Dependency on mangroves ecosystem services is modulated by socioeconomic drivers and socio-ecological changes – insights from an insular biodiversity hotspot

Abstract

Small island developing states (SIDS) display high biodiversity due to their insular situation but suffer from a disproportionate vulnerability to climate change, economic and environmental shocks. In Mauritius, a SIDS located the Indian Ocean, mangroves ensure essential ecological functions and support coastal communities’ livelihoods, they are however threatened by continuous degradations. In 2020, communities on the southeast of the island experienced compounded overlapping effects of a global pandemic and an ecological crisis, with impacts on livelihoods and well-being. This same area is known for its extent of mangroves. While regulating and provisioning services of mangroves are well documented, this study elucidates some of the lesser-known cultural values attached to mangroves and the ways in which communities depend on them for their well-being. Based on a multi-dimensional ecosystem services framework, an in-person survey was implemented between August and October 2021 in coastal villages on the east-southeast of Mauritius, totalling 281 surveyed households of Mauritians in middle- to low-income categories with livelihoods associated to fishing and/or tourism. The collected data was analysed through distribution analysis, multiple correspondence analysis and logarithmic regression. Our results show that two thirds of respondents depend on mangrove ecosystem services with low (37.2%) to medium and high (26.3%) dependencies. Dependency on mangroves is materialized through cultural services, and as a support for food security and income generation. Socio-economic drivers and multiple crises play a direct and indirect role in mangrove dependency. Study results suggest that precarious households have higher levels of dependency, and are subsequently more vulnerable to mangroves degradation and socio-ecological changes. The impact of changes and socio-economic parameters are therefore essential dimensions to take into account for coastal management and biodiversity conservation policy design in an insular context.