APFIC/FAO Regional Consultative Meeting“Securing sustainable small-scale fisheries: bringing together responsible fisheries and social development”5-8 October, Bangkok Thailand

Implementing the ecosystem approach to fisheries in the small-scale fisheries sector in Asia and the Pacific

The ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) strives to balance diverse societal objectives by taking account of the different components of ecosystems and their interactions and applying an integrated approach

EAF provides a framework for integrating planning & decision making

Human well-beingEconomic and social

GovernanceAbility to achieve both

ecological and human well-being

Ecological well-beingFishery resource

Environment

EAF characteristics/principles

– Basis in fisheries management– Links bio-ecological and socio-

economic aspects– Participation and adaptive

management– International instruments

(UNCLOS, UNCED, WSSD)– Complements

• sustainable livelihoods, Integrated Coastal Management and co-management

• Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

1982 1992 1995 2001 20061972

UNCLOSUNCLOS

UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

UN Fish Stock Agreement

UNICPOLOS

Ecos

yste

m A

ppro

ach

FAOFAO

Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

Reykjavik Declaration

Cancùn Declaration

•Rio Declaration•CBD•Agenda 21 (Chapter 17)

UNCEDUNCED

UN Conference on the Human

Environment

UN Conference on Environment and

Development

Jakarta Mandate

Malawi Principles

WSSD

1982 1992 1995 2001 20061972

EAF contributes to sustainable development– None of the principles that underlie

the EAF are new. They can all be traced in earlier instruments, agreements, declarations.

– Implementation of these principles lags behind in relation to their formulation in agreed international instruments

– The EAF highlights and reorganizes the principles of sustainable development making their application more imperative

– The EAF is the realization of sustainable development in fisheries

EAF is a means of achieving sustainable development– contributing to food security and human

development – maintaining environmental integrity and

enhancing social well being – reducing intra - and inter-sectoral conflict

through participatory approaches and stakeholder consultation.

– EAF is a means of bringing people together both inter-agency and inter-sectoral

– is a powerful consultative/dialogue tool. – EAF is very useful in situations where

conflict resolution is required.

Small-scale fisheries contribute to food security and poverty alleviation– Employment, food supplies and

nutrition– Diverse and complex– Dispersed with multiple landing points– Safety net– Vulnerable to threats and risks

Sustainable development and responsible fisheries management requires EAF but how to implement in small-scale fisheries?

Small-scale fisheries in inland coastal, small island areas are challenged– Population densities high

• Relatively high dependence on fisheries• Coastal, inland SSF• Coping, last resort, food security,

opportunity, open access– Resource declines

• Fishing effort continues to increase• Overcapacity in fisheries

– Politically difficult to address• Centralized management failed

– Local government lacks capacity/will– Conflicts

• Competition, threats from other sectors

EAF pathways with relevance to small-scale fisheries

– Takes complexity of marine, coastal and inland water ecosystems into account

– Flexibility and adaptive management– Human dimensions, stakeholder dialogue and

participation– Evolutionary process building on existing

systems and processes

EAF may be more suitable for small-scale fisheries than ‘conventional’ fisheries management

EAF is framework to address systemic problems– Address overcapacity– Tackle the issue of intrusion

of small and large scales– Address labour issues

(migration, wages, conditions)

– Strengthen local authorities investment in management

– Improve coordination & organization of small scale sector

To address a problem you need to understand it

• Understanding the situation– Assisted by using an Ecosystem Approach

to Fishery Management (EAF)

• Helps to understand the context – Identifies issues relating to the resource,

people, governance

• Provides tools to initiate dialogue with stakeholders

• Provides a basis– to plan and set targets– for requesting or accessing

funding/resourcing for work

Decentralized government

• Devolved government has critical role to play – extracting rent from resources, but do not return this rent to the resource

base management. This mindset needs to be changed

• What they can do?– Collect revenues (from large scale and fish trade) invest in management– Zone and enforce to separate large and small scale– Look at/promote non extractive livelihoods– Invest in education and mobility

National authority can set framework to assist local level management

– Registers, licenses / closed register, set limits– Closed seasons on to prevent over-fishing of juveniles– Let registered groups of small scale fishers operate as a

fishery unit– Training and awareness of province/decentralized

staff/government– Assist in tracking and monitoring resources – as basis

for advice to local government• Finance/flexible access to funding

– secure people with diverse income are more resilience, less likely to take more extreme actions and undermine stability of management or community norms.

• Manage interactions with aquaculture...– resource use intensification , capture by outsiders,

population movement into overcrowded districts.

Local level management is a key strategy

• Develop local capacity to organize and manage fishery activities– Communities/specialized fishers– Note that this does not assure

resources sustained.

• Setting rules– Regulations on gears, seasons, allowed

not allowed. – Limitations on access– MPA/refuge areas – macro and micro

levels – coordinated with fishers to ensure biological/social effectiveness.

– Key species specific management

EAF approaches offer real advantages– Stakeholder buy-in– Economic benefits– Political interference diminished/made

positive through collaboration and partnership, rather than confrontation and conflict.

• This requires– Vision and commitment– Real investment into management– Use of appropriate processes e.g. inclusion of

stakeholders,– Communication of the potential benefits to

be gained • Is there sufficient drive at local and national

levels? – Process already happening on a case by case

basis around the region

Challenges to EAF implementation– Deficient incentives for engaging in longer-

term processes– Weak capacities and institutional structures at

local and community levels– Insufficient links between (national) policy

and (local) implementation and weak inter-sectoral coordination

– Not aligned with political realities – economic growth first (including poverty alleviation of fishers), without environment costs

– Not politically popular – political timeframes not match EAF timeframes “coming election”

– Need for appropriate legislation, long-term political support and sustainable resourcing

– Lack of data and information

Good practice example: Ecosystem based fisheries management by the FISH project (Philippines)

Approaches for improving institutional capacity:– Develop interagency and multi-sectoral

collaborative mechanisms for fisheries/resource management

– Integrate health programmes into fisheries management

– Identify market-based incentives for sustainable fisheries management

– Promote public-private partnerships

APFIC Regional Consultative Forum

Conclusions:– Many examples of EAF (artificial reefs,

MPAs, habitat restoration, fisheries refugias, restocking/enhancement…)

– Initiatives exist that aim at balancing environmental well-being with social needs

– Evaluations of experiences are lacking and sharing of experiences hence poor

– Successful EAF implementation has been based on stakeholder dialogue and compliance, leading to improved fish stocks

– EAF is a strong tool for inland fisheries– Developing a network for EAF tools

Policy considerations and scope for interventions– Fisheries policies to be informed by a human

rights approach (pro-poor and gender)– Solutions must be acceptable to both ecosystem

conservation and socioeconomic development– Effective participation of small-scale sector

required:• Co-management• Adaptive management• Use of local and traditional knowledge• Capacity building and organizational

development

Policy considerations and scope for interventions– Strengthened policy and legislative frameworks

and institutional arrangements for cross-sectoral coordination needed

– Proactive approach to global change to be applied

– Policy coherence and linkages to national planning frameworks promoted

• e.g. PRSPs, NAPAs, water planning, coastal development etc.

Thank you!