Browsing by Author "Katikiro, Robert E."
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Item Challenges Facing Local Communities in Tanzania in Realising Locally-Managed Marine Areas(Elsevier, 2015) Katikiro, Robert E.; Macusi, Edison D.; Deepananda, Ashoka K.This study explores how the history and process of establishing a marine protected area (MPA) under the control of the state has led to limited interest in community-based management amongst local stakeholders. The study contributes to the understanding of historical events that have discouraged the take-off and scale-up of community-based conservation approaches, such as locally-managed marine areas (LMMAs). LMMAs are being promoted increasingly as a desirable approach in marine conservation. However, there are a limited numbers of cases where such initiatives have been used as a strategy for marine management in sub-Saharan Africa, and very few operational examples of such schemes exist in the Western Indian Ocean region. Through semi-structured questionnaires, 193 community members selected randomly from 15 villages of the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP), Mtwara district, Southern Tanzania, were interviewed about their attitudes towards efforts to promote local management and the conservation of marine resources. The study also involved 17 focus group discussions, 13 in-depth key informant interviews, participant observation, and a review of secondary information. Over 85% of the questionnaire respondents commented that there was insufficient participation by legitimate community representatives in the development of the MBREMP. Almost 90% of the respondents agreed that the management of marine areas has increased significantly, particularly in the last two decades following initiatives by the government, donors and external NGOs. However, 70% of the questionnaire responders had observed that a rapid shift from centralised to community-based management has been hindered by a lack of acceptable community rules and by communities frequently equating conservation with prohibition. Developing LMMAs in areas based on the lessons learned from MPAs could be a better alternative to developing entirely new community-managed areas; however, this can only succeed if limitations including the key principles of community participation and empowerment are addressed.Item Changes in Fisheries and Social Dynamics in Tanzanian Coastal Fishing Communities(2014) Katikiro, Robert E.; Macusi, Edison D.; Deepananda, Ashoka K.Fishing communities constantly change and adapt to modifications in the environment, and are reflected in changes to variables related to the dynamics of a fishery. Such changes in a fishery could involve a decline in fish stocks, market failure or the loss of an important species. The effects of such changes on the social dynamics of artisanal fishing communities have been poorly investigated in the Western Indian Ocean region. This article examines how communities have been affected by recent environmental, technological and socio-cultural changes in fisheries in five coastal villages in the Mtwara rural district, Tanzania, and the mechanisms whereby people cope with these changes. Data were derived from 103 semi-structured interviews, 15 focus group discussions, nine oral interviews, participant observations, and reviews of literature and policy documents. Overall, nearly 80% of respondents declared that there were significant changes in fishing techniques, strategies and the social organisation of the fishers. Almost 60% of the respondents admitted that traditional fishing gear such as traps and hand lines have increasingly been replaced by fishing nets operated from powered boats, especially since the 1980s, to compensate for declining fish catches. There is a shift from collective communal fisheries to individual and private fishing groups due to weakening of social structures and increased monetisation in the fishery activities. New values and perspectives are now being integrated into the communities. Approaches required for understanding and promoting development of fishing communities should include objectives that recognise how social structures adapt in the face of extreme conditions of the fisheryItem Envisioning 2050: Climate Change, Aquaculture and Fisheries in West Africa. Dakar, Senegal 14-16 April 2010(The WorldFish Center, 2011) Badjeck, M. C.; Katikiro, Robert E.; Flitner, Michael; Diop, Ndiaga; Schwerdtner, M.This report presents the activities and results of the workshop Envisioning 2050: Climate Change, Aquaculture and Fisheries in West Africa. