Sustainable coasts? Perceptions of change and livelihood vulnerability in Nordland, Norway

ABSTRACT

Northern coastal regions are facing multiple challenges from accelerating global environmental and socioeconomic changes, such as ecosystem degradation, climate change, intensified resource extraction, land use change and declining populations. Based on interviews with 13 farmers, fishers and aquaculture employees from coastal Nordland, northern Norway, this study demonstrates how the local stakeholders’ perceptions of change and experiences of vulnerability are closely linked to their livelihood values and worldviews. What the informants consider a sustainable and meaningful way of coastal living does not coincide with national goals for sustainable, natural resource dependent development of the region. The article demonstrates the importance of attending to local values if policymakers and managers are to ensure successful local mobilisation, reduce vulnerability to ongoing and future processes of change, and ensure legitimacy and consistency in development goals of coastal zone management. Insights from this study are useful for local and regional decision makers with responsibility for natural resource policies and development efforts.

KEYWORDS:

• Perceptions of change
• livelihood values
• worldviews
• sustainability
• coastal regions
• Northern Norway

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all those who contributed to the study through their participation in interviews. This work was supported by the Research Council of Norway.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Stine Rybråten http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2877-3868

Maiken Bjørkan http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5560-8633

Grete K. Hovelsrud http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6549-8194

Bjorn Kaltenborn http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3735-4796

Notes

1 The Norwegian Reference Fleet is organised by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), which rents vessels (coastal and seagoing) to collect data. The IMR is the advisory body for fisheries management in Norway. See also Bjørkan (2011).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Research Council of Norway: [Grant no: 255783].