Aloe vera plantation managers , Sri Lanka © S. Christensen, 2011

The livelihoods of coastal communities are heavily dependent on resources and services provided by coastal ecosystems. From basic necessities including food, water and shelter to intrinsic services like tourism and recreation, coastal ecosystems cater to a multitude of human needs. The quality of these services and ecosystem health are in turn dependent on their judicious utilization by communities. Local people are not just recipients of these services but also exert direct influence on the nature and providing capacity of ecosystems.

The intricate links between local livelihoods and ecosystem health are now widely recognized. With coastal communities constantly evolving and diversification of their needs and occupations, there is a greater urgency to equate socio-economic and livelihood concerns with ecosystem health. It is now imperative that insightful parallels be drawn between decline in ecosystem health and livelihood activities.

MFF focuses on promoting livelihood activities that are environmentally sound, economically realistic and sustainable. Together with partners it seeks to address the challenges faced by coastal ecosystems and communities in the MFF countries. Through this programme of work MFF aims to develop models to guide livelihood restoration in post disaster situations, encourage replicable community led ecotourism activities, restore fisheries in tsunami affected areas and help market non-fish mangrove products.

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