Marine policy and community engagement: rethinking the role of vulnerable groups in climate and ocean action on Lagos’ Atlantic Coast, Nigeria

IF 3.7 2区社会学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Marine Policy Pub Date : 2025-08-06 DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106850

Oluwatoyosi Abikoye , Abimbola Abikoye

{"title":"Marine policy and community engagement: rethinking the role of vulnerable groups in climate and ocean action on Lagos’ Atlantic Coast, Nigeria","authors":"Oluwatoyosi Abikoye , Abimbola Abikoye","doi":"10.1016/j.marpol.2025.106850","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal communities in Lagos, Nigeria, face increasing climate risks, including sea-level rise, flooding, and ecosystem degradation. Women and persons with disabilities in these communities experience disproportionate vulnerabilities due to socio-economic constraints and exclusion from formal climate adaptation strategies. This study explores how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) informs local adaptation strategies and highlights the role of community-led climate resilience efforts in marine governance. Using a mixed-methods approach—including Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), structured interviews, surveys, and SWOT analysis—this research examines how fisherwomen and other community members interpret environmental changes and implement TEK-based adaptation strategies such as adjusting fishing schedules, reinforcing settlement structures, and utilising informal weather warning mechanisms. Findings reveal that while local communities possess intricate environmental knowledge, government-led adaptation policies, including the Lagos Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP, 2024), have yet to fully integrate TEK into formal frameworks. Gaps in early warning dissemination, electricity access for fish preservation, and policy engagement further hinder effective adaptation. This study emphasises the need for participatory climate governance that incorporates SDGs 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and related goals such as SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) to ensure a more inclusive and sustainable response to climate change. The paper concludes that bridging the disconnect between government adaptation policies and TEK can enhance marine policy effectiveness, improve coastal resilience, and empower vulnerable groups. It calls for integrated, bottom-up policy approaches that recognize the value of local knowledge in shaping climate adaptation strategies for Nigeria’s coastal communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48427,"journal":{"name":"Marine Policy","volume":"182 ","pages":"Article 106850"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Marine Policy","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X25002660","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Coastal communities in Lagos, Nigeria, face increasing climate risks, including sea-level rise, flooding, and ecosystem degradation. Women and persons with disabilities in these communities experience disproportionate vulnerabilities due to socio-economic constraints and exclusion from formal climate adaptation strategies. This study explores how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) informs local adaptation strategies and highlights the role of community-led climate resilience efforts in marine governance. Using a mixed-methods approach—including Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), structured interviews, surveys, and SWOT analysis—this research examines how fisherwomen and other community members interpret environmental changes and implement TEK-based adaptation strategies such as adjusting fishing schedules, reinforcing settlement structures, and utilising informal weather warning mechanisms. Findings reveal that while local communities possess intricate environmental knowledge, government-led adaptation policies, including the Lagos Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan (LCARP, 2024), have yet to fully integrate TEK into formal frameworks. Gaps in early warning dissemination, electricity access for fish preservation, and policy engagement further hinder effective adaptation. This study emphasises the need for participatory climate governance that incorporates SDGs 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and related goals such as SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) to ensure a more inclusive and sustainable response to climate change. The paper concludes that bridging the disconnect between government adaptation policies and TEK can enhance marine policy effectiveness, improve coastal resilience, and empower vulnerable groups. It calls for integrated, bottom-up policy approaches that recognize the value of local knowledge in shaping climate adaptation strategies for Nigeria’s coastal communities.

查看原文本刊更多论文

海洋政策和社区参与：重新思考弱势群体在尼日利亚拉各斯大西洋海岸气候和海洋行动中的作用

尼日利亚拉各斯的沿海社区面临越来越大的气候风险，包括海平面上升、洪水和生态系统退化。由于社会经济限制和被排除在正式的气候适应战略之外，这些社区的妇女和残疾人面临着不成比例的脆弱性。本研究探讨了传统生态知识（TEK）如何为地方适应战略提供信息，并强调了社区主导的气候适应能力工作在海洋治理中的作用。本研究采用焦点小组讨论（fgd）、结构化访谈、调查和SWOT分析等混合方法，考察了渔民妇女和其他社区成员如何解释环境变化，并实施基于技术的适应战略，如调整捕捞时间表、加强住区结构和利用非正式天气预警机制。研究结果表明，虽然当地社区拥有复杂的环境知识，但政府主导的适应政策，包括拉各斯气候适应和恢复力计划（LCARP, 2024），尚未将TEK完全纳入正式框架。预警传播、鱼类保存电力获取和政策参与方面的差距进一步阻碍了有效的适应。本研究强调需要开展参与式气候治理，将可持续发展目标13（气候行动）、14（水下生命）以及相关目标，如可持续发展目标1（消除贫困）和6（清洁水和卫生设施）纳入其中，以确保对气候变化采取更具包容性和可持续性的应对措施。本文的结论是，弥合政府适应政策与TEK之间的脱节可以提高海洋政策的有效性，提高沿海恢复力，并增强弱势群体的权能。它呼吁采取综合的、自下而上的政策方法，承认当地知识在为尼日利亚沿海社区制定气候适应战略方面的价值。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Marine Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

13.20%

发文量

428

期刊介绍： Marine Policy is the leading journal of ocean policy studies. It offers researchers, analysts and policy makers a unique combination of analyses in the principal social science disciplines relevant to the formulation of marine policy. Major articles are contributed by specialists in marine affairs, including marine economists and marine resource managers, political scientists, marine scientists, international lawyers, geographers and anthropologists. Drawing on their expertise and research, the journal covers: international, regional and national marine policies; institutional arrangements for the management and regulation of marine activities, including fisheries and shipping; conflict resolution; marine pollution and environment; conservation and use of marine resources. Regular features of Marine Policy include research reports, conference reports and reports on current developments to keep readers up-to-date with the latest developments and research in ocean affairs.