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Work package 3: Socio-cultural vulnerability

In charge: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon - Institute of Coastal Systems

This work package assesses the socio-cultural impacts following transgressed tipping points in ecology and economy.

What are socio-cultural tipping points, when do they occur, to which degree are they influenced by economic and regulatory decisions and what options exist for their avoidance or mitigation? Based on the analysis of fisheries cultures as defined by their core practices and beliefs, the aim is to identify points at which these cultures become untenable, leading to a transformation, but also to identification of components that may increase their resilience and adaptation capacity.

A pre-phase stakeholder workshop highlighted that the perceived resilience and adaptation capacity of a fishing culture can be significantly affected by the fisheries policy and other spatially effective management measures.

Using the bowtie approach to risk assessment will enable to identify the interactions between management measures and their effects on fishing cultures and allow deriving elements increasing the acceptance of management measures and the sustainability of fisheries cultures. This is expected to result in a roadmap to integrate relevant actors into the identification of alternative management measures and support future management and planning strategies.

Our goal is to identify those socio-cultural factors and variables along the categories "threats", "sensitivity" and "adaptation capacity", which are at risk due to ecological, economic and regulatory tipping points.

Milestones

M3.1Stakeholder workshop on fishing cultures and vulnerabilities
M3.2Draft framework for assessing socio-cultural vulnerability completed
M3.3Governance baseline acquired and bowtie analysis of fisheries policy applicable
M3.4Second stakeholder workshop on fisheries policies
M3.5Cultural vulnerability assessed and tipping points for the German North Sea fisheries determined

Deliverables

D3.1Scientific paper - Review of “fishing cultures” and “cultural vulnerability”, and how they can be defined for German North Sea fisheries
D3.2Framework for the assessment of socio-cultural vulnerability
D3.3Report on fishing cultures of the German part of the North Sea, developed in collaboration with fishers
D3.4Roadmap for the development of fisheries-friendly (spatial) management strategies
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