Community-Level Socio-Ecological Vulnerability Assessments in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem
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FIPI/C1110 (En) FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular ISSN 2070-6065 COMMUNITY-LEVEL SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS IN THE BENGUELA CURRENT LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM FAO Fisheries a n d Aqu a cu ltu re Circu la r No. 1110 FIPI/ C1110 (En ) COMMUNITY-LEVEL SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS IN THE BENGUELA CURRENT LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM Serge Raemaekers Senior Researcher/Lecturer University of Cape Town Cape Town, South Africa Merle Sowman Associate Professor University of Cape Town Cape Town, South Africa FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2015 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO. 978-92-5-108908-8 © FAO, 2015 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to [email protected]. FAO information products are available on the FAO website (www.fao.org/publications) and can be purchased through [email protected]. iii PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT This circular was prepared for FAO under the project “Climate Change, Fisheries and Aquaculture: testing a suite of methods for understanding vulnerability, improving adaptability and enabling mitigation (GCP/GLO/322/NOR)”. The material in the appendix is reproduced as submitted. FAO. 2015. Community-level socio-ecological vulnerability assessments in the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, by Serge Raemaekers and Merle Sowman. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular No. 1110. Rome, Italy. ABSTRACT Climate change is considered one of the most critical challenges facing the planet and humankind. It poses a key threat to marine ecosystems and fisheries resources as well as communities that depend on these systems for food and livelihoods. Understanding the vulnerability of these socio-ecological systems to climate change, and their capacity to adapt, has become the focus of several climate change and fisheries projects and programmes in recent years. Increasingly, researchers and practitioners recognize that actions supporting adaptive capacity building have to be grounded in local needs and experiences and, thus, vulnerability assessments should be participatory and inclusive. A good understanding of local vulnerabilities, including local perceptions of the multiple drivers of change, historic and customary adaptation strategies, and existing capacity within local institutions and among individuals, should be used as building blocks for strengthening resilience and identifying appropriate adaptation strategies. Participatory vulnerability assessment is an approach that facilitates better understanding of the extent to which a socio- ecological system (e.g. coastal fishery system) is susceptible to various socio-ecological changes (including the effects of climate change) and the system’s capacity to cope with and adapt to these changes from the viewpoint of the local communities. This analysis will help countries, partner agencies and their staff, researchers and fisheries professionals in understanding how to define and measure vulnerability within complex fisheries systems, using perception-based approaches within fishing communities in the Benguela Current region (Angola, Namibia and South Africa) as an example. Ultimately, the scope of this work is to improve resilience of fisheries systems and dependent communities to multiple drivers of change including climate change and ocean acidification. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank Gina Ziervogel, Nick Simpson, Hilkka Ndjaula and Warren Potts for their respective contributions to this report. Nico Waldeck, Christian Adams, Peter Oewis, Stuart du Plessis, Katrina Hilundwa, Pedro Alfonso Kingkombo, Chevon Griffiths and James Howard are thanked for their input and support during the fieldwork in South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Government and non-governmental organization stakeholders from the three countries as well as small-scale fishers from Doringbaai, Saint Helena Bay, Struisbaai, Walvis Bay, Henties Bay, Cacuaco, Barra do Dande and Tombwa are gratefully acknowledged for their input and participation during the in-country stakeholder and community-level workshops. Cassandra De Young and Kevern Cochrane are thanked for their insights and support provided throughout the project. v CONTENTS Preparation of this document ................................................................................................ iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. iv Abbreviations and acronyms ................................................................................................ vii 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Aim and objectives of the study ................................................................................... 3 2. Conceptual review to inform the RVA approach ............................................................ 4 2.1 Vulnerability and vulnerability assessments ................................................................ 4 2.2 Adaptation .................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Approaches to and methodologies for vulnerability assessments – review and discussion ..................................................................................................................... 8 2.3.1 Index-based and quantitative vulnerability assessments .......................................... 10 2.3.2 Community-level vulnerability assessments ............................................................ 11 2.3.3 Towards more holistic and participatory vulnerability assessments ........................ 12 3. Climate change and small-scale fisheries ....................................................................... 14 4. Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Development of a rapid vulnerability assessment ...................................................... 16 4.2 Stakeholder planning workshops and case study selection ........................................ 16 4.3 The rapid vulnerability assessment ............................................................................ 18 4.3.1 Facilitator, field work team and preparations .......................................................... 19 4.3.2 The RVA workshop ................................................................................................. 19 5. Findings ............................................................................................................................. 28 5.1 South Africa ............................................................................................................... 28 5.1.1 Doringbaai ................................................................................................................ 28 5.1.2 Struisbaai.................................................................................................................. 34 5.1.3 Saint Helena Bay ...................................................................................................... 39 5.2 Namibia ...................................................................................................................... 45 5.2.1 Walvis Bay ............................................................................................................... 46 5.2.2 Henties Bay .............................................................................................................. 52 5.3 Angola ........................................................................................................................ 58 5.3.1 Barra do Dande ........................................................................................................ 59 5.3.2 Cacuaco .................................................................................................................... 65 5.3.3 Tombwa ..................................................................................................................