Co-management of small-scale fishery in the Tonle Sap Lake,Cambodia

In Cambodia,fishery co-management is an important process to transfer authority and ownership to the communities along the Tonle Sap Lake to manage fishery.This paper aims to determine why the co-management of small-scale fishery has not been implemented satisfactorily in the Tonle Sap Lake of Cambodia.The research was primarily based on a household survey among 404 house-holds for quantitative data,equally divided between the Cham(202 households)and Khmer(202 households).Participatory process was also applied to collect qualitative data from key stake-holders.We found that limited interaction among the involved stakeholders,i.e.,unequal distribution of authority and resources co-management,has impeded implementation.The engagement of fisherfolk was influenced by dependence on fishery,law enforcement,and events organized by the communities.While the Khmer had better opportunities to participate in planning at the provincial and district levels,the Cham were only engaged in local development activities initiated by their people.However,the latter evinced a higher rate of satisfaction due to their access tofishery resources and to a large quantity of fishing gear.In the future,efforts should be made to:(1)improve resource and authority sharing among all key stakeholders;(2)urgently resolve issues pertinent to capacity building,insufficient budgets for commune councils(CoCs)and community fishery(CFi);and(3)urge law enforcement regarding illegal fishing.

Management Philosophy and Practices of Habitat Conservation for Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China

Starting from the pressure on habitat of Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve broughtabout by traveling activity, this paper puts forward such philosophy of community co-management ofconservation-based tourism development for Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve. According to this philosophy,emphasis is laid on the analysis of the mission of habitat protection, functional division, habitatmaintenance, community construction, scientific study and management organization system. The studyshows that the close relation and significance of rights and interests shared between nature reserveand residents in community, as well as the value of community co-management philosophy ofconservation-based tourism development in sustainable management of nature reserve, have set anexemplary example for other nature reserves.

A journey towards shared governance: status and prospects for collaborative management in the protected areas of Bangladesh

Establishment of Protected Areas （PAs）, in the face of rapid deforestation, forest degradation and climate change has been one of the key efforts in conservation of biodiversity worldwide in recent times. While Bangladesh has gained a degree of prominence in the world for its successful social forestry programs, the concept of collaborative pro- tected area management is rather new in the country, initiated in 2004 by the Bangladesh Forest Department in five PAs with financial assistance from USAID. Based on empirical evidence from three of the pilot PAs, we examined the achievements and associated challenges and prospects for co-management. Our fieldwork revealed a number of challenges faced by co-management institutions： （1） institutions were dominated by the elite group, overshadowing the voice of the community people; （2） mutual trust and collective performance are key to good governance but had not taken root in the PAs; （3） encroachment onto forest land and subsequent conversion to agriculture remained a serious problem that discouraged forest-dependent people from participating actively in co-management initiatives; （4） legal provisions （including acts, rules and policies） were not clearly and adequately disseminated and understood at the community level; （5） there remained a degree of ambiguity regarding the roles and responsibilities of forest department （FD） and co-management committees （CMC） in field operations, and this was not enhancing transparency and accountability of the overall initiative; （6） the long-term sustainability of co-management institutions was another major concern, as the local intuitional structure was still in a nascent stage, and provisioning of resources （either internally or externally） remained somewhat uncertain. We offer recommendations for improve- ment.

Impacts of the Benefit Sharing Mechanism(BSM)Policy Implementation on Forest Protection and Sustainable Use of Non-timber Products at Bach Ma National Park

This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of the benefit sharing mechanism(BSM)pilot policy on sustainable use of non-timber forest products(NTFPs)and natural resources conservation in co-management forest of Bach Ma National Park.Evaluation methods were route and permanent plot survey,household interview,in-depth interview,village meeting,group discussion and workshop at commune level.Results showed that:(1)the BSM policy had brought favorable conditions for local people in sustainable use and development of the NTFPs,as well as minimised the threats to biodiversity in co-managed forest;(2)the harvest amounts of seven selected NTFPs after two years of the BSM policy implementation were higher than growth rate of every NTFP and the permitted harvest amounts of the benefit sharing plans(BSP);(3)although there was a risk of over-exploitation of the NTFPs,the annual yields in 2013 and 2014 were much lower,but more sustainable than that before the BSM implementation;(4)the forest protection status in the co-management areas was also better than before.Additionally,this study has also defined and recommended that in order to continue the BSM,it is necessary to ensure the sustainable exploitation of NTFPs,as well as implement more enforcement activities inside the co-management forest area.

