Assessment of coastal Community Livelihood needs in the Asia-Pacific Region
Globally, there has been an intensification of activities related to the Blue Economy or Blue Growth, which see the marine environment as a new frontier of economic development. Powerful, often rival large-scale business and conservation interests interact and compete with traditional livelihoods in this space, and can result in negative, inequitable impacts on natural resources, food security, and well-being.
The global community has committed to increasing the economic benefit that less developed countries derive from marine resources by 2030. This commitment was reflected in the Prime Minister’s statement at the November 2020 ASEAN-Australia Summit where he pledged to support maritime states in Southeast Asian countries to “develop their marine resources sustainably and address challenges through enhanced training, technical advice and cooperation” (https://www.pm.gov.au/media/investing-our-southeast-asian-partnerships).
Coastal and island nations in the Asia-Pacific region are facing increasing pressures from natural resource extraction, population growth, globalisation, and climate-related processes. These are affecting the livelihoods and survival of coastal communities. Diminishing natural resources and intensifying rates of global change are making the diversification of livelihoods through the uptake of new and sustainable alternatives increasingly important for improving resilience. Interventions to support communities to build resilience to change through sustainable use and development of marine resources require specific, nuanced approaches. In this context, understanding and accounting for local community needs is an essential component of Australia’s investments in marine resource development and sustainability.
Project Aim
This project will conduct an assessment of coastal community livelihood needs to inform Australia’s policy on maritime resource development in selected southeast Asian countries. The project will focus on Western Philippines and Northern Indonesia and will culminate in recommendations on interventions to support coastal communities to develop their maritime resources sustainably. More broadly, this will contribute to supporting regional maritime states to achieve more equitable and sustainable maritime resource development.
Research Team: Dr Meira Mizrahi and A/Prof Amy Diedrich
Funding: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)