A new study investigating household dependence on seagrass ecosystems for food security and livelihoods in the Indo-Pacific.

Household dependence on seagrass meadows for food security and livelihoods is governed by household income and adaptive capacity.

The study, ‘Dependence on seagrass fisheries governed by household income and adaptive capacity’ by Jones et. a, seeks to examine the drivers of household dependence on seagrass, and highlights the need for empirical household scale data to ensure effective management and equitable and equal access to seagrass meadows for vulnerable households.

Using socioeconomic factors from 147 villages across four countries within the Indo-Pacific, the study revealed that seagrass was the most common habitat used for fishing, and that the level of household dependence is governed by household income and adaptive capacity.

The findings showed that “poorer households were less likely to own motorboats and dependent on seagrass as they were unable to fish elsewhere, whereas wealthier households were more likely to invest in certain fishing gears that incentivized them to use seagrass habitats due to high rewards and low effort requirements” (Ben Jones, Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden / Seagrass-Watch, UK)

The report is co-authored by Benjamin Jones, Richard Unsworth and Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, from Project Seagrass, who all provide technical support to the Seagrass Ecosystem Services Project.

Read the full article here: Dependence on seagrass fisheries governed by household income and adaptive capacity

Jones, B. et al. (2022). Dependence on seagrass fisheries governed by household income and adaptive capacity. Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 225 (106247)