On 4 July 2025, Dr Maria Fernanda Morales Camacho successfully defended her PhD thesis, 'Adaptation of Artisanal Fishers in the Context of Climate Change: The Case of Costa Rica.'
Her research examines how Costa Rican artisanal fishers perceive and experience climate change, and how they adapt to its impacts in daily life.
Through a qualitative study framed by the concepts of vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation, the research uncovers that, contrary to mainstream assumptions, climate change is not always seen as a top priority among artisanal fishers. Instead, their immediate concerns often revolve around more pressing structural issues, including poverty, inequality and political marginalization.
Dr Camacho's thesis argues that adaptation cannot be approached as a monolithic or purely technical concept, disconnected from historical, social, political, and cultural contexts. Rather, it must be understood in relation to the complex realities of local communities, where adaptation strategies are shaped by everyday struggles, resource constraints, and long-standing neglect of the artisanal fishing sector in national development policy.
Photos
Rewatch Maria's defence introduction
- Researcher
