Social–ecological timelines to explore human adaptation to coastalchange

摘要

Through the construction of a socio-ecologicaltimeline for the Porsanger fjord ecosystem, this articleillustrates the different ways in which environmental andsocial–ecological changes have influenced the adaptationsof rural households in coastal Sami communities inFinnmark, north Norway. The main finding is that,although environmental change in the form of sealinvasions and dwindling fish stocks directly impacted thefisheries, the introduction of a new vessel quota systemdecisively changed adaptive capacity and coastal Samihousehold adaptation strategies. These changes representeda tipping point for the social–ecological system in theperiod between 1986 and 1990. It is thus important todiscuss the ways in which governance systems mayfacilitate actions to adapt to climate and biodiversitychange and foster sustainable rural livelihood systems incoastal Norway. Based on traditional and local ecologicalknowledge on the state of the ecosystem prior to the tippingpoint, two relevant actions to increase the resilience of thesystem were identified: ensuring the possibility of re-entryinto fisheries as part of rural livelihood combinations, andecological restoration of kelp beds. Flexible diversificationof livelihoods allows exploitation of a range of adjacentspecies without large investments in a fossile fuel-drivenfisheries economy. Investing in regrowth of macroalgae tofoster cod nursery areas and increase carbon sequestrationcan be a relevant alternative for communities that areinterested in contributing to climate change mitigation on alarger scale.