Exploring coastal development scenarios for Zanzibar: A local microcosm-inspired Delphi survey

Tropical coastal systems are undergoing rapid change, which impacts people and natural resources, and that requires innovative governance processes to be turned into an opportunity for sustainable management. Focusing on Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago in Tanzania, this study explores the current state of the island's coastal systems, as well as probable and desirable scenarios for the future. Based on a two-round iterative Delphi survey aimed at coastal science & management experts, research priorities are identified, and explorative scenarios are proposed. The findings indicate that demographic pressure is expected to have a high impact, and that competing coastal land use claims balancing between tourism infrastructure development and local fisheries-related land are to be expected. Sustainable alternative livelihood strategies are however expected to be part of the solution, for a resilient coastal system, if inclusive governance and management strategies are put in place, e.g. regarding access to coastal resources. This study combines the predictive and normative components of explorative scenarios and its approach and findings can be inspiring in the whole Western Indian Ocean region, beyond the Zanzibar case study.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Patterns of Mangrove Resource Uses within the Transboundary Conservation Area of Kenya and Tanzania

Mangrove forests provide a wide range of goods and services that sustain communities around the world. This paper explores utilization patterns of extractable mangrove resources by communities within the proposed Kenya–Tanzania transboundary conservation area (TBCA). Some 152 household surveys and 12 nominal group technique discussions were carried out. At least 16 direct-use products were reported to be extracted from the mangroves, with 90% of households found to use mangrove products. Changing patterns of mangrove use in the areas and accessibility point towards unsustainable utilization and promote illegal activities. Mangrove use patterns also show a high level of mangrove dependence by communities for their livelihood. Overharvesting of mangrove wood products is reported to be the major threat facing the forests. There is a need to address the problems of open access through capacity building and awareness creation, development and implementation of harvest plans, and introduction of alternative livelihood options. The results of this study can be used to inform development of the proposed TBCA as well as the establishment of a conservation policy in order to contribute to sustainable utilization of mangroves. These findings are important within the TBCA as well as similar environments around the world.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Nuclear cyp73 intron fragment length polymorphism supports morphological analysis of Salix species and hybrids

The polyploid Salix alba L.– Salix fragilis L. hybrid complex still presents major difficulties in morphological identification. Most of the measured characters show a low diagnostic value for unambiguously identifying the parental species and their hybrid Salix× rubens Schrank due to continuous variation creating a large overlap in leaf and catkin morphology. Fragment length polymorphism of nuclear cyp73 intron markers was used to identify species and hybrids. This multilocus genotyping could be applied in a morphological analysis of trees from hybrid zones and allowed to demonstrate that morphological features of leaves and catkins clearly separated S. alba from S. fragilis. The hybrid individuals largely overlapped with both parental species but appeared to be morphologically more similar to S. fragilis than to S. alba . Cyp73 analysis of 11 Salix taxa revealed intermediate positions of two hybrid taxa with S. alba , namely S. × rubens and S.× sepulcralis Simonkai with their respective parental species S. fragilis and S. babylonica L. Additionally, the cyp73 intron multilocus genotypes clustered tetraploid taxa separately from diploid willows. Cyp73 introns are valuable markers for fast, reliable and straightforward genotyping in willow species and hybrid

The Mangal Play: A serious game to experience multi-stakeholder decision-making in complex mangrove social-ecological systems

In order to achieve collaborative action in nature conservation and natural resources management, stakeholders have to understand and acknowledge other stakeholders’ interests, values, world visions and objectives and they have to overcome the problem of irrational decision-making through innate opposition discourses. In this paper we developed the Mangal Play, an experiential learning method to have participants adopt the role of a particular stakeholder in an imaginary mangrove forest social-ecological system (SES). The Mangal Play is a serious game, more specifically a role-play, aimed at promoting oral dialogues between 20 stakeholders involved in governance, fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, tourism, transport, conservation and communication sectors. By providing tools to lecturers and scientists to execute it in a public or classroom setting, the Mangal Play stimulates a decision-making process while accepting compromise and distinguishing bottom-line issues from negotiable positions, and instructs about the behaviour of complex real-world systems in a safe learning environment. We exemplify how social network analysis can serve to visualise the outcome and further develop the Mangal Play. In this way we hope to help stakeholders take into account diverse positions in a rational decision-making process.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The Mangal Play: A serious game to experience multi-stakeholder decision-making in complex mangrove social-ecological systems

In order to achieve collaborative action in nature conservation and natural resources management, stakeholders have to understand and acknowledge other stakeholders’ interests, values, world visions and objectives and they have to overcome the problem of irrational decision-making through innate opposition discourses. In this paper we developed the Mangal Play, an experiential learning method to have participants adopt the role of a particular stakeholder in an imaginary mangrove forest social-ecological system (SES). The Mangal Play is a serious game, more specifically a role-play, aimed at promoting oral dialogues between 20 stakeholders involved in governance, fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, forestry, tourism, transport, conservation and communication sectors. By providing tools to lecturers and scientists to execute it in a public or classroom setting, the Mangal Play stimulates a decision-making process while accepting compromise and distinguishing bottom-line issues from negotiable positions, and instructs about the behaviour of complex real-world systems in a safe learning environment. We exemplify how social network analysis can serve to visualise the outcome and further develop the Mangal Play. In this way we hope to help stakeholders take into account diverse positions in a rational decision-making process