Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

In Puerto Rico, fisheries provide income and employment opportunities, while also playing crucial roles in food security and cultural expression. Fishers are deeply connected to the environment and, thus, hold important knowledge on changes in marine ecosystems including those linked to the effects of climate change. Their perceptions, however, are also influenced by their experiences. Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico in the fall of 2017 disrupting the island’s coupled human and natural system. Fishers experienced transformations to the terrestrial landscapes but were also affected by the storms’ impacts on the marine environment, such as bottom disturbances that destroyed corals and seagrass affecting resources and fishing activities alike. In this study we compare Puerto Rico fishers’ perceptions of environmental and climate change, and aspects of their well-being pre- and post-storms using data collected through surveys. A sample of 212 fishers were surveyed pre-storms (August 2016 through January 2017), and 75 fishers post-storms (May-June 2018). This research provides a unique approach that contributes to advance the understanding of the influence of human experiences on one’s perceptions of their own vulnerability. Assessing people’s subjective perceptions of the environment provides important insight into human adaptation to change since, in the face of stressors, people often act upon their subjective perceptions and beliefs rather than objective measures. Our findings also provide valuable input for policies for environmental justice and sustainability through a deeper understanding of factors affecting natural resource users’ perceptions which affect their views and acceptance of strategies to address anthropogenic impact.