The role of culture in the self-organisation of coastal fishers sustaining coastal landscapes: A case study in Estonia

Abstract

The cultural sustainability of coastal landscapes relies heavily on the community's self-organisation in fish foodways. The theoretical framework concentrates on cultural sustainability, foodways, land-sea interactions, and community of practice. The data presented in this article were part of the SustainBaltic Integrated Coastal Zone Management plan, consisting mainly of semi-structured and focus group interviews with stakeholders, supported by background information from various available sources. The results are outlined by descriptions of self-organisation, community matters, and food forming cultural sustainability of coastal landscapes. The self-organisation in community of practice among coastal fishers is slowly progressing by negotiating common resources and voicing concerns about ecological, economic, and social sustainability. Foodways, which comprise the indispensable ingredient for sustaining a way of life that has produced traditional coastal landscapes, are always evolving.