Valuing Africa's inland fisheries: overview of current methodologies with an emphasis on livelihood analysis

While Africa’s inland fisheries are widely recognized to be of great importance to local people, accurate and up-to-date information on their value is sparse and its absence is a serious constraint to the formulation of effective fisheries policies and management practices. As a contribution to current efforts to address this constraint, this paper reviews the different methods that are potentially applicable to the valuation of inland fisheries and discusses their respective rationales and limitations within a multi-sectoral, multi-user context. The livelihood analysis approach is given special emphasis. The complementarity of this recently developed approach with the other, more conventional, environmental economics methods is illustrated

Review of river fisheries valuation in West and Central Africa

This paper provides a review of the valuation of river fisheries in West and Central Africa. It is the general perception that, compared to the biological and ecological aspects of river fisheries, this particular subject area has received relatively little attention. Economic valuation is concerned with finding expression for what is important in life for human society. It should, therefore, be a central and integral part of government decision-making and policy. The review started with concepts and methods for valuation. Three main types of valuation techniques were identified: conventional economic valuations, economic impact assessments and socioeconomic investigations, and livelihood analysis. On the basis of a literature review, valuation information was then synthesized for the major regional river basins and large lakes, and also used to develop a series of national fisheries profiles. To supplement this broad perspective, a series of case studies are also presented, which focus in particular on the impact of changes in water management regime. Finally, the paper presents an assessment of the three main types of valuation methodology and a set of conclusions and recommendations for future valuation studies

From participation to governance : a critical review of the concepts of governance, co-management and participation, and their implementation in small-scale inland fisheries in developing countries

This report reviews the role, nature and mechanisms of governance in inland fisheries. We do so by reviewing first the wider issues of governance, participation and co-management in natural resource management, and then focus on small-scale fisheries, and, in particular, small-scale (artisanal) activities operated within inland (river and adjacent floodplains) areas in developing countries.Fisheries, Developing countries, Fishery management

Tropical river fisheries valuation: a global synthesis and critical review

River fisheries / Inland fisheries / Economic impact / Cost benefit analysis / Developing countries / River basin management / Wetlands / Valuation

Natural revegetation of placer mined lands of interior Alaska II

To the uninitiated eye an aerial photo of Fairbanks’ surrounding area includes patches of what might appear to be the channels left by the workings of a bark beetle grub. These series of parallel mounds with sequences of smaller undulations on their surfaces are actually composed of coarse gravel and are the product of some forty years of gold dredging. Started in 1928, dredging was concentrated in several of the tributary valleys of the Tanana River and Goldstream Creek. Some of these tailings piles support lush growth while others are relatively bare. At present, no ecologically oriented studies, either qualitative or quantitative, have been published concerning the gold dredge tailings. It was therefore the intent of this study to obtain a broad picture of the present stage of revegetation, in order that further ecological work and, hopefully, assisted rehabilitation may be facilitated.Introduction -- Methods -- Preliminary results -- Stands with little vegetation -- Intermediate stands -- Well developed stands -- Concluding remarks

Tropical river fisheries valuation: background papers to a global synthesis

This report is a compilation of five regional reviews that document the global status of tropical rivers and inland fisheries in three continents: Latin America, Africa and Asia. It explores the role of valuation methods and their contribution to policy making and river fishery management.Inland fisheries, River basin management, River fisheries, Fresh water, Central America, South America, West Africa, Central Africa, South Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, Mekong R.,

