AUTHOR=Nyangweso Ochieng Christine , Thenya Thuita , Mwaura Francis , Owuor Margaret Awuor 

TITLE=Gender perspectives on coastal and marine ecosystems services flow in Kwale County, Kenya

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 6 - 2022

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.787476

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2022.787476

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=The continuous flow of ecosystem services (ES) within coastal and marine ecosystems supports communities’ well-being and security through harnessing required resources such as seafood that address food security. The overexploitation of these coastal resources places communities at risk of losing ES. The aim of this paper was to assess how preferences for the ES flow from these ecosystem types (i.e., mangrove forests, coastal lagoons, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and the deep sea) vary by gender in Diani Chale and Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Areas in Kwale County, Kenya. Specifically, this paper aimed to assess the pattern and variation in mean scores of ES flow across coastal and marine ecosystem types by gender. A total of 148 respondents (87 men and 61 women) aged 20-72 years participated in describing ES through focus group discussions and the Delphi technique. Respondents were engaged in a participatory activity that involved filling of perceived ES flow scores using a 6-point Likert-type scale in lookup tables (also known as matrix). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for mean scores of ES flow across coastal and marine ecosystem types as perceived by men and women. One-way MANOVA was used to test for significant differences between the mean scores of men and women in ES flow across ecosystem types. By ecosystem services flow, the aggregate scores for non-use values, regulating and cultural services were scored higher than provisioning services. The overall ES flow scores were higher in the mangrove forests 52/90 and least in the coastal lagoon 39/90. There was a significant variation (p<0.05) of ES flow by gender, where the mean score of men was significantly higher than women for most ES flow in cultural, regulating, and provisioning services across some coastal and marine ecosystem types. However, there was no significant variation (p>0.05) in the flow of non-use values by gender across ET. The findings of this study highlight the importance of understanding gender views in ES access and use at local levels to support food security. Including gender perspectives in coastal and marine ecosystems governance is critical, especially toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals.