environmental Conservation 31: 69–83.
Balmford, A., P. Gravestock, N. Hockley, C.J. McClean, and C.M. Roberts. 2004. The worldwide costs of marine protected areas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 101: 9694–9697.
Becker, C.D., and K. Ghimire. 2003. Synergy between traditional ecological knowledge and conservation science supports forest preservation in Ecuador. Ecology and Society 8: 1.
Berkes, F. 2007. Adaptive co-management and complexity: Exploring the many faces of co-management. In Adaptive co-management: Collaboration, learning, and multi-level governance, ed. D. Armitage, F. Berkes, and N. Doubleday, 19–37. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
Bhat, M.G. 2003. Application of non-market valuation to the Florida Keys marine reserve management. Journal of Environmental Management 67: 315–325.
Brooks, N., W. Neil Adger, and P.M. Kelly. 2005. The determinants of vulnerability and adaptive capacity at the national level and the implications for adaptation. Global Environmental Change 15: 151–163.
Bush, G., N. Hanley, M. Moro, and D. Rondeau. 2012. Measuring the local opportunity costs of conservation: A provision point mechanism for willingness-to-accept. Stirling Economics Discussion Paper, 2012–2014. Stirling Management School.
Charles, A., and L. Wilson. 2009. Human dimensions of marine protected areas. ICES Journal of Marine Science 66: 6–15.
Christie, P. 2005. Observed and perceived environmental impacts of marine protected areas in two Southeast Asia sites. Ocean and Coastal Management 48: 252–270.
Cinner, J.E., M. Fuentes, and H. Randriamahazo. 2009. Exploring social resilience in Madagascar’s marine protected areas. Ecology and Society 14: 41.
Cinner, J.E., T.R. McClanahan, and A. Wamukota. 2010. Differences in livelihoods, socioeconomic characteristics, and knowledge about the sea between fishers and non-fishers living near and far from marine parks on the Kenyan coast. Marine Policy 34: 22–28.
Cinner, J., T. McClanahan, N. Graham, T. Daw, J. Maina, S. Stead, A. Wamukota, K. Brown, et al. 2011. Vulnerability of coastal communities to key impacts of climate change on coral reef fisheries. Global Environmental Change 22: 12–20.
Coad, L., N.D. Burgess, B. Bomhard, and C. Besançon. 2009. Progress towards the Convention on Biological Diversity’s 2010 and 2012 targets for protected area coverage. Parks: The International Journal for Protected Area Managers 17: 35–72.
Cox, J.C. 2004. How to identify trust and reciprocity. Games and Economic Behavior 46: 260–281.
Dixon, J.A. 1993. Economic benefits of marine protected areas. Oceanus 36: 35–40.
Feres, J.C., and X. Mancera. 2001. The method of unsatisfied basic needs and applications in Latin America. Naciones Unidas, CEPAL, Division de Estadística y Proyecciones Económicas (in Spanish).
Grootaert, C., and T. Van Bastelaer. 2002. Understanding and measuring social capital: A multidisciplinary tool for practitioners. Washington: World Bank Publications.
Janishevski, L., K. Noonan-Mooney, S. B. Gidda, and K. J. Mulongoy. 2008. Protected areas in today’s world: Their values and benefits for the welfare of the planet. CBD Technical Series.
Lora, E. 2005. Techniques of economic measurement: Methods and applications in Colombia. 3rd ed. Colombia: Alfa Omega (in Spanish).
Lutchman, I., W. Aalbersberg, N. Conservancy, and G. Britain. 2005. Marine protected areas: Benefits and costs for islands. Mexico: WWF.
Maldonado, J.H., and R.P. Moreno-Sánchez. 2013. Estimating the adaptive capacity of local communities at marine protected areas in Latin-America: A practical approach. Ecology and Society 18(3): 7.
Marshall, N.A., and P.A. Marshall. 2007. Conceptualizing and operationalizing social resilience within commercial fisheries in northern Australia. Ecology and Society 12: 1.
Mascia, M.B. 2003. The human dimension of coral reef marine protected areas: Recent social science research and its policy implications. Conservation Biology 17: 630–632.
Mascia, M.B., C. Claus, and R. Naidoo. 2010. Impacts of marine protected areas on fishing communities. Conservation Biology 24: 1424–1429.
