Understanding the cultural impacts of climate change harms on small-scale fisher communities through the lens of cultural ecosystem services

Small-scale fisheries sustain the livelihood and well-being of hundreds of millions of people globally. However, climate change threatens the existence of small-scale fishers (SSF). The harms caused by the changing climate adversely impact not only the economic aspects of the life of these fishers but also their cultural lives, which can lead to deteriorating individual and communal well-being. Using the concept of cultural ecosystem services, which emphasizes the intertwining of nature and culture, this study applied participatory mapping, photovoice, and focus group discussions with members of SSF communities living on a small island in Indonesia to understand how climate change alters the culture of their communities. Climate change was perceived to cause direct and indirect impacts on the cultural lives of these communities. Climate change directly threatens the sense of historical continuity as it was seen to cause damages to sacred coastal sites used for praying and burial. The indirect harms to culture caused by climate change mainly arose from the difficulties in performing traditional livelihood practices, which relied on local ecological knowledge. These practices were perceived to be crucial in maintaining a sense of collective identities and ensuring social cohesion. Crucially, our study participants acknowledged that the adaptation measures the communities had performed, mainly in terms of shifting fishing grounds, may not reduce the risk of future migration. Overall, these findings act as a preliminary indication on how climate change can affect the cultural lives of SSF communities living in the Global South.