Information Access Market Trade And Rural Livelihoods In The Peruvian Amazon

Author : David Poissant
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (126 download)

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Download or read book Overfishing, Fishing Livelihoods and Poverty in the Peruvian Amazon written by David Poissant and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Amazonia is home to the most biodiverse freshwater fish assemblage in the world and to millions of inhabitants who rely on fishing for securing food and incomes. Starting in the 1960s, however, commercial fishing quickly expanded across the Amazon basin to feed growing populations in urban areas. Increased fishing pressure ultimately led to the depletion of fish stocks in many areas, especially nearby urban centers. In many remote areas, however, our knowledge of the impacts of fish harvest remains limited. Moreover, little is known about the geographical and socio-economic drivers of fishing livelihoods and how declining fish stocks affect the livelihood strategies of rural people. Such knowledge is critically needed to inform effective conservation and development policies.This study examines the fisheries of the Lower Ucayali River, a remote region of the Peruvian Amazon, which has become the main fish provider for city markets in eastern Peru. In the absence of standard biological data on local fish stocks, we conducted local ecological knowledge (LEK) surveys with 87 fishers in 18 communities to assess the impacts of fishing pressure on fish stocks. We also use data gathered as part of the Peruvian Amazon Rural Livelihoods and Poverty (PARLAP) project from a large-scale household survey of 3937 households in 235 communities to develop quantitative models of participation in fishing, levels of fish harvest and economic reliance on fish resources. Finally, we use household survey data that we gathered from 142 households located in six communities in the Lower Ucayali to assess household vulnerability to declining fish resources.Our results show that fish stocks have declined significantly over the last six decades along the Lower Ucayali River. Declines were more severe among species with higher economic value, larger body size, slower reproduction rates, and from higher trophic levels. Results from LEK surveys indicated a “shifting baseline syndrome” among our participants, whereby the new generation of users have lower reference points regarding ecosystem health and are gradually accommodating to species loss. Our LEK surveys also highlighted the importance of the Pacaya- Samiria National Reserve for sustaining fisheries in the Lower Ucayali. We found that demographic growth, increasing market connectivity, the introduction of new fishing materials and inadequate property regimes and governance systems are the main drivers of increased fishing pressure. Our quantitative models indicate that distance from cities drives participation in fisheries whereas market connectivity is a limiting factor for harvesting large quantities of fish. Households that were more asset rich when they settled have significantly higher levels of fish harvest, but lower levels of reliance on fisheries. Finally, we found wealthier households to be less affected by declines in fish resources, whereas poorer households had to quit fishing and rely on agriculture when fish stocks become depleted, increasing their food and economic insecurity.Our study identifies several priorities and strategies to secure the future of the fisheries and the wellbeing of fishers in the Lower Ucayali. Particular attention is needed on future changes affecting fish demand, market connection and new technologies to understand how, where, and when fish stocks are likely to be overexploited. Interventions should also aim to develop viableilong-term economic alternatives for rural people so the opportunity cost of staying in fisheries becomes higher when fish stocks decline. Programs targeting the poorer household are also needed to reduce dependence on fisheries for cash incomes. Finally, support for community-based fishing management is much needed to enable communities to enforce fishing regulations and thereby protect an important source of food and income for all"--