Presentation at the STEPS Symposium September 2010

Robert Arthur, MRAG Ltd, 18 Queen St, Londonr.arthur@mrag.co.uk

Describe experiences with locally-led ‘safe fail’ experimentation in village-managed fisheries

Highlight what we learned about evidence, knowledge and the role of researchers in the context of dynamic complex systems

‘Community fisheries’ are village-managed local small waterbody fisheries (1-40 ha) managed to get benefits for the whole village;

Often the principal, if not only, way villages can generate communal income to improve livelihoods and pursue village development priorities;

Management includes access restrictions, technical interventions (stocking and habitat improvement), benefit sharing and conflict resolution arrangements;

Great interest in government in promoting community fisheries within villages

Highly dynamic: productivity is dependent on the annual ‘flood pulse’; development brings changing needs and aspirations

Little existing information about the most appropriate technical measures (care of fish and harvesting strategies);

Interdependent social-ecological systems: fishing is mediated by dynamic local institutions

High stakes: fisheries important source of household and community food and income

Research was initially focused on technical aspects: identifying species and stocking densities that could maximise production;

Social aspects recognised as important and research focused on the management arrangements and benefits in ‘successful’ villages;

Linear concept of research and uptake focused on identifying and promoting models of success

Outcomes are shaped by critical interactions between people and resources at the local level;

In systems that are complex and diverse a single model of what to do is limited;

Chasing predictability, control and adoption can be frustrating;

Local people are innovative and can be ‘drivers of change’ but, being isolated learning is slow;

The basis for adaptation – the quality of information or evidence is critical.

Knowledge is embedded and does not exist independent of people It is vital that those managing the resources are active in generating and communicating information.

Information needs to be generated and shared in an appropriate and timely fashion. There must be the facilitation of information sharing in locally appropriate ways and creation of mechanisms for people to develop their own understandings.

Learning must be both demand-led and appropriate. As well as being what villages wanted to know, any information generating activities had to be acceptable in terms of risk.

Researchers no longer drive the research but actively support local innovation by engaging local people and government staff as active researchers;

Dialogue, facilitation and negotiation become important skills;

Application and sharing of design principles to identify ‘safe fail’ experiments;

Shift in the model of research and uptake from linear to non-linear systems that require research processes and not outputs;

Collectively researchers villages and government staff considered key uncertainties related to management;

Negotiation and agreement with all stakeholders of a strategy to meet requirements (and reduce uncertainties);

Active and passive experimentation.

Knowledge about how technologies perform in the field

Villagers and government staff understand the systems and can select and promote options

Management becomes more flexible but less predictable

2001/02* Rented

2002/03 Fishing day (difficult to enforce)

2003/04 Rented

2004/05 Open (dry year food scarce)

2005/06 Rented