MARIN

Marine Invertebrate Artisanal Fisheries (MIAF) make irreplaceable contributions to human nutrition and economic wellbeing, but despite their societal and ecological importance, and their vulnerability to rapid environmental changes, these coastal fisheries remain overlooked and marginalized in research, coastal management and policymaking processes. Likewise, the contributions of women in these fisheries is often invisible and absent from fisheries statistics and census data. From a human health perspective, marine invertebrates can present a risk for human consumption due to their capacity to accumulate pollutants and/or to transmit infectious diseases. These characteristics make them pivotal indicators of environmental quality and coastal change. MARIN is a transdisciplinary project that aims to understand the socio-economic, cultural and ecological processes underpinning and shaping MIAF systems at different temporal and spatial scales; and to propose transformative solutions through the design and implementation of participatory and inclusive approaches. To this end, MARIN will link ethnoecology, fisheries research, geographical tools, ecological modeling, and ecotoxicological and microbiological analysis to: 1) assess the diversity, extent and social-ecological dynamics of MIAF; 2) unveil the state and changes of MIAF grounds by examining cover and land use change, and ecological dynamics; 3) evaluate the pollution levels of shellfish and fishing areas by focusing on filter-feeding bivalves as bioindicators of heavy metals, microplastics and bacterial pollution; and 4) develop transdisciplinary tools to assess MIAF dynamics and ecosystem health by articulating scientific approaches, supporting the development of monitoring networks, fuzzy GIS tools, and targeting capacity building at the local, country and regional level. Local ecological knowledge, participatory approaches and gender mainstreaming are cross-cutting themes to all MARIN objectives. The research will take place in Timor-Leste and Mozambique, two countries presenting contrasted – but complementary – ecological settings and connected by Portuguese colonial history and bilateral cooperation. The project will allow to enhance local knowledge and transform gender inclusion in ocean governance; raise awareness on invisible pollution of coastal ecosystems; and develop sustainability science approaches to understand artisanal fisheries dynamics, nexus and change.