Vulnerability and marine resource-dependence in coastal and marine social-ecological systems

Abstract

Vulnerability research in coastal and marine social-ecological systems (CM-SES) to date has focused primarily on conceptual analyses of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Meanwhile the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) has been utilized mainly in natural resource management or poverty alleviation strategies. The present thesis combines these two frameworks in order to investigate the relationships between marine resource dependence and vulnerability within the CM-SES, using the SLA as a point of departure for analysis. Using a case study approach, questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus groups and participant observation were carried out in two regions, Zanzibar, Tanzania and the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia.