Evaluating taboo trade-offs in ecosystems services and human well-being

Area of Science:

• Ecosystem management
• Social-ecological systems
• Environmental policy

Background:

• Balancing multiple ecosystem services and stakeholder well-being involves complex trade-offs, often neglecting non-economic values.
• These trade-offs, including cultural identity and marginalized well-being, are frequently overlooked in favor of perceived win-win solutions.
• Effective environmental management requires explicit acknowledgment and evaluation of diverse trade-offs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate trade-offs in a small-scale tropical fishery using integrated ecological and social assessments.
• To explore the concept of "taboo" trade-offs, where psychologically or socially sensitive values are excluded from decision-making.
• To assess the utility of participatory modeling and scenario approaches in addressing complex management trade-offs.

Main Methods:

• Ecological simulations were integrated with participatory assessments of social-ecological system structure and stakeholder well-being.
• Stakeholders engaged with an interactive "toy model" and narrative scenarios to explore system trade-offs.
• Qualitative data on stakeholder well-being and perceptions of trade-offs were collected.

Main Results:

• Apparent win-wins between conservation and profitability masked differential impacts on food production, employment, and marginalized stakeholder well-being.
• Identified "taboo" trade-offs, such as between profits and the well-being of marginalized women, were previously unrecognized management issues.
• Participatory modeling facilitated stakeholder deliberation on complex and sensitive trade-offs.

Conclusions:

• Psychological biases and social sensitivities can lead to the exclusion of critical trade-off issues from policy decisions, hindering implementation.
• Participatory modeling and scenario approaches can enhance awareness of trade-offs, foster discussion on acceptability, and identify barriers to compliance.
• Addressing "taboo" trade-offs is essential for developing equitable and effective ecosystem management strategies.