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