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss critical issues and uncertainties faced by the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Ghana, Senegal and Mauritania, build sectoral scenarios for 2050 and discuss the implication of these scenarios in the context of climate change for the countries and the region. During the workshop participants were introduced to scenariobuilding methodologies, identified drivers of change and ranked them according to their importance and levels of uncertainty. Participants then constructed four consistent scenarios for 2050 for each country. The scenarios raised several questions including: Can aquaculture address both national food security and macroeconomic growth? Should regional trade be promoted or access to global markets prioritised? How will climate change affect fishery resources, especially small pelagic fish like sardines, which are an important export commodity for Senegal and Mauritania?Item Fisheries Production Systems, Climate Change and Climate Variability in West Africa: An Annotated Bibliography(2010) Katikiro, Robert E.; FL, Michael; Badjeck, M. C.This bibliography is intended for people who are involved in fisheries, aquaculture, climate change, disaster management and policy development in West Africa or interested in one or more of these issues. The literature in this bibliography includes peer-reviewed journals, books and book chapters, grey reports and institutional technical papers, but is restricted to literature in English. They were gathered through an extensive web search using fisheries, fish, coastal, inland, aquaculture and/or in combination with climate change and impacts, climate variability, specific country names, West Africa and Gulf of Guinea as the main keywords.Item Futures for Fisheries Production Systems in West Africa: Development of Scenarios for Adaptation to Climate Change(2010-08) Katikiro, Robert E.Literature gives strong evidence on the possible long term implications of climate change on oceans and inland-based fisheries. Climate change caused largely by accelerated global warming is likely to alter West African fisheries production systems that are already under stress from overexploitation and overcapitalization. The region is one of the most vulnerable due to the relatively importance of fisheries to national economies and diets, and limited capacity to adapt to potential impacts. This article draws on developing of scenarios for the West African region to identify the impacts of climate change and variability, through case studies in Ghana, Senegal and Mauritania, of which their territorial waters are located in the Canary and Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystems where uncertainties exist on how future biophysical changes due to climate change will interact with other stressors and the anticipated responses and adaptation strategies for fisheries production systems. The study used qualitative expert interview and quantitative data (secondary and statistics), exploring the past and understanding the present to create narrative possible future attributed to climate change. Scenario developed through case studies facilitated understanding of the major drivers of changes in fisheries production systems and resulting effects in the context of climate change. It is envisaged that fishery –sector specific scenario need to be developed by taking into consideration the multiple drivers affecting fisheries production systems. Such development would enhance the region's ability and capacity to plan for adaptation within their sustainable fisheries management regimes as mitigation to the predicted great impacts of climate change.Item Governance of Coastal Resources in Southern Tanzania: Comparing Beach Management Units and Marine Bay Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park(NEPSUS, 2019) Kweka, Opportuna L.; Katikiro, Robert E.; Minja, Rasul Ahmed; Namkesa, Faraja D.This paper compares two type of partnerships for management of coastal resources in Tanzania: Beach Management Units (BMUs) and the Mnazi Bay Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP). It examines their configuration of actors, governance systems and sustainability outcomes. Drawing from a triangulated analysis of interviews, focus groups, surveys, oral histories, participant observation and secondary data, the paper provides a mapping of the actors involved in these partnerships and their networks; and examines their legitimacy in terms of input, process, output and social and ecological outcomes as perceived by local communities living. Preliminary findings suggest that neither partnership seem to have yielded the expected socio-economic and ecological outcomes. Both face governance challenges related to structural, financial and participatory failures. Both are poorly equipped and the funds accrued from fines and fees are not enough to support alternative livelihood activities or provide alternative fishing gear. Communities see these partnerships as focusing on conservation and as having failed to address major social and economic needs. The structures of the BMUs and MBREMP need to be revised thoroughly to improve the actual role of communities and fishers in the governance of coastal resources. This would improve a sense of ownership and increase cooperation and trust. The benefits accrued from the income resulting from fees or fines must be transparent and shared broadly, no matter how small, as it would improve stewardship. Another important way to support fishers and limit pressure on resources near to shore would be to facilitate access to boats and gear to allow them to fish in the deep sea.Item Human Induced Degradation of Coastal Resources in Asia Pacific and Implications on Management and Food Security(2011) Macusi, Edison D.; Katikiro, Robert E.; Deepananda, Ashoka K.; Jimenez, Leah A.; Conte, Alen R.; Fadli, NurCurrently, 41% of the world's total population and about a third of urban megacities are found within the coastal zone. The coastal watersheds and