2016 Volume 80 Issue 3 Pages 199-206
In order to evaluate how the marine ecosystems and social environments affect human well-being, feeling of satisfaction according to the five components of human well-being defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (Security, Basic material for good life, Health, Good social relations, and Freedom of choice and action) was examined by means of questionnaires. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to visualize the basic structure of human well-being and to compare among three Asian countries (Japan, Korea and Indonesia) which are highly dependent on fisheries. The SEM analysis showed that the three countries shared a common basic structure of the human well-being with the five components interacting with each other. However, the intensity of interaction between each component differed among the three countries. “Good social relationship” strongly influences “Freedom of choice and action” as the most important component in Japan and Korea, while “Health” does in Indonesia. Consideration of the differences in the structure of human well-being among the countries is suggested to be important for better conservation and management of marine ecosystems.
