Perceptions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and La Niña Shape Fishers' Adaptive Capacity and Resilience

Much research has raised concerns about how a warming planet will interact with natural cyclical climatic variations, and the implications for the resilience and vulnerability of coastal communities. As the anticipated effects of climate change will continue to intensify, it is necessary to understand the response and adaptive capacity of individuals and communities. Coastal communities in Ecuador have evolved in an environment of such cyclical climatic variations referred to as El Ni & ntilde;o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and La Ni & ntilde;a. These climatic events are frequently characterized by extreme variations in precipitation, violent storms, and coastal flooding during El Ni & ntilde;o and lowered sea water temperatures and drought during La Ni & ntilde;a. This paper draws on survey data and long-term ethnographic research in Ecuadorian coastal communities to explore how fishers understand the impacts of ENSO and implications for their livelihood decisions and resilience to climate variability. The results suggest that fishers along the coast of Ecuador understand and respond differentially to the impacts of ENSO depending on social, cultural, environmental, and geographical factors. These differential levels of response suggest that livelihood diversification may uphold social resilience, which has implications for how coastal communities may adapt to the increasingly harsh weather conditions predicted by many climate models. Our findings further suggest that the impacts of El Ni & ntilde;o are more salient than the impacts of La Ni & ntilde;a; these findings have significant implications for fisheries management and science communication.