Abstract for: Sustainability Challenges of Shrimp Farming on Coastal Lands: Archetypal Interplays of Disasters, Ecosystems and Livelihoods

The rapid growth of shrimp farming has also affected mangrove land and agricultural land. Driven by export revenue but often at the cost of local ecological and economic stability. This expansion has attracted farmers and investors seeking quick profits, but has also exposed communities to mounting risks from climate disasters and ecological degradation. We conceptualise the shrimp sector as a coupled social–ecological–economic system structured by endogenous feedbacks (disease, soil salinisation, debt cycles, market volatility) and shaped by exogenous triggers (cyclones, sea-level rise, regulatory shifts, global demand). Using CLDs and archetypes, we identify key system traps—including “Tragedy of the Commons,” “Success to the Successful,” and “Fixes that Backfire”—that concentrate risks on marginalised coastal communities and erode their long-term resilience. Employing systems thinking reveals that coastal shrimp farming is shaped by interconnected feedback loops, linking ecological degradation, climate vulnerability, and precarious livelihoods. Notable system archetypes, such as “Success to the Successful” and “Tragedy of the Commons”, illustrate how interventions, if not carefully designed, can inadvertently exacerbate sustainability challenges. The paper argues that acknowledging the likelihood of compounding climate shocks, while still acting to reduce harm and expand livelihood options, can re-orient shrimp livelihood away from only risk reduction toward building coastal resilience. We also explore the potential of the Deep Adaptation framework as an operational tool for resilience building. For Literature Search and Grammar Check