Conflict Resolution and Management between Local Fishers and Tour Operators in the Okavango Delta’s Panhandle, Botswana

Conflicts among different fisher groups are a global concern, and the Okavango Delta fishery is no exception, which is composed of commercial, subsistence and recreational fishers. Possibly due to conflicting value/use systems, and ill-defined user rights, there have been documented cases of conflict between commercial and recreational fishers, which may affect livelihoods for local fishers. Therefore, this study’s aim was to identify causes of conflict between these groups and to propose management inventions. Primary data collected in three fishing villages showed that lack of access, misconceptions about each other, and overlapping use were identified as some of the major causes of conflict. Subsequently, this paper proposes a spatial and temporal zoning of fishing grounds as a management tool towards conflict resolution. One proposal is that recreational fishers can utilize the main channel, commercial fishers the floodplains and lagoons, while basket fishers can utilize the fringes of floodplains, lagoons and river channel. Moreover, a co-management regime has also been developed in the fishery, upon which a code of conduct was developed to also reduce conflict in the fishery. It is envisaged that this approach will reduce conflict and create an enabling environment for efficient and sustainable fish utilization in the Delta.

Social Science Tools for Natural Resource Managers

Over the past several decades natural resource issues have become highly controversial, even playing out on the national or international stage. While natural resource science has advanced, the controversy has not gone away. If anything, it has gotten worse. The reality is that natural resource managers need to be as skilled at addressing public concerns as they are with resource science. Fortunately, over the same period the social sciences have produced useful tools that can aid natural resource managers. But resource managers need to know about these tools and be trained in their use. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to some of the social science tools or approaches that have proven to reduce political conflict over resource issues. When beginning a major project, resource managers can review this list to see which of these approaches might prevent or mitigate controversy. References are provided for each tool as a starting place for further exploration.

Collective Forest Tenure Reform in Nature Reserves in China:Problems and Countermeasures

Collective forest tenure reform is now carried out throughout China with the aim to clarify the property,increase forest farmers' income and motivate the development of forestry.But the collective forest tenure reform in nature reserves comes to a dilemma.The current implemented laws and regulations provide that forests and trees in nature reserves shall be under strict protection,while the forest farmers hope to improve their livelihood in the reform.The paper discussed the problems encountered in the c...

Identification of waterbody status in Indonesia by using predictive index assessment tool

The relationship between land use and water quality status is complex and likely to be site-specific,and more work is needed for it to be clearly quantified.Theref National Cheng Kung University,No 1 University Road,Tainan 701ore,the main objective of this paper was thus to identify and investigate status of waterbodies(lakes and rivers)by using appropriate predictive index assessment tool coupled with the offered Adaptive Co-Management(ACM)methodology towards sustainability of water quality and ecology in Indonesia.We then present a comprehensive assessment as baseline information to describe the existing condition of waterbody status in study area.The results indicated that the basic requirements of predictive index assessment tool,expressed as indicator:criteria and attributes,are use-specific or targeted to the protection of the watershed and waterbodies uses among a number of land use policies.In some situations,even stricter requirements and policies are necessary to achieve sustainability of water quality and ecology in Indonesia.

Indigenous knowledge as data for modern fishery management:a case study of Dungeness crab in Pacific Canada

Introduction:F isheries management is often data-limited,and conducted at spatial scales that are too large to address the needs of Indigenous peoples,whose cultures depend upon the local availability of marine resources.Outcomes:We combined Indigenous ecological knowledge with simulation modelling to inform modern fishery management.Semi-structured interviews with Indigenous fishers in coastal British Columbia,Canada,uncovered severe declines in the abundance and catches of Dungeness crab(Cancer magister)since the 1990s.We modelled the current probability of"successful"crab harvesting trips-as defined by expectations from past catches by Indigenous fishers-using fishery-independent data from nine sites.These probabilities were very low(<20%)for all sites except one.Discussion:Our study highlights that local depletions,which Indigenous fishers attribute to commercial and recreational fisheries,have been widespread and undetected by federal managers who manage Dungeness crab at regional scales without fishery-independent data.Further,local depletions impacted the ability of Indigenous fishers to access traditional foods.Conclusion:Integrating Indigenous knowledge with scientific research is crucial to inform locally-relevant fisheries management and conservation.