how local communities value coral reel resources by dr. mizna mohammed

How do local communi-es in the Maldives value reef resources?

By Dr. Mizna Mohamed

Mizna Mohamed Valuing Reef Resources

How do local communities in the Maldives value reef resources?

Economic Valuation of Coral Reefs: A Case

Study of the Costs and Benefits of Improved

Management of Dhigali Haa, a Marine Protected

Area in Baa Atoll, Maldives


Objec)ve: explore the value placed by communi)es on their local reef resources

How do I measure reef value? value is subjec)ve

"the various ways in which individuals, processes and places maAer, our various modes of rela)ng to them, and the various considera)ons that enter into our delibera)ons about ac)on." (O'Neill, Holland and Light 2008, p.1)

Values are human constructs


What is value?

Values are pluralis)c Cannot be reduced to a dollar value

Human-nature interac)ons


Human

Nature

Social


Value

Social

Ecological

Cultural

Economic

What is the value of the environment or its resources?

How does a certain community value their natural resources?


Qualitative Approach

" Value Interpretations " social, cultural, economic and ecological " perceptions & behaviour

Values beliefs attitudes behaviour


Qualitative Approach

" Areas of inquiry " access and use " resource availability " consumption and distribution " local knowledge " property rights " local and state rules

Mobile (sh): Scads reef sh community sh Sta)onary: Sand coral

7 communi)es North 3 Mid-north 2 South - 2


Reef Values are Changing

Sand & coral Tradi)onal Commodity protec)on



Lagoon sh Subsistence Recrea)onal market



Direct Indirect

Everyone stayed on the island and

went fishing

Livelihood Recrea)onal

Community Individual

(i) changes within the communities

(ii) changes in how communities use the resources.

Island c hiefs

use as food high interaction strong local rules

Traditional community Present community

heterogeneous user groups

elders

previous high interaction

use as food strong local rules

fishers

high interaction use as food strong local rules

youth

low interaction recreational use weak local rules

others (e.g. women, mothers) low interaction

use as food neutral local rules

homogenous user groups

Markets & Money Migra)on Globalized educa)on


Factors influencing use

Resource use Sand: customary to commodity Fish: subsistence to recreation & market

Resource availability

Individual community characteristics e.g. personal relations, market exchanges, socioeconomic factors

Resource type

Physical characteristics of islands e.g. island and lagoon size, type of sand

Variations among communities e.g. community size, kinship relations, governance

Resource location e.g. sand inside house reef vs. sand in other reefs

Reduced interaction with resources

Reduced local knowledge


Migration to Male

Individual community characteristics e.g. personal relations, market exchanges,

moral values

Migration to capital

Reduced interaction with resources

Western schooling Reduced personal interactions

Changing Worldviews

socioeconomic characteristics

Resource use Sand: customary to commodity

Fish: subsistence to recreation & market


Looking Beyond the Changing Reef Values

" Local values and locally relevant governance

" Local knowledge and local worldviews " Re-integrating the sacred " Local environments, global concerns

Thank you for your aAen)on contact details: [email protected]

how local communities value coral reel resources by dr. mizna mohammed

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