A Benthic Survey of Inner Bantry Bay

In February 1993 sediment samples were collected from a total of 18 stations in Bantry Harbour, Glengarriff Harbour and along the north shore of Whiddy Island. The samples were analysed for grain size, organic carbon content and the abundance of benthic infauna. The benthic infauna were identified to family level. The sediments in Bantry Harbour and Glengarriff Harbour were comprised of fine particles with typically >80% of the dry weight being in the silt/clay (<63 μm) fraction. In contrast, the sediments close to Whiddy Island contained relatively high amounts of coarser material. In Bantry Harbour a total of 53 families with 742 individuals were identified from the ten stations sampled. Of the 53 families identified, 21 were Polychaeta, 6 Bivalvia, 7 Gastropoda, 3 Echinodermata, and 16 Crustacea. A total of 31 families with 491 individuals were identified from the five stations sampled in the Glengarriff Harbour area. Of these 16 were Polychaeta, 4 were Bivalvia, 3 were Gastropoda, 1 was Echinodermata, and 7 were Crustacea. From the three stations sampled in the vicinity of Whiddy Island 47 families with 461 individuals were identified. Of these 23 were Polychaeta, 8 Bivalvia, 4 Gastropoda, 2 Echinodermata, and 10 Crustacea. In Bantry Harbour and Glengarriff Harbour cirratulid polychaetes were dominant and the benthic infaunal composition was indicative of stressed environmental conditions. In contrast, the sediments close to Whiddy Island exhibited a very healthy faunal composition with no one family predominating and high numbers of amphiuroid echinoderms were recorded from these sampling stations.Funder: Marine Institut

Análise da distribuição espacial e da eficiência das estações de tratamento de efluentes sanitários nas bacias hidrográficas dos rios Caí, Gravataí e Sinos, Rio Grande do Sul

Saneamento básico é dignidade e um direito de toda população, o qual está garantido pela Constituição Federal e regulamentado pela Lei Federal n.º 14.026 de 2020. Dentre o conjunto de serviços e infraestruturas operacionais que promovem o saneamento, está o tratamento de efluentes sanitários, o qual é indispensável para preservação dos recursos hídricos e promoção de saúde e bem estar social. Os empreendimentos que tratam os efluentes sanitários são denominados Estações de Tratamento de Efluentes – ETEs, as quais necessitam de licenciamento ambiental nas fases que vão desde sua execução até o acompanhamento de seu desempenho. As fases do licenciamento são descritas na Resolução CONAMA n.º 237/1997, a qual define Licença Prévia– LP, Licença de Instalação – LI e Licença de Operação – LO. O licenciamento no Rio Grande do Sul é realizado pela Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental Henrique Luis Hoessler – FEPAM, e por municípios que possuem convênio de delegação de competências com a mesma. Quando concluído o processo de licenciamento, as ETEs devem atender a padrões de lançamento estabelecidos na Resolução CONSEMA n.º 355/2017 conforme faixa de vazão, ou características do corpo receptor. Ainda que existam legislações específicas e procedimentos técnicos, o tratamento de efluentes sanitários apresenta um cenário bastante deficitário, sobretudo no Rio Grande do Sul, onde cerca de apenas 16,7% dos municípios possuem ETEs, IBGE (2020). Este trabalho buscou conhecer a localização espacial de ETEs com processos de LP, LI e LO de modo a verificar o atual cenário e possível incremento no tratamento de efluentes, e ainda, avaliar o atendimento aos padrões de lançamento estabelecidos na Resolução CONSEMA em três importantes bacias hidrográficas do Estado: bacia do rio Caí, rio Gravataí e rio dos Sinos. As informações foram solicitadas à FEPAM e aos municípios conveniados pertencentes aos limites das Bacias. Os resultados encontrados apresentam um cenário ainda bastante precário com expectativas discretamente promissoras de incremento. A partir da construção de mapas temáticos foi possível verificar que em sua maioria, as ETEs com LO estão inseridas em regiões de grandes aglomerados urbanos, os quais também apresentam processos de LI e LP. Novos empreendimentos com LI abrangem de forma modesta uma maior parcela nas três Bacias. A capacidade de população atendida por ETE nas três bacias equivale a 31,86% do total. Ao analisar as bacias de maneira individual, o destaque se deu com a bacia do rio dos Sinos, a qual atende com ETE cerca de 41,55% de sua população atualmente e possui uma previsão 65,31% de atendimento para os próximos anos. Quanto as bacias dos rios Caí e Gravataí, essas contam atualmente com aproximadamente 27,64% e 23,69% de capacidade de população atendida por ETE respectivamente, e somam números que continuarão abaixo dos 30% para os próximos anos. O padrões de lançamento da CONSEMA, de modo geral não atendem na totalidade aos limites de Coliformes, E.coli, fósforo, nitrogênio, DBO, DQO e por vezes sólidos e óleos e graxas. Assim de maneira geral, os resultados demonstram que além de escassas, as ETEs por vezes não alcançam a eficiência adequada para emissão.Basic sanitation is dignity and a right of the entire population, which is guaranteed by the Federal Constitution and regulated by Federal Law No. 14,026 of 2020. Among the set of services and operational infrastructures that promote sanitation, there is the treatment of sanitary effluents, which is indispensable for the preservation of water resources and the promotion of health and social well-being. The enterprises that treat sanitary effluents are called Effluent Treatment Stations – ETEs, which require environmental licensing in the phases that range from their execution to the monitoring of their performance. Licensing phases are described in CONAMA Resolution No. 237/1997, which defines Preliminary License – LP, Installation License – LI and Operating License – LO. Licensing in Rio Grande do Sul is carried out by the Henrique Luis Hoessler State Environmental Protection Foundation – FEPAM, and by municipalities that have an agreement to delegate powers with it. When the licensing process is completed, the ETEs must meet the release standards established in CONSEMA Resolution No. 355/2017 according to the flow rate, or characteristics of the receiving body. Although there are specific laws and technical procedures, the treatment of sanitary effluents presents a very deficient scenario, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, where about only 16.7% of the municipalities have ETEs IBGE (2020). This work sought to know the spatial location of ETEs with LP, LI and LO processes in order to verify the current scenario and possible increase in the treatment of effluents, and also to evaluate the compliance with the release standards established in the CONSEMA Resolution in three important hydrographic basins in the State: Caí river basin, Gravataí river and Sinos river. The information was requested from FEPAM and the contracted municipalities belonging to the limits of the Basins. The results found present a still very precarious scenario with discreetly promising expectations of increase. From the construction of thematic maps, it was possible to verify that most of the ETEs with LO are located in regions of large urban agglomerations, which also present LI and LP processes. New developments with LI modestly cover a larger share in the three Basins. The population capacity served by ETE in the three basins is equivalent to 31.86% of the total. When analyzing the basins individually, the highlight was the Rio dos Sinos basin, which currently serves about 41.55% of its population with ETE and has a forecast of 65.31% of service for the coming years. As for the Caí and Gravataí river basins, these currently have approximately 27.64% and 23.69% of population capacity served by ETE respectively, and add up numbers that will remain below 30% for the next years. CONSEMA's release standards, in general, do not fully meet the limits of Coliforms, E.coli, phosphorus, nitrogen, BOD, COD and sometimes solids and oils and greases. Thus, in general, the results demonstrate that, in addition to being scarce, the ETEs sometimes do not reach adequate emission efficiency

