ABSTRACT

Floodplain wetlands are among the most threatened ecosystems. It is highly vulnerable to climate change, affecting the wetland ecosystem and its associated fisheries. In the face of data deficiency, this article presents an alternative approach to assess the vulnerability of wetland fisheries to climate change. A total of 15 wetlands from a wetland-fisheries-rich area of West Bengal, India, were selected to illustrate the methodology. The proposed method mainly relies on stakeholders’ perceptions of the wetland fisheries vulnerability. Elicitation stakeholders’ response iteratively screened the indicators of fisheries vulnerability. The hybrid method of index-based vulnerability comprises two types of indicators: climate indicators with long-term quantitative data and stakeholder perceived vulnerability indicators specific to wetland fisheries. The high level of consensus (92%) among respondents provided strong evidence of climate change in last 15 years, which has also been validated through long-term data analysis. The Principal Component Analysis extracted five synthesized vulnerability indicators, explaining 83.35% variability of the original 14 indicators. The wetlands were further grouped according to differential vulnerability for prioritizing the wetlands for strategic planning. Climate change, reduction in species richness and adaptive capacity were the key components responsible for differential vulnerability. The study also revealed some indigenous climate-smart mitigation strategies of wetland fisheries to climate change.

摘要

洪泛区湿地是最受威胁的生态系统之一。它极易受到气候变化的影响，影响湿地生态系统及其相关渔业。面对数据不足，本文提出了一种替代方法来评估湿地渔业对气候变化的脆弱性。共选择了来自印度西孟加拉邦湿地渔业丰富地区的 15 个湿地来说明该方法。所提出的方法主要依赖于利益相关者对湿地渔业脆弱性的看法。征集利益相关者的反应迭代筛选渔业脆弱性指标。基于指数的脆弱性混合方法包括两类指标：具有长期定量数据的气候指标和特定于湿地渔业的利益相关者感知的脆弱性指标。受访者的高度共识（92%）为过去 15 年的气候变化提供了强有力的证据，这也通过长期数据分析得到了验证。主成分分析提取了5个综合脆弱性指标，解释了原始14个指标83.35%的可变性。湿地根据不同的脆弱性进一步分组，以优先考虑湿地进行战略规划。气候变化、物种丰富度和适应能力下降是造成不同脆弱性的关键因素。该研究还揭示了湿地渔业对气候变化的一些本土气候智能缓解策略。这也通过长期的数据分析得到了验证。主成分分析提取了5个综合脆弱性指标，解释了原始14个指标83.35%的可变性。湿地根据不同的脆弱性进一步分组，以优先考虑湿地进行战略规划。气候变化、物种丰富度和适应能力下降是造成不同脆弱性的关键因素。该研究还揭示了湿地渔业对气候变化的一些本土气候智能缓解策略。这也通过长期的数据分析得到了验证。主成分分析提取了5个综合脆弱性指标，解释了原始14个指标83.35%的可变性。湿地根据不同的脆弱性进一步分组，以优先考虑湿地进行战略规划。气候变化、物种丰富度和适应能力下降是造成不同脆弱性的关键因素。该研究还揭示了湿地渔业对气候变化的一些本土气候智能缓解策略。湿地根据不同的脆弱性进一步分组，以优先考虑湿地进行战略规划。气候变化、物种丰富度和适应能力下降是造成不同脆弱性的关键因素。该研究还揭示了湿地渔业对气候变化的一些本土气候智能缓解策略。湿地根据不同的脆弱性进一步分组，以优先考虑湿地进行战略规划。气候变化、物种丰富度和适应能力下降是造成不同脆弱性的关键因素。该研究还揭示了湿地渔业对气候变化的一些本土气候智能缓解策略。