Dependency on Mangroves Ecosystem Services is Modulated by Socioeconomic Drivers and Socio-Ecological Changes – Insights From a Small Oceanic island

Small island developing states (SIDS) display high biodiversity but are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change and economic and environmental shocks. In Mauritius, located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, mangroves provide essential ecological services and support coastal communities’ livelihoods, but are threatened by continuous degradation. While regulating and provisioning services of mangroves are well documented, our study elucidates some of the lesser-known cultural values attached to mangroves and the ways in which communities depend on them for their well-being. Using a multi-dimensional ecosystem services framework, we conducted an in-person survey between August and October 2021 in coastal villages in east-southeast Mauritius of 281 Mauritian households in middle- to low-income categories with livelihoods associated to fishing and/or tourism. We analysed the data through distribution analysis, multiple correspondence analysis, and logarithmic regression. Our results show that two-thirds of respondents depend on mangroves with low (37.2%) to medium and high (26.3%) dependencies for cultural services and as a support for food security and income generation. Socio-economic drivers and multiple crises play a direct and indirect role in mangrove dependency. Our results suggest that precarious households have higher levels of dependency and are consequently more vulnerable to mangrove degradation and socio-ecological changes. The impact of changes and socio-economic parameters are therefore essential dimensions for coastal management and biodiversity conservation policy design.