The Impact of Fish Trade on Development: Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Evidence from West Africa

The global trade in both fish commodities and fisheries services has expanded significantly in the past 10 years. FAO estimates that the current value of the international trade in fish commodities is over US $80 billion per year (fish is the most valuable traded agricultural commodity). Fisheries services are less well-documented, but in relation to international fishing agreements alone have an estimated worth of billions of dollars per year. In the developing world, regions such as West Africa increasingly participate in the international fish trade, while also retaining large domestic and regional trade components. However, there is an active debate amongst the different actors involved (fishers, traders, government policy makers, consumers, non-government organisations) concerning its overall impact on development including the contribution to economic growth, sustainable livelihoods, food security and poverty reduction. In the following paper, which is based on the findings of a recent study undertaken as part of the DFID/FAO Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme (SFLP), the fish trade and its contribution to development in West Africa will be examined from both theoretical and empirical perspectives using a series of case-studies from marine and inland fisheries. The paper concludes that while fish trade can make an important positive contribution to development in West Africa, this will be dependent upon the existence of an appropriate policy framework at national level in the first instance. In order to achieve this, policy makers will need access to more information and a good understanding, as a basis for policy decision-making, in a range of areas including - the fish trade in general, the dynamics and changing impact of trade over time, the role of comparative advantage, and coherence between trade policies and other policies