Browsing by Author "San Martin, Valeska A."
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Item Exploring the adaptive capacity of the mussel mariculture industry in Chile(2020) San Martin, Valeska A.; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Roberto, Ponce; Ximena Paz, Lerdón; Rivera, Antonella; Serramalera, Leticia; Gelcich, StefanSocieties have adapted to climate and environmental variability throughout history. However, projected climate change poses multiple risks to mariculture because of the increased frequency of environmental threats that lie outside the realm of present day experience. Adaptive capacity evaluated in this study is a characteristic that would reflect mariculture industries ability to anticipate and respond to these changes, and to minimize, cope with, and recover from the consequences and take advantage of new opportunities arising from change. Drawing on a survey to 90 mussel mariculture companies in Chiloe-Chile, we have characterized the way the industry has adapted and recovered from specific stressors in productive capacity, namely; reduced mussel growth rates and reduced larval supply. We additionally assess determinants of the mussel industry's willingness to invest in building capacity to anticipate changes through analysing mussel aquaculture companies' assets to draw upon in times of need (capital; access to credit), the flexibility to change strategies, the companies' perception of the industry's social organization to act collectively (social capital), and their response to hypothetical scenarios regarding shocks in productive capacity. Results show heterogeneity in production decisions when facing environmental stressors. Results also show that the industry adapts in heterogeneous ways and that financial assets and social capital drive willingness to invest in adaptive capacity. Understanding past adaptation strategies and the willingness of the industry to invest in anticipating stressors allows us to begin exploring the consequences of new stressors. Importantly, as Chile and other countries are developing adaptation plans to face the multiple stressors of climate change, information about stakeholders' existing adaptation strategies and their determinants is becoming a critical bottleneck to inform these processes and assure they are in line with stakeholder needs and interest. While we use the Chilean mussel industry as a working example, the approach presented can inform other countries/regions wishing to explore the adaptive capacity of their aquaculture sectors.Item Linking social preferences and ocean acidifcation impacts in mussel aquaculture(2019) San Martin, Valeska A.; Gelcich, Stefan; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; Ponce Oliva, Roberto; Hernández, José I.; Lagos, Nelson A.; Birchenough, Silvana N.R.; Vargas, Cristian A.Ocean Acidifcation (OA) has become one of the most studied global stressors in marine science during the last ffteen years. Despite the variety of studies on the biological efects of OA with marine commercial species, estimations of these impacts over consumers’ preferences have not been studied in detail, compromising our ability to undertake an assessment of market and economic impacts resulting from OA at local scales. Here, we use a novel and interdisciplinary approach to fll this gap. We experimentally test the impact of OA on commercially relevant physical and nutritional attributes of mussels, and then we use economic discrete choice models to assess the marginal efects of these impacts over consumers’ preferences and wellbeing. Results showed that attributes, which were signifcantly afected by OA, are also those preferred by consumers. Consumers are willing to pay on average 52% less for mussels with evidences of OA and are willing to increase the price they pay to avoid negative changes in attributes due to OA. The interdisciplinary approach developed here, complements research conducted on OA by efectively informing how OA economic impacts can be analyzed under the lens of marginal changes in market price and consumer’ welfare. Thereby, linking global phenomena to consumers’ wellbeing, and shifting the focus of OA impacts to assess the efects of local vulnerabilities in a wider context of people and businesses.Item Ocean Acidification, Consumers’ Preferences, and Market Adaptation Strategies in the Mussel Aquaculture Industry(2019) Ponce Oliva, Roberto; Vásquez Lavín, Felipe; San Martin, Valeska A.; Vargas, Cristian A.; Gelcich, Stefan; González, Pablo S.; Hernández, José IgnacioOcean acidification (OA) is one of the largest emerging and significant environmental threats for the aquaculture industry, jeopardizing its role as an alternative for supporting food security. Moreover, market conditions, characterized by price volatility and low value-added products, could exacerbate the industry’s vulnerability to OA. We use a literature review on the biological consequences of OA over marine commercial species attributes to inform the empirical assessment of consumers’ preferences for those attributes affected by OA, and consumers’ responses to a set of market adaptation strategies suggested by the industry. We found that OA will have a negative impact on consumers’ welfare due to the effects on commercial attributes of aquaculture products. However, the main concerns for the industry are the market conditions. Thus, the industry’s current adaptation strategies are focused on increasing their market share by offering new product assortments (with more value-added), regardless of the effect of OA on consumers’ welfare. Despite this fact, the industry’s strategies could eventually contribute to cope with OA since some specific segments of the market are willing to pay for new product assortments. This new market composition highlights the role of public institutions’ reputation in issues related to food safety.