Resilience of a giant clam subsistence fishery in Kiribati to climate change

Abstract

Changes in sea surface temperature have historically impacted the coral reef habitats of giant clams in Kiribati. However, across many islands of Kiribati, the four species of giant clam have largely withstood these environmental changes. We adopted and applied a comprehensive resilience framework to assess attributes conferring and limiting resilience in the Kiribati giant clam data-limited fishery and used knowledge co-production and the precautionary principle approach to better understand resilience. We found that the resilience of the fishery to climate and anthropogenic impacts, as highlighted by local stake- and rightholders, will depend on the ability of fishery actors to act collectively to implement adaptive governance. We used a gradient of human pressure to identify approaches and pathways for improving and operationalising climate resilience. Climate change, coupled with human impacts, have reduced ecological resilience in the urbanised island of South Tarawa. In South Tarawa, governance and social processes are less flexible, leading to declines in the local subsistence clam fishery. Conversely, on several remote outer islands, where the social-ecological system has shown promise in combating these anthropogenic influences, the ecological resilience has improved through adaptive community-based fisheries management, and the subsistence clam fishery has persisted. Our case study demonstrates the importance of a participatory approach and local knowledge when assessing climate resilience and identifies a pathway of resilience in a data-limited small-scale fishery. I-KIRIBATI ABSTRACT Ni boong ma taai aika a bwakanako ao bibitakin kabuebuen taari ea bon tia n roota maiun te were nte aro are ea karika te ane ba ena mainaina. E ngae n anne ao utun te were aika a aua (4) aika a kuneaki i Kiribati, a tia n aitara ma kangangan korakoran bibitakin te enwaromenta. Rinanon aia konabwai ni waaki ma bitaki ao a tia naba ni kona ni kaaitarai aia mwakuri ni kabarekareka ao ni karawawata te bota n aomata. Bibitakin kanoan boong, n raonaki ma rikiraken te bota n aomata, ea tia ni kataia ni kauarerekea te konabai ni kaitarai kanganga iaon Tarawa Teinainano ni kabotauaki ma aban Kiribati ake tabeua are e a raroa riki. E korakora te kerikaki ni mwaitin te were iaon Tawara Teinainano ngkai e korakora anaakina ba te amwarake ao ni marau ke ni karako te baronga n aron anaakina. N aban Kiribati ake tabeua ao ea tia ni kakoauaaki ba te baaronga ma te katei n aroaro rinanon kaawan abamakoro ea tia ni kaoka rikiraken ao teimatoan te were bwa te amwarake, e ngae ngke e korakora ana urubwai bibitakin kanoan bong. N taraakin aron bibitakin kanoan boong i Kiribati ma akawan te were, ao e kuneaki ba aron te were ni kona ni kaitara kabuebuen taari ma rikiraken kakangin taari ena boboto man oioi irouia naake a kabongana ke n akawa te were. Te kamatebai aei e riki ba te katoto n aron taneiei ni kaaitarai bitakin kanoan bong n irekereke ma akawa aika a uarereke.