Improving Representation of Human Well-Being and Cultural Importance in Conceptualizing the West Hawai‘i Ecosystem

Abstract

Ecosystem-based management approaches are increasingly used to address the critical linkages between human and biophysical systems. Yet, many of the socialecological systems (SES) frameworks typically used in coastal and marine management neither represent the social and ecological aspects of the system in equal breadth or depth, nor do they adequately operationalize the social, or human, dimensions. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's West Hawai'i Integrated Ecosystem Assessment, a program grounded in ecosystem-based management, recognizes the importance of place-based human dimensions in coastal and marine resource management that speak to a fuller range of social and cultural dimensions of ecosystem-based management. Previous work with stakeholders in West Hawai'i revealed noteworthy SES dynamics and highlighted both the importance and lack of understanding of the links between ecosystem services and human well-being, particularly services that enhance and maintain active cultural connections to a place. While cultural ecosystem services and human well-being are often recognized as important elements of SES, there have been substantial barriers to fully representing them, likely due to perceived difficulties of measuring non-material benefits and values, many of which are socially constructed and subjective. This study examined SES frameworks related to cultural ecosystem services and human well-being to advance the representation and operationalization of these important concepts in coastal and marine management. We describe key insights and questions focused on: (1) points of inclusion for human dimensions in SES models, (2) culturally relevant domains of human well-being and related indicators, (3) the importance of place and its interaction with scale, and finally (4) the tension between a gestalt vs. discrete approach to modeling, assessing, and sustainably managing social-ecological systems.

Looking into the dragons of cultural ecosystem services

“…Multiple publications focus on contexts in which colonial legacies impact human-ecosystem relationships in complex ways. This work contributes to understandings of -and attempts to redress -contemporary histories of continued marginalization (Gould et al 2014;Pascua et al 2017;Leong et al 2019). In these circumstances, ahistorical approaches run the risk of rendering ongoing injustices invisible and alienating local communities for which these histories remain unfinished and/or oppressive.…”

“…Contrasting the effort for universally applicable typologies, some such work creates entire typologies locally and suggests that a universal typology of these values may not be possible (Pascua et al 2017). Other studies emphasize the highly place-specific and contingent nature of claims made, and tailor their questions and approach to a particular socio-ecological context (Leong et al 2019). Many other place-specific studies explore widely recognized CES concepts, but do not claim generalizability of their findings (Plieninger et al 2013).…”

Using Integrated Ecosystem Assessments to Build Resilient Ecosystems, Communities, and Economies

“…Human well-being includes non-material benefits and values to communities such as cultural connections to a place. These human well-being indicators are helping to improve representation of human well-being and cultural importance in management of these social-ecological systems (Leong et al 2019).…”

“…Amidst these stressors, managers are challenged with ensuring marine ecosystems produce the services that support community, economic, and social well-being. Social or human wellbeing can have many definitions, but in this context refers to non-material benefits and values marine ecosystems provide to communities (Leong et al 2019). Services provided by marine ecosystems include recreational opportunities (Dwyer 2018), consumption of seafood (FAO 2018), coastal development (Chi and Ho 2018), and protection against coastal storms (Javeline and Kijewski-Correa 2019).…”

A Conceptual Framework for Incorporating Human Dimensions Into Integrated Ecosystem Assessments

“…needs and physical health to social relations, culture and aesthetics, mental health, and connection to the environment. Among social scientists the conceptualization of well-being is increasingly guiding the development of frameworks intended to holistically examine the effects of natural resource management policies on human communities (Breslow et al, 2016;Leong et al, 2019). Within fisheries there is a vibrant body of literature documenting the multifaceted dimensions of well-being that people derive from fisheries, which are summarized in Table 2.…”