Livelihoods vulnerability and adaptive strategies for coastal communities. A systematic review

Coastal regions support a considerable human population, with projections indicating that the numbers will continue to grow in the future. People have responded to the wide range of opportunities that the coasts provide, leading to the ‘blue’ rush. However, coasts are vulnerable to a multitude of anthropogenic and environmental stressors affecting the livelihoods of coastal communities. This study examines the stressors, stressor-induced impacts on coastal livelihoods, and the adaptive strategies being employed. The research used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 standards to systematically review 120 journal articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The findings reveal that coastal communities face a range of interlinked stressors, including those induced by climate change, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and stressors associated with offshore and coastal development. These stressors present coastal communities with the burden of frequently dealing with the stressor-induced impacts as they undermine the sustainability of resource-based livelihoods. Despite these challenges, coastal communities have developed adaptive strategies focusing on intra-sectoral livelihood changes (from coastal fishing to aquaculture and shrimp farming; extensive farming to gardening) and inter-sectoral changes (from coastal fishing to paid labour; mangrove harvesting to seaweed farming, etc). Some coastal fishing and mangrove-dependent communities are reluctant to leave their livelihoods; hence, they adopt asset-building measures, such as buying new fishing gear, using modern technologies at sea, and replanting mangroves. Social organisation is helping coastal communities to remain in traditional livelihoods and venture into new ones through sharing information and community agency. The study recommends that policymakers develop effective climate response actions to reduce coastal hazards, vulnerability, and exposure of coastal communities. It also suggests that coastal development programs should involve communities in the decision-making process. Lastly, academia should undertake long-term and transdisciplinary research to monitor the impacts of overlapping stressors, informing policy decisions and transferring knowledge on alternative livelihoods.