The Chambo restoration strategic plan

The Chambo (Oreochromis karongae, O. squamipinnis and O. lidole) fisheries are essential to the food security of the majority of Malawians and a lifeline for rural and urban economies. The chambo fisheries, however, have collapsed and urgent restoration is required. Successful restoration of the important chambo fisheries demands a careful analysis of the problem and formulation of a strategic plan to implement relevant activities that will result in effective interventions in the fisheries. These proceedings give information on the process of developing a strategic plan for the restoration of the chambo fisheries. The papers contained in these proceedings cover topics ranging from governance, policy, biology, ecology and socio-economics and, therefore, inform the reader of the scope of knowledge on the chambo, the socio-economic and livelihoods context within which the people exploiting the resource operate, and past constraints to the management of the chambo fisheries. The proceedings also contain recommendations on how to overcome the problems and a strategic plan for the restoration of the fisheries. It is hoped that the proceedings will emphasize to researchers in the natural and social sciences and development practitioners that a multidisciplinary approach is needed that puts the people utilizing the resource at the center of all activities involved if the chambo fisheries are to be successfully restoredFisheries, Fish culture, Fishery management, Resource conservation, Resource management, Malawi, Oreochromis karongae, Oreochromis squamipinnis, Oreochromis lidole

Culture-based production systems: Options for the chambo in Lake Malawi and Lake Malombe

Cultured organisms Oreochromis spp.

Lake drying and livelihood dynamics in Lake Chad: unravelling the mechanisms, contexts and responses

This article examines lake drying and livelihood dynamics in the context of multiple stressors through a case study of the ‘‘Small Lake Chad’’ in the Republic of Chad. Livelihoods research in regions experiencing persistent lake water fluctuations has largely focused on the wellbeing and security of lakeshore dwellers. Little is known about the mechanisms through which lake drying shapes livelihood drawbacks and opportunities, and whether locally evolved responses are enhancing livelihoods. Here we address these gaps using empirical, mixed-methods field research couched within the framework of livelihoods and human well-being contexts. The analysis demonstrates that limited opportunities outside agriculture, the influx of mixed ethnic migrants and the increasing spate of violence all enhance livelihood challenges. Livelihood opportunities centre on the renewal effects of seasonal flood pulses on lake waters and the learning opportunities triggered by past droughts. Although drying has spurred new adaptive behaviours predicated on seasonality, traditional predictive factors and the availability of assets, responses have remained largely reactive. The article points to where lake drying fits amongst changes in the wider socioeconomic landscape in which people live, and suggests that awareness of the particularities of the mechanisms that connect lake drying to livelihoods can offer insights into the ways local people might be assisted by governments and development actors

Fisheries co-management institutions in Southern Africa: A hierarchical analysis of perceptions of effectiveness

A random sample attitude survey concluded a ten-year research effort on fisheries co-management that was carried out in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. The survey responses were analyzed using a two-level hierarchical model that allowed conclusions about village-level institutions to be based on individual-level survey responses. The present paper describes the surveys background, methodology, and conclusions. Three of these conclusions are very clear from the survey results. The first is that co-management that is more responsive to the community is more effective. The second is that co-management institutions made up mainly of fishers are more effective than ones that incorporate a broad range of stakeholders. The third is that local conservation efforts being seen as making a positive contribution to village life is unrelated to their being seen as rule enforcement mechanisms