Community based aquaculture in the western Indian Ocean: challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable coastal livelihoods
Loading...
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Resilience Alliance
Abstract
The small-fisheries social-ecological system in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) represents a typical social-ecological
trap setting where very poor natural resources dependent coastal communities face local and global threats and engage in unsustainable
practices of exploiting limited resources. Community-based aquaculture (CBA) has been implemented as an important alternative or
supplementary income generating activity for minimizing the overdependence on marine natural resources and promoting biodiversity
conservation. Despite its proliferation throughout the WIO region in recent decades, little is known about the degree to which CBA
activities have contributed to achieving the objectives of breaking the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation and promoting
community development and biodiversity conservation. In order to improve understanding of common challenges and to generate
recommendations for best practice, we assessed the most common CBA activities practiced in the region through literature review and
workshop discussion involving practitioners and key stakeholders. Findings indicated that despite favorable environmental conditions
for various CBA practices, the sector remains underdeveloped, with few activities delivering the intended benefits for coastal livelihoods
or conservation. Constraints included a shortage of seed and feed supplies, low investment, limited technical capacity and skills,
insufficient political support, and lack of a clear strategy for aquaculture development. These are compounded by a lack of engagement
of local stakeholders, with decision making often dominated by donors, development agencies, and private sector partners. Many of
the region’s CBA projects are designed along unrealistically short time frames, driven by donors rather than entrepreneurs, and so are
unable to achieve financial sustainability, which limits the opportunity for capacity building and longer-term development. There is
little or no monitoring on ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Except for a few isolated cases, links between CBA and marine
conservation outcomes have rarely been demonstrated. Realizing the potential of CBA in contributing toward food security in the
WIO will necessitate concerted investment and capacity strengthening to overcome these systemic challenges in the sector. Lessons
herein offer managers, scientists, and policy advisors guidance on addressing the challenges faced in building strategic development
initiatives around aquaculture in developing countries.
Description
Keywords
community-based conservation, ecosystem services, marine reserves, participatory approach, private-public-partnerships, small-scale fishing, social-ecological trap, sustainable development, pro-poor approaches
Citation
Ateweberhan, M., J. Hudson, A. Rougier, N. S. Jiddawi, F. Msuya, S. M. Stead, and A. Harris. 2018. Community based aquaculture in the western Indian Ocean: challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable coastal livelihoods. Ecology and Society 23 (4):17