Community-based natural resource management in coastal communities: The contribution of mangroves to household livelihoods in southern Thailand

The degradation and loss of mangrove forests decreases the capacity of these ecosystems to contribute to the livelihoods of local people in coastal areas. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) has been adopted as a means to sustainably conserve ecological systems and improve livelihoods. We explored the links between CBNRM and livelihoods in mangrove ecosystems by asking: In what ways and to what extent do households benefit from mangrove forests? and How do individuals and households contribute to the protection of these benefits, through CBNRM? We conducted structured interviews in 150 households across three coastal communities in southern Thailand. We found that households gained multiple livelihood benefits from mangrove forests, which included provisioning (e.g., fish, timber), cultural (e.g., family and community cohesiveness, community-based tourism), regulating (e.g., coastal protection, air quality regulation), and supporting (e.g., habitats and nursery grounds for aquatic biodiversity) ecosystem services. Across 150 households, an average of 38 % of household income derived from mangroves, and 90 % of households perceived mangroves to be important for their livelihoods. Additionally, we found that community members actively participated in and contributed to multiple CBNRM activities. A primary motivation to participate included the desire to maintain access to livelihood benefits that their household or community enjoyed from the mangroves. Our findings suggest that CBNRM is an effective mechanism by which local communities can manage mangroves and improve livelihoods. Our paper contributes an empirical understanding of the importance of mangroves for livelihoods under CBNRM using a large sample size of households in an ecologically important region.