Research Projects
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Addressing distribution equity in spatial conservation prioritization for small-scale fisheries
Spatial conservation prioritization is used worldwide for designing marine protected areas (MPA) that achieve set conservation objectives with minimal impacts to marine users. People involved in small-scale fisheries (SSF) may incur negative and disproportionate impacts from implementing MPAs, yet limited available data often restricts their representation in MPA planning.
This Philippines case study focused on the systematic design of a MPA network that aims to minimize and distribute costs equitably for small-scale fisheries whilst achieving representation targets for biodiversity conservation. The objectives of the study were twofold:
In the data-poor region of the Philippines, my research team and I conducted participatory mapping workshops with fishers in 79 communities to collect data on the spatial distribution patterns of different SSF fisheries and communities. We also employed remote sensing techniques to define coastal habitats, which were targeted for inclusion in MPAs. The datasets were integrated within the decision-support tool ‘Marxan with Zones’ to develop three scenarios. The SSF data incorporated in each scenario varied based on their completeness (considered all fishing methods or only dominant methods) and resolution (fishing methods itemized by community or municipality).
All scenarios derived MPA plans that met representation targets with similar area coverage. The outputs, however, varied in terms of distribution equity, measured by the distribution of opportunity costs (loss of fishing grounds) across different fisheries and communities. Scenarios that did not include minority fisheries or variations between communities, led to inequitable costs. These results highlight the need to incorporate detailed data on SSF at appropriate resolutions, and how this can be achieved through participatory approaches.
Click here to read the full article on this study.
This work was part of my Masters thesis with Marine Protected Areas Research Group at the University of Victoria. It was supported through NSERC, SSHRC, the Robin Rigby Trust, the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, and the Digital Globe Foundation.
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Evaluating approaches for scaling-up community-based marine protected areas into socially equitable and ecologically representative networks
Marine-protected areas (MPAs) are vital to marine conservation, but their coverage and distribution is insufficient to address declines in global biodiversity and fisheries. In response, many countries have committed through the Aichi Target 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity to conserve 10% of the marine environment through ecologically representative and equitably managed MPAs by 2020. The rush to fulfill this commitment has raised concerns on how increasing MPA coverage will affect other elements of Target 11, including representation and equity.
This work examined a Philippines case study to assess and compare 3 MPA planning approaches for biodiversity representation and equitable distribution of costs to small-scale fishers.
My research team and I collected spatial data on biodiversity and fisheries features and performed a gap analysis to evaluate MPAs derived from different approaches. We assessed representation based on the proportion of biodiversity features conserved in MPAs and distribution equity by the distribution of opportunity costs (fishing areas lost in MPAs) among fisher stakeholder groups. The opportunistic approach did not ineffectively represent biodiversity and resulted in inequitable costs to fishers. The donor-assisted approach affected fishers disproportionately but provided near-optimal regional representation. Only the systematic approach achieved all representation targets with minimal and equitable costs to fishers.
The results demonstrate the utility of systematic conservation planning to address key elements of Target 11 and highlight opportunities (e.g., integration of local and scientific knowledge can address representation and equity concerns) and pitfalls (e.g., insufficient stakeholder considerations can exacerbate social inequalities) for planning MPAs in similar contexts.
Click here to read the full article on this study.
This work was part of my Masters thesis with Marine Protected Areas Research Group at the University of Victoria. It was supported through NSERC, SSHRC, Robin Rigby Trust, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, and Digital Globe Foundation.
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The psychological impacts of community-based marine protected areas
Numerous studies have explored the ecological and economic impacts of community-based marine protected areas (MPAs), yet questions remain about the psychological impacts.
In this cross-sectional and mixed methods study, we used validated survey instruments and open-ended questions to interview 209 people in six communities with MPAs that were established in 1996, 2011 and 2016 in the Visayan region of the Philippines. Specifically, we were interested in whether participants of older MPAs had more intrinsic motivations (i.e. driven by internal motivation) for engagement in reserves, positive attitudes about reserves and conservation, experienced more basic psychological needs satisfaction (i.e. autonomy, competence and relatedness) and indicated more self-transcendence values (universalism and benevolence) compared to communities with newer MPAs.
Our interviewees included people who were directly involved in the management of the MPA (n = 38), as well as people who did not participate in the MPA (n = 171). Qualitative results indicated that there was much commonality in the motivations of people to engage in MPAs across MPAs of different ages (eg. Enhancing fish catch and profits from the ocean and working together as a community). However, the results suggested that participants in older MPAs tended to have less extrinsic motivations to engage in the MPA (i.e. motivations such as payments, social status and doing what leaders tell them to do), experienced greater autonomy and competence basic needs satisfaction and also had higher self-transcendence values.
In the open-ended interviews, participants of older MPAs indicated that the MPAs were significant events in their lives that led to making friends, and enhanced feelings of self-efficacy. Several, participants also discussed how their own attitudes about the MPAs changed from negative to positive over time. However, in some of the older MPAs, perceptions of corruption amongst leaders and concerns about the efficacy of the MPAs due to poaching appeared to lead to negative attitudes about MPAs. These results suggest that MPAs may spur some shifts in motivations, attitudes and values over time. Further in-depth interviews are needed to understand causation and the potential mechanisms that may lead MPAs to influence values and motivations.
This work was led by Maï Yasué in partnership with Philip Dearden and myself. A manuscript for this work has been submitted for review.
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The effects of tourism on local ecosystems in the Gulf of Thailand
Core Sea is a research facility in Koh Phangan, Thailand that partners with local expertise, trained scientists, and volunteers to develop scientifically proven best practices for the future conservation of coral reefs. In April 2011, I assisted Core Sea and four German students from the University of Bremen as a research diver. Their joint Master’s thesis focused on the effects of the influx of tourism on the local ecosystem in Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Angh Thon National Marine Park. The study consisted of the following individual projects:
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Arachnid biodiversity study of McGill's Morgan Arboretum and Molson Reserve
In 2006, I completed an internship as a research assistant with the Anthropod Ecology Laboratory at McGill University led by Dr. Chris Buddle. My main responsibilities included the collection and identification of arachnids for a biodiversity study of McGill’s Morgan Arboretum and Molson Reserve in Quebec, Canada. I also assisted several Masters and PhD students in the identification of arachnids and insects for different research projects.
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Sea turtle conservation and research
My first volunteer experience as a marine conservationist and research assistant was with a sea turtle conservation program run by Asociación ANAI in the Talamanca region of Costa Rica. The ANAI sea turtle conservation program relies heavily on volunteers to assist biologist and staff with patrolling beaches for nesting turtles. When one is found, volunteers help collect information, tag the turtle, and relocate eggs to a protected hatchery. Other volunteers tasks include guarding the hatchery and participating in beach clean-ups and community outreach. As a long term volunteer, I was also tasked with assisting the lead researcher in determining the hatching success and cause of mortality in the hatchery.
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