nearshore marine areas are the most productive and dynamic regions in the world. This strategic location for food, trade, commerce and tourism boasts more than half of the total service value of the global environment production. However, the changing environment also sports this area to be most vulnerable to human impacts such as climate change, pollution, coastal development, urbanization, fragmentation and degradation. The impact of these threats could hamper the millennium development goals of most Asia Pacific countries, producing hunger and poverty. Though fisheries resources were once abundant, the unsustainable practices of unregulated fishing gears, mesh net sizes and increased number of motorized boats have all fished the seas resulting to decreased predators in the food chain. Fishing employs more than 6 million fishers in the Asia Pacific and a primary source of livelihood for a majority of the population living in the coasts. The fisheries sector also plays a critical role in the economic, social and cultural developments of these nations contributing significantly (~12%) to their animal protein intake and 20% to their national GDP through export earnings. The coastal resources of Asia Pacific have an estimated total value of US$ 357 billion dollars but their value are fast declining due to a combination of rapid population growth, urbanization, coastal developments, overfishing and destructive fishing methods. Such declines have increased poverty among coastal fishers who are directly affected by changes in demography and development in the coasts.Item Impacts of Climate Change on West African Fisheries and Its Implications on Food Production(2012) Katikiro, Robert E.; Macusi, Edison D.Fish constitutes as an important food, commodity and industry in the economies of West African countries. Forecasts of fish production in the future indicate that majority of the fisheries will be affected by climate change, and may cause food insecurity. This review discussed food security threats and other negative consequences associated with climate change in the fisheries production in West Africa. It discussed various aspects of the linkage between food security and fisheries production system in a changing climate and highlight areas of actions for policy makers. The impacts of climate change on most of the fish and fisheries of West Africa were not well understood. However, general knowledge on possible impacts suggests changes may be detrimental to fisheries production and food security from household to regional level. The study suggested that regional cooperation and governments need to focus on immediate and practical priority issues to effectively address long term issue such as climate change. Actions should be taken to improve awareness of fishers and fishing communities about the impacts of climate change on their livelihood. Furthermore, this review suggested thad Diversifying fish sources may enable the region’s rural households to cope and adapt to climate change impacts.Item Improving Alternative Livelihood Interventions in Marine Protected Areas: A Case Study in Tanzania(Elsevier, 2016) Katikiro, Robert E.Alternative livelihood programmes are often used in multipleuse marine protected areas as incentives, compensation for lost opportunities, or as intervention strategies for poverty alleviation. Yet little is known about their impacts on biodiversity conservation and the well-being of the targeted communities. This study focuses primarily on alternative livelihood projects undertaken among selected groups of individuals, in six villages, located in the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP), Mtwara district, southern Tanzania. The aim was to investigate how the processes involved in the implementation of these new livelihood activities contributed to the expected outcomes of providing good returns to reduce community's dependency on the sea and improve conservation. Data were collected through focus group discussions with selected members of local community, who actively took part in the projects; key informant interviews with conservation personnel and district fisheries officials; questionnaire surveys of a random sample of project beneficiary households; and a review of pertinent documents. The overwhelming majority of survey respondents (90%) reported that the projects were allocated inappropriately. Interviews and focus groups further revealed that the purpose of alternative projects was not sufficiently clear and that many beneficiaries perceived that these projects were initiated simply to comply with the MBREMP regulations. Overall, 70% of survey respondents stated that the project activities could not compete with the income gained from fisheries. An analysis of documents further revealed that almost all projects began to flounder when funding from the MBREMP came to an end. This was because they were not supported beyond the pilot phase and, thereafter, insufficient revenue was generated to maintain running costs. Improved targeting and design of livelihood interventions will ensure that the projects achieve the goals of providing alternatives for fishers, increasing well-being and improving biodiversity conservation.Item Interplay Between Changes in Fishery and Social Dynamic in Coastal Fishing Communities of Tanzania(2014) Katikiro, Robert