Making Fisheries Co-management Work for Both Poverty Reduction and Responsible Fisheries: Lessons from Coastal and Inland Waters of West and Central Africa

Fisheries co-management is the institutional model of choice to maintain and rebuild fishery resources in the small-scale sector. This paper argues that the transfer of regulatory and property rights from the central state to multi-stakeholder bodies, including resource users, and local government, can only achieve sectoral efficiency goals - such as maximising wealth generated from fisheries or other socially desirable optima - if they are accompanied by efforts to address the vulnerability and social exclusion of the new rights-holders and decision-makers. Case studies from West and Central African countries are presented to indicate how resource rebuilding and poverty reduction are addressed jointly by strengthening both co-management systems and the livelihoods of fishery resource users

Migration, resource management and global change: Experiences from fishing communities in West and Central Africa

Migration constitutes one of the strategies that fishing communities often use in order to secure their livelihoods. This paper analyses the patterns of migration in West and Central Africa based on case studies from selected countries. It attempts to shed light on migration flows and the reasons behind mobility, and what the main challenges are with regard to integration of migrants in local communities. Migration in the light of global change is discussed as well as how the interests of residents and migrants can best be accommodated for mutual benefit in the context of resource management and poverty reduction. The experience of the Sustainable Fisheries Livelihoods Programme on migrants and co-management is referred to and the need for inclusive governance and social development approaches emphasised.Central Africa Co-management Fisheries governance Global change Migration West Africa