Social-Ecological Analysis of Resilience to Co-Management Challenges in a Bangladeshi Wetland Fishery Community

A social-ecological system framework (SESF) is employed to analyze fishers’ resilience to social-ecological challenges in co-managing the Bogiani fishery’s social-ecological system (SES). This study uses in-depth interviews and focus group discussions to provide an in-depth assessment of fishers’ resilience to co-management challenges. Results indicate that socioeconomic adversities and local hierarchical political processes mainly restrict fishers’ ability to address these challenges. Specifically, fishers seek assistance from well-off individuals to co-manage the fishery due to their inability to cover high maintenance costs and the competitive leasing process. This allows the wealthy and influential to capture the fishery. Moreover, overharvesting and declining biophysical settings prevent fishers from growing the fishery. Fishers also report minimal participation in fishery governance and the creation of formal rules, ignoring their customary practices. Ultimately, co-management has failed to stimulate joint action among fishers to mitigate ecological challenges and achieve sustainable fishery management.