The impacts of environmental and socio-economic stressors on small scale fisheries and livelihoods of fishers in Ghana |
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| Institution: | 1. Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia;2. Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, Canada;3. Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development (SWEDESD), Uppsala University, Sweden;1. Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods (RIEL), Charles Darwin University, 1 Ellengowan Drive Casuarina, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia;2. UWA School of Agriculture and Environment and the Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia (UWA), 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia;3. Sociology of Development and Change, Wageningen University (WU), Hollandseweg 1, 6706kN Wageningen, Netherlands;4. School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University, Bullecourt Avenue, Milperra, NSW 2214, Australia;1. Institute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Putra Infoport, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia;2. Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia;1. School of Research and Graduate Studies (SRGS), Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Box AH 50, Achimota-Accra, Ghana;2. Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 640, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden;1. Laboratory of Ichthyology and Fisheries, Department of Biology, Federal University of Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO 76801-059, Brazil;2. Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville 32653, FL, USA;3. Postgraduate Program in Regional Development and Environment (PGDRA), Federal University of Rondônia, Porto Velho, RO 76801-059, Brazil;4. Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC 20433, USA;5. Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA |
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| Abstract: | Small-scale coastal fisheries are exposed to many stressors, such as poor governance, lack of alternative employment, overfishing and diseases. Stressors, in this context, constitute environmental and socio-economic changes or events at local, national or global levels making the fisheries sector or fishers vulnerable. Climate change is expected to compound the consequences of these stressors on fisheries and livelihoods. Identifying and understanding the effects of important stressors are imperative for building and organising appropriate capacity to adapt and, ultimately, for successful adaptation. However, how climate-related and non-climate stressors jointly affect small-scale fisheries is still to be fully explored. In this paper, we use case studies of three coastal communities in the Western Region of Ghana to gain insights into how multiple stressors combine to affect small-scale fisheries. The findings show that multiple stressors combine in complex ways, affecting fisheries-based livelihoods and the coastal landscape, vegetation and infrastructure. This suggests that any single stressor is just a part of a set of stressors that jointly affect small-scale coastal fisheries. This study proposes that the effects of climate-related stressors are better comprehended when analysed in light of the synergetic effect of multiple stressors. It has the potential to guide policy-makers and managers in designing and implementing improved strategies to enhance adaptive capacity in response to climate change. Moreover, this knowledge can present an opportunity and justification for solving other inherent developmental problems through climate change adaptation policies and actions. |
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