A new study investigating the links between coastal communities and coral reefs in Kenya and Madagascar has found that access to education and markets can help mitigate acute vulnerabilities for communities struggling with poverty and reliant on ecosystems degraded by overfishing.
Led by conservation scientists from the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and Macquarie University, the new research, now published in the journal Environmental Science & Policy, comes as coastal communities cope with the effects of the climate change and now the COVID-19 crisis.
Strengthening “social adaptive capacity” can help communities adapt to change, hopefully minimizing the negative impacts of environmental disasters and other crises on economically stretched communities and the vulnerable ecosystems they depend on for their livelihoods.
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