SPACES: Sustainable Poverty Alleviation from Coastal Ecosystem Services - investigating elasticities, feedbacks and tradeoffs
This project aimed to better understand the links between ecosystem services (ES) and wellbeing in order to design and implement more effective interventions for sustainable poverty alleviation. This was done in the context of coastal, social‐ecological systems in two poor African countries; Kenya and Mozambique. The research aimed to have direct impact on the wellbeing of poor inhabitants of the rapidly transforming coastal areas, while also providing indirect impact to coastal poor in other developing countries through international dissemination of findings. Research findings were disseminated to benefit multiple stakeholders at various levels.
The project was highly interdisciplinary, including: ecological field methods, simulation modelling, social science methods, participatory dialogues within communities and multi-stakeholder workshops. Particular methods used were:
- Underwater visual census of coral reef ecosystems
- In field measurements of mangrove vegetation structure and sampling of sediments
- Focus groups and semi‐structured interviews with poor coastal stakeholders about their access to ecosystem services, their understandings of wellbeing
- A structured household survey of assets, perceptions, basic needs,
- Participatory ‘mental modelling workshops’ to explore the social ecological systems, the components within it, with primary and secondary stakeholders
- Photo elicitation with local people about their values towards the environment
- Participatory system mapping and scenario workshops in which participants developed and explore scenarios of future change and implications for
- Participatory dialogues with communities and potential research user organisations.
Further information:
- Working papers and other publications are available on the project website
- Online feature - Redefining poverty in Kenya's fishing villages
Co Investigator
Organisation: Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Inst
Country: Kenya
Co Investigator
Organisation: University of British Columbia
Country: United Kingdom
Co Investigator
Organisation: University Eduardo Mondlane
Country: Mozambique
Co Investigator
Organisation: Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Inst
Country: Kenya
Co Investigator
Organisation: Kenya Forestry Research Institute
Country: Kenya
Co Investigator
Organisation: University of Exeter
Country: United Kingdom
Co Investigator
Organisation: World Conservation Monitoring Ctre -WCMC
Country: United Kingdom
Researcher
Organisation: University Eduardo Mondlane
Country: Mozambique
Researcher
Organisation: Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Inst
Country: Kenya