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Developing an Ecosystem Approach to Inland Fisheries
Opportunities and Challenges
John Valbo Jorgensen
Simon Funge-Smith
Marine and Inland Fisheries Branch
FAO, Italy
• The application of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) in an inland fishery context, is a way to promote broader consideration of the linkages between components in an ecosystem and fisheries.
• It is a process that facilitates trade-offs between different stakeholder's priorities, balancing human and ecological needs.
• It provides increased support for better governance and promotes stakeholder participation – better communication and trust.
Fisheries management: “An integrated process that aims to control fishing activities to improve the benefits that society receives from harvesting fish”.
However!
• Inland fisheries rely on good water quality, adequate water quantity at the right time, healthy habitats and ecosystem integrity;
• It is not possible to address the sustainability of inland fisheries in isolation from the rest of the ecosystem;
• Inland fisheries do not generally drive water management decision making;
• For inland fisheries to be sustainable, the sector must seek ways to become accommodated within other management decision making.
Modified from http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kWa5xce0lJA/UUsPrnHiGdI/AAAAAAAAB9k/hDZzjGIzhUM/s1600/LandUseDiagram_Point&NonPoint+Pollution.jpg
Inland fisheries is competing with a range of other sectors that use or impact water resources and aquatic ecosystems.
This requires clear articulation of inland fisheries’ needs for water and the underlying economic, environmental and ecological justification for this.
Changing the management paradigm
• Understand the importance of interactions between human activities (incl. fisheries) and the aquatic ecosystem => accept that humans are part of the ecosystem => maintain ecosystem integrity;
• Improve research to better understand all components of the ecosystems and how they are connected;
• Improve human well-being and equity; Wide range of societal objectives for fisheries resources and aquatic ecosystems => Broaden stakeholder participation in prioritization and management decisions;
• Need to define: What do we want to achieve and for whom and why?
• Apply the precautionary approach and develop adaptive management systems;
• Ensure compatibility of management measures (across sector and jurisdictions);
7
Ecosystem Approach
• the ecosystem is a provider of services
• integrated management
• man is part of the ecosystem
• good governance/ stakeholder involvement
• identifying alternatives
• resolve conflict
• biodiversity conservation
EXISTING
• silo approach
• fish focused
• production driven
• “science” driven
• prescriptive and top-down
• fisheries control”
EA Inland Fisheries
• ecosystem integrity• water quality• ecological flows• habitats• connectivity
• basin approaches/ source to sea
• mitigate/rehabilitate
• external factors
• socio-ec. benefits• nutrition• employment• livelihoods• culture
• local knowledge
• co-management
• adaptive mgmt
I need to increase fish production
So why are you here?
Department of infrastructure
Ministry of Agriculture
Crops is the only way to feed people
Ministry of Finance
He even smells of fish
Different sectors are planned and managed by different public institutions
To build a convincing case,fisheries must be analysed and prioritized and their vulnerabilities assessed.
Amateur: ponds
Commercial: major reservoirs
Commercial: major river basin
Rec.: salmonid
Commercial: eel
Simplified after Hoggarth et al. 1999
Holistic policies and strategies for development, food security etc
Plan for Basin development
Demarcate ecosystem boundaries and identify stakeholders.
Identify management issues and priorities;Implement management activities.
Regional level (RBO, Ramsar, CBD, CCRF, EU WFD …)
Linking institutions
Fisheries
Inland
HIGHLY DEPENDANT/LITTLE INFLUENCEExamples of people who should be represented in theEAF-inland discussions
- Water user group members- Fishers in irrigation reservoirs and wetlands- Small-scale aquaculture operators- Small-scale farmers- Hunters and gatherers- Other unorganized users of resources dependent upon
water
HIGHLY DEPENDANT/SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCEExamples of people who are essential to the EAF-inland planning deliberations
- Irrigation scheme managers- Water user group leaders- High investment aquaculture operators- Commercial fishers or concession operators- Commercial farmers- Local fisheries department- CSOs and local NGOs
- Recreational fishers
LOW DEPENDANCE/LITTLE INFLUENCEExamples of people who need to be kept informed of EAF-inland actions, but with less need to engage
− Community members with no direct stake in waterallocation and its use
− Local newspapers and media
LOW DEPENDANCE/SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCEExamples of people who need to be convinced to buy into the EAF-inland or to support the plan.
− Community leaders− Local government actors− Local politicians
− Conservationists
Who needs to be involved?
EAF Inland Fisheries Planning
Key elements of the Ecosystem Approach to Inland Fisheries
• Promote broader consideration of the links between components in an ecosystem and fisheries;
• Facilitate trade-offs between different stakeholder's priorities, balancing human and ecological needs;
• Increase support for better governance
• Increase stakeholder’s participation – better communication and trust;
• Enable recognition of larger-scale, longer-term issues and their solutions;
• Reduce conflicts, especially between different fishery sub-sectors and other sectors;
• Help access to financial resources for fisheries• Good planning and momentum fosters support from governments, donors and
NGOs.
• Difference between expectations and the resources;
• Need to reconcile diverging objectives (not always a win-win);
• Low level of organiation and insufficient participation of some stakeholder groups;
• Low capacity;
• Insufficient knowledge;
• Equity;
• Poverty;
• Etc.
Challenges to over come
Final remarks• Every site is unique;
• Work with the information you have, plan will be adapted as more information becomes available;
• Find strong allies with common interests;
• More cumbersome but the benefits are equally large;
• Most important is a change of mind-set;
•Participation participation
participation
Thank you for your attention