McCarthy, J.J., O.F. Canziani, N.A. Leary, D.J. Dokken, and K.S. White. 2001. Climate change 2001: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
McClanahan, T.R., J.E. Cinner, J. Maina, N.A.J. Graham, T.M. Daw, S.M. Stead, A. Wamukota, K. Brown, et al. 2008. Conservation action in a changing climate. Conservation Letters 1: 53–59.
McCrea-Strub, A., D. Zeller, U. Rashid Sumaila, J. Nelson, A. Balmford, and D. Pauly. 2011. Understanding the cost of establishing marine protected areas. Marine Policy 35: 1–9.
Nardo, M., M. Saisana, A. Saltelli, S. Tarantola, A. Hoffman, and E. Giovannini. 2008. Handbook on constructing composite indicators: Methodology and user guide. Paris: OECD, European Commission, Joint Research Centre.
Olsson, P., and C. Folke. 2001. Local ecological knowledge and institutional dynamics for ecosystem management: A study of Lake Racken watershed, Sweden. Ecosystems 4: 85–104.
Orencio, P.M., and M. Fujii. 2012. An index to determine vulnerability of communities in a coastal zone: A case study of Baler, Aurora, Philippines. AMBIO 42: 61–71.
Ostrom, E. 1990. Governing the commons: The evolution of institutions for collective action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ostrom, E. 2005. Understanding institutional diversity. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Plummer, R., and J. FitzGibbon. 2006. People matter: The importance of social capital in the co-management of natural resources. Natural Resources Forum 30: 51–62.
Pomeroy, R.S., M.B. Mascia, and R.B. Pollnac. 2007. Marine protected areas, the social dimension. Report and documentation of the expert workshop on marine protected areas and fisheries management: Review of issues and considerations, FAO, FAO Fisheries Report, Rome, 149–182.
Pretty, J., and H. Ward. 2001. Social capital and the environment. World Development 29: 209–227.
Sanchirico, J.N., K.A. Cochran, and P.M. Emerson. 2002. Marine protected areas: Economic and social implications. Washington: Resources for the Future.
Smit, B., and O. Pilifosova. 2001. Adaptation to climate change in the context of sustainable development and equity. In Climate change 2001: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the third assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ed. J.J. McCarthy, O.F. Canziani, N.A. Leary, D.J. Dokken, and K.S. White, 877–912. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Smith, M.D., J. Lynham, J.N. Sanchirico, and J.A. Wilson. 2010. Political economy of marine reserves: Understanding the role of opportunity costs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107: 18300–18305.
United Nations. 1992. Text of the convention on biological diversity. http://www.cbd.int/convention/text/. Accessed May 2013.
Uphoff, N. 2000. Understanding social capital: Learning from the analysis and experience of participation. In Social capital: A multifaceted perspective, ed. P. Dasgupta and I. Serageldin, 215–249. Washington: World Bank.
Wales, M.P.A.N.S. 2008. A review of benefits of marine protected areas and related zoning considerations. New South Wales: Marine Parks Authority.
Walker, J., and E. Ostrom. 2009. Trust and reciprocity as foundations for cooperation. Whom can we trust, 91–124.
Walker, B., S. Carpenter, J. Anderies, N. Abel, G. Cumming, M. Janssen, L. Lebel, J. Norberg, et al. 2002. Resilience management in social–ecological systems: A working hypothesis for a participatory approach. Conservation Ecology 6: 14.
Yohe, G., and R.S.J. Tol. 2002. Indicators for social and economic coping capacity: Moving toward a working definition of adaptive capacity. Global Environmental Change 12: 25–40.
Acknowledgments
This study was done as part of the project “Socioeconomic monitoring in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape (ETPS)—Walton Family Foundation (WFF)” chapter Colombia, carried out by the Group of Studies on Environmental and Resource Economics at Universidad de los Andes, under the supervision of Conservation International CI and funded by the Walton Family Foundation WFF. We thank Maria Claudia Diaz Granados, from CI, for her support at the different stages of this research. We also thank Margoth Figueredo, survey supervisor, for assuring high-quality surveys from the Bazán community. The project had German Augusto Pachón-Gantiva as associate researcher and we recognize his contribution. We are grateful to the Bazán community for the support to the field work and, particularly, to the Community Council and its leaders. This paper has benefited greatly from the constructive comments of three anonymous referees. Any remaining error is authors’ responsibility.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moreno-Sánchez, R.P., Maldonado, J.H. Adaptive Capacity of Fishing Communities at Marine Protected Areas: A Case Study from the Colombian Pacific. AMBIO 42, 985–996 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0454-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-013-0454-y