Abstract
The Galapagos archipelago represents an insular system with finite natural resources, a growing population, and an economy heavily weighted on tourism that leaves it vulnerable to shocks, such as the Covid-19 crisis. This work proposes an alternative scenario developed through creating intersections between water-energy-food (WEF) nexus and adaptive co-management (ACM) approaches to resource management. This framework allows the identification of novel synergies that are applied to the analysis of Galapagos as case study. Within this approach, qualitative analysis is applied to data collected via a set of interviews with local stakeholders (including community, business, third sector, and government actors) to evaluate (i) how a deeper understanding of community perceptions and needs can help to identify pathways toward more sustainable development in line with conservation goals, (ii) what governance frameworks should be implemented to promote community-based resource management and resilience, and (iii) what role education and capacitation can play in supporting alternative forms of economic activity. The research suggests that the implementation of an integrated WEF-ACM framework for resource management in Galapagos could promote resilience by opening a space for deliberation and conflict resolution between legitimate stakeholders, thus supporting more effective and balanced participative governance. The current Covid-19 crisis has led to the emergence of alternative forms of community collaboration that demonstrate the potential for a more economically diverse and more sustainable future. By placing different sources of knowledge on a level platform in such a framework, greater community ownership of resource management and conservation goals could be achieved. The incorporation of an ACM approach within the management of WEF resources would also allow Galapagueños to determine their own vision of a future sustainable socio-ecosystem, based on optimising system outcomes by co-identifying the trade-offs and synergies between the interrelated resource sectors, but requires a transformation in institutional culture.
Highlights
The Galapagos archipelago is widely recognised as a model of biodiversity and natural environment conservation
Education, capacity strengthening, and social learning play in the shift toward alternative forms of economic activity arising from sustainable development initiatives, toward building skills, trust, and resilience?. Addressing these questions, this research is structured around the following objectives: (1) to understand the evolution of participatory mechanisms in the context of conservation, resource management and community livelihoods in the case of Galapagos; (2) to identify the obstacles, challenges and elements of success that participatory governance and resource management have had in the past, and (3) to explore how future processes, toward promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development and resilience, could be enhanced in light of both community-based resource management frameworks and a resource nexus approach, to highlight possible opportunities for more effective participatory environmental governance in policy and practise, and define key areas for further research
In light of the possible benefits that a WEF resource nexus framework can offer in the context of complex humanenvironment systems, we suggest that this approach could be enhanced through an intersection with adaptive co-management (ACM) applied in a systemic and systematic manner, and this may represent a potentially powerful approach for resource management in Galapagos
Summary
The Galapagos archipelago is widely recognised as a model of biodiversity and natural environment conservation. Addressing these questions, this research is structured around the following objectives: (1) to understand the evolution of participatory mechanisms in the context of conservation, resource management and community livelihoods in the case of Galapagos; (2) to identify the obstacles, challenges and elements of success that participatory governance and resource management have had in the past, and (3) to explore how future processes, toward promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development and resilience, could be enhanced in light of both community-based resource management frameworks and a resource nexus approach, to highlight possible opportunities for more effective participatory environmental governance in policy and practise, and define key areas for further research
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