Ecosystem Services and Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change: An Interdisciplinary Science-Based Application in The Gambia

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the intersection of climate change policy, natural resource economics, and environmental sustainability in The Gambia. This research contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the following ways. First, this dissertation enhances our understanding of migration as an adaptative strategy to mitigate environmental and climate risk factors. It informs us of people’s willingness to migrate (WTM) from coastal settlements due to current environmental challenges and perceived climate change impacts (see chapter one). Second, the study advances the applicability of remote sensing and GIS-based multicriteria decision-making approaches for site identification– for a new capital city (see chapter two). Third, the study contributes to land-use land cover (LULC) assessment and ecosystem service valuation (e.g., carbon sequestration) in the developing world– the first LULC change detection study in The Gambia (see chapter one). Fourth, this study enhances our understanding of willingness to pay (WTP) for climate change mitigation projects among people in the least developed countries– The Gambia as a case study. The argument that poor people have limited or zero WTP for restoration/mitigation projects due to liquidity constraints may not necessarily be true. Gambians’ express high WTP for beach protection despite being poor. It contributes to quantifying the monetary value for coastal ecosystem services provided by nature to a developing country's economy (see chapter four). Finally, beyond academia, the research would help policymakers to understand the economics of natural resources and climate change adaptation options in their decision-making processes.