Soutenance publique de thèse de doctorat en Sciences géographiques et biologiques: Setondé Constant Gnansounou

Enhancing the Sustainable Use and Resilience of Mangroves in the Anthropocene: An Integrative Social-Ecological Approach

Jury

• Prof. Nicolas DENDONCKER (UNamur), Président
• Prof. Sabine HENRY (UNamur), Secrétaire
• Prof. Frédéric SILVESTRE (UNamur)
• Dr Sébastien DUJARDIN (UNamur)
• Prof. Kara PELLOWE (Stockholm University)
• Prof. Romain GLELE KAKAI (Université d’Abomey Calavi)
• Prof. Patrick KESTEMONT (UNamur)
• Prof. Eli THORE (UNamur)

Résumé

Mangroves play an important role in environmental conservation and livelihood provision yet remain one of the most threatened ecosystems on earth. This doctoral study assesses pathways to enhance coastal sustainability in the Anthropocene, by promoting the sustainable use of mangroves and strengthening their social-ecological resilience through an interdisciplinary approach. The these is structured into four specific objectives: (1) assessing the role of traditional beliefs and local deities in promoting the sustainable use of mangroves, (2) analysing the synergies between legal frameworks and traditional beliefs in enhancing the social-ecological resilience of mangroves, (3) developing a novel interdisciplinary framework to evaluate the social-ecological resilience of mangroves, and (4) operationalizing the proposed framework in Benin’s mangroves, West Africa.  We collected field data using ethnobiological surveys, drone image analysis and document review, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, plant and fish inventories across three coastal communities in Benin. The study draws insights from the seven principles of resilience to analyse mangrove sustainability. The interdisciplinarity methodology of this study links plant biology, fisheries sciences, and human geography to analyse mangroves as complex social-ecological systems. Findings of the thesis show that traditional beliefs and local deities play a significant role in regulating the use of mangrove resources, while the overlapping of formal and informal institutions offer opportunities to enhance their social-ecological resilience. The novel proposed framework called Mangrove Social Ecological Resilience Appraisal (MaSERA) outlines variables and indicators tailored to mangroves to assess their social-ecological resilience. Its application in Benin highlights its potential in identifying factors that enable or erode mangrove resilience, for informed decision making. The study argues that promoting the sustainable use of mangroves and enhancing their social-ecological resilience represent dual imperatives for achieving coastal sustainability in the Anthropocene. It contributes to the growing body of knowledge on mangrove conservation and provides actionable insights for integrated coastal zone management.

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