News and Events

Seminar

Social and economic determinants of exploitation and management of coral reef resources in Solomon Islands

Tom Brewer, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University

Where: Townsville: Sir George Fisher Research Building Conference Room 114 (B32 upstairs), JCU

When: 12.00pm, Friday 3 February 2012

Tom grew up on the southern coast of New South Wales without a care in the world. His father over-exploited a local fishery to provide Tom with the best possible chance in life. This is perhaps why Tom is now working towards understanding the interaction between social behaviour and environmental outcomes. He received a BSc. Hons. at the University of Queensland in 2007. He has since been working on his thesis and as a statistical and fisheries consultant in Australia and Solomon Islands, where his research is based. He is fixated on optimising social and ecological systems for improved human well-being.

Abstract:

Human activity is having a clear and negative effect on tropical coral reef fisheries. Yet few studies have considered the combined effects of socio-economic conditions such as markets, development and population pressure, on reef fish communities, or how these conditions affect fisheries management institutions. The aims of my research, therefore, were first to explain the spatial variability of coral reef fish by examining the relationships between broad socio-economic conditions (population density, access to fish markets, socio-economic development) and measures of fish assemblage condition (diversity,  function, vulnerability to extinction) in Solomon Islands. The second aim was to explain the presence of coral reef resource management institutions (temporary spatial closures, species restrictions, gear restrictions) with socio-economic conditions (human population size, human population density, socio-economic development, market access) across ≈1000 communities.  Third, I used semi-structured interviews to elicit, from 119 fishers and fish traders, their perception of the causes of fish decline and of appropriate management strategies, and to compare these findings with the results of the first two aims. My results showed that fish distributions were explained by fishing pressure, and that fishing pressure was positively correlated with socio-economic development, market access and human population density. Market access best explained the biomass of fish that are vulnerable to extinction and the biomass of key functional groups. Presence of management institutions was negatively correlated with human population density and positively correlated with socio-economic development and fish markets. Fishers and fish traders perceived a range of factors to be causing fish decline, and that various management interventions would increase fish stocks.  They identified fishing as a major cause of fish decline driven by income-related needs, as was supported by my findings.  This research demonstrates that socio-economic conditions explain reef fish distributions. In particular, access to markets is a key predictor of the biomass of vulnerable fish species and functional groups that are important for maintaining reef function. Socio-economic conditions also explain occurrence of management institutions, and so when considered may contribute to the development of more effective strategies.