E.; Macusi, Edison D.; Deepananda, Ashoka K.Fishing communities constantly change and adapt to modifications in the environment, and are reflected in changes to variables related to the dynamics of a fishery. Such changes in a fishery could involve a decline in fish stocks, market failure or the loss of an important species. The effects of such changes on the social dynamics of artisanal fishing communities have been poorly investigated in the Western Indian Ocean region. This article examines how communities have been affected by recent environmental, technological and socio-cultural changes in fisheries in five coastal villages in the Mtwara rural district, Tanzania, and the mechanisms whereby people cope with these changes. Data were derived from 103 semi-structured interviews, 15 focus group discussions, nine oral interviews, participant observations, and reviews of literature and policy documents. Overall, nearly 80% of respondents declared that there were significant changes in fishing techniques, strategies and the social organisation of the fishers. Almost 60% of the respondents admitted that traditional fishing gear such as traps and hand lines have increasingly been replaced by fishing nets operated from powered boats, especially since the 1980s, to compensate for declining fish catches. There is a shift from collective communal fisheries to individual and private fishing groups due to weakening of social structures and increased monetisation in the fishery activities. New values and perspectives are now being integrated into the communities. Approaches required for understanding and promoting development of fishing communities should include objectives that recognise how social structures adapt in the face of extreme conditions of the fishery.Item Interplay Between Perceived Changes in Fishery and Social Structures in Tanzanian Coastal Fishing Communities(Elsevier, 2015) Katikiro, Robert E.; Deepananda, Ashoka K.; Macusi, Edison D.The dynamics and impacts of a fishery on sociocultural aspects of fishing communities are rarely studied. Here, we seek to describe how perceived changes in a fishery system – such as declining fish stocks, market failures and the loss of important species – may strengthen or weaken sociocultural patterns, specifically social networks and cohesion, identity, and traditional institutions. These findings are based on 103 semi-structured interviews, 10 focus group discussions, and nine life history interviews with individuals selected randomly from five coastal villages in the Mtwara district of Tanzania. Data were also complemented by a literature review and participant observation. Over 90% of people interviewed reported that the roles of informal village institutions, such as kinship and neighbourhood, have in recent years become loose and changeable due to the perceived ecological changes in the fishery and the influx of people without a fishing culture background. Nearly three-quarters of respondents indicated that the increased monetisation of fisheries products has led to unfettered private actions that have negative impacts, including degradation of resources, creating front groups in order to conceal private intentions, and social tensions like theft of fishing gear. The findings suggest that approaches to understanding and promoting the development of fishing communities in developing countries should include objectives that recognise how sociocultural systems alter and adapt in the face of extreme conditions within the fishery.Item Perceptions on the Shifting Baseline among Coastal Fishers of Tanga, Northeast Tanzania(Elsevier, 2014) Katikiro, Robert E.The baseline for what is ‘pristine’ or ‘healthy’ ecosystem shifts over time with each new generation in a phenomenon known as ‘shifting baseline syndrome’. The syndrome is particularly important in monitoring and restoration of depleted ecosystems, as such systems often suffer from lack of baseline data on their former pristine state. In this study, 350 fishermen selected randomly from seven fish-landing sites in Tanga, Tanzania, were interviewed for their insights and perceptions on changes in catch size, fishery stock, condition of current fishing grounds, and the number and type of affected groups or species. The majority of fishermen (73%) belonging to older age group perceived that the current size of the fish catch has declined drastically, while only 47% and 19% from the middle and younger age groups, respectively, share the view. The number of fishing grounds identified as depleted differed significantly among the three generations of fishermen (Kruskal Wallis, c2 ¼ 135.689, d.f ¼ 2, p < 0.001), with old, middle-aged and young citing 9, 5 and 2 species, respectively. Additionally, there is significant difference in the number of fishing grounds cited as degraded among the three age groups (p < 0.001). Evidence for decline, mostly from old and middle-aged groups, was also revealed by increasing number of fish species with undesirable characteristics such as toughness of meat and unpleasant flavour, which fishermen used to discard to the sea in the past. In areas where long-term ecological data are missing, fishermen’s local knowledge accumulated over time can reveal modified ecosystems thus recognising temporal scale of problems facing marine fisheries.