Stefan Gelcich has built a career out of a different kind of environmentalism. A member of Greengrants’ Southern Cone Advisory Board since 2007 and a Marine Biologist at Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Stefan is part of a growing number of scientists who study “socio-ecological systems”—human communities as components of ecosystems. In his words, “this represents a fundamental paradigm shift, from the traditional view of people as external disrupters of otherwise pristine ecosystems.” His aim? To benefit environments and the people who live in them—a position that Greengrants can get behind.
This Fall, Stefan’s research on marine ecosystems was featured on the cover of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). His research looks at a shift, in some parts of Chile, to a system of coastal resource management that emphasizes the combination of local-level fisher collectives and scientific knowledge. It finds that this shift did much more than just increase locals’ say in the use of their own resources—it also improved the overall sustainability of livelihoods and ecosystems along Chile’s coastline. For instance, since the implementation of this type of management, populations of Chilean abalone, which were severely depleted during the 1980s, have stabilized, and their market price has even increased.
Stefan’s research ultimately suggests that when local people are given the knowledge to be stewards of the environment, marine ecosystems benefit. It’s true sustainability–environmental, social, and economic.
You can read the entirety of Stefan’s PNAS article, “Navigating transformations in governance of Chilean marine coastal resources,” here.
Our congratulations go to Stefan on his great work. Not only has he published in a prestigious journal, his research represents a major step towards prioritizing the role of local participation in environmental conservation.