Vulnerability of Jamaica’s South Coast Fishing Communities to Coastal Erosion and Flooding

Abstract

Several fishing communities across the Caribbean are experiencing rapid changes in the coastal ecosystem services that underpin their livelihood security. In Jamaica, these changes are partly reflected in the collapse of the local capture fishery, which has exacerbated ecological, social and food security challenges. In this paper, coastal and community-based vulnerability approaches are combined to assess the climate change vulnerability of three major fishing communities (Old Harbour Bay, Rocky Point, and Alligator Pond) along the southern coast of Jamaica. These communities are at the frontline of some of the most serious threats from climate change and have been badly affected by rapid changes in coastal and marine ecosystems. The impacts of coastal erosion on fishing businesses, as well as the vulnerability of fishing infrastructure and assets to coastal flooding are examined in the three sites. Coastal flooding and erosion directly impact household and personal property, fishery business assets, public infrastructure, and disrupt opportunities to reduce intergenerational poverty in the targeted communities. The paper concludes by highlighting four key strategies for reducing livelihood vulnerabilities to coastal erosion and flooding. These include creating economic alternatives, improving ecosystem resilience, strengthening co-management approaches, and developing gender-sensitive indicators to assess vulnerability in fishing communities. The results demonstrate the value of integrative social and coastal vulnerability assessments in characterizing nuanced climate impacts on fishery-related businesses.