The role of cooperation for improved stewardship of marine social-ecological systems in Latin America

Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries are among the worlds’ richest in marine biodiversity. Fish stocks in these regions are important for fishing communities, and fishing activities engage several million people. These fisheries depend on the natural services provided by a diverse range of marine social-ecological systems, but many LAC fisheries are in a degraded state, and concerns about overexploitation are widespread. With most fishery resources fully exploited or overexploited, opportunities for development lie primarily in restoring depleted stocks and using stocks more efficiently. The papers published in the Special Feature “Cooperation, Local Communities, and Marine Social-Ecological Systems: New Findings from Latin America” present a range of experiences with ecosystem stewardship in the region and highlight promising perspectives for the future. The Special Feature consists of papers that deal with new findings from case studies which show how cooperation is key for building resilience in LAC fisheries. These case studies illustrate the effects of different types of cooperation and the roles of diverse stakeholders (fishers, scientists, environmental nongovernmental organizations, and national administrations, among others) in different countries of the region. Combined, these papers describe social processes, leadership, and institutional and organizational changes of relevance for stewardship of marine social-ecological systems in Latin America. The field of resilience research is still in an explorative phase in the region, and our ambition with this Special Feature is that the new discoveries presented may stimulate additional research in this field, including increased international cooperation with LAC scientists.Los países de América Latina y El Caribe concentran una de las áreas de mayor biodiversidad marina del mundo. Las pesquerías comerciales en estas regiones aportan una elevada fuente de ingresos económicos para millones de personas. A pesar de que estas pesquerías dependen de los servicios ecosistémicos aportados por una gran variedad de sistemas marinos socio-ecológicos, gran parte de ellas continúan degradándose, y la preocupación por reducir la sobreexplotación está ampliamente extendida entre la comunidad científica. Con la mayoría de los stocks completamente explotados o sobreexplotados, las oportunidades para el desarrollo de las pesquerías dependen fundamentalmente en la recuperación de los stocks a través de su uso más racional. Los trabajos publicados en este monográfico "Cooperation, Local Communities, and Marine Social-Ecological Systems: New Findings from Latin America" presentan una variedad de experiencias e gestión pesquera en la región y resaltan perspectivas y resultados prometedores para el futuro de la región. El monográfico incluye trabajos muestran, desde diferentes disciplinas, enfoques y metodologías, que la cooperación resulta clave para la resiliencia de las pesquerías comerciales de América Latina y El Caribe. Estos casos de estudio ilustran los efectos de la cooperación entre diferentes grupos de usuarios (pescadores, científicos, organizacionales no gubernamentales, gobiernos locales, regionales y nacionales) así como los roles desempeñados por éstos en varios países de la región. Combinados, estos trabajos describen procesos sociales, el rol de líderes locales así como cambios institucionales y organizacionales de gran relevancia para la gestión de los sistemas marinos socio-ecológicos de la región. El campo de investigación de la resiliencia aun se encuentra en una fase de exploración en la región, y nuestra ambición con este monográfico consiste en estimular aun más la investigación en este campo a través de una mayor cooperación científica internacional con científicos de América Latina y El CaribeSV was funded by Pedro Barrié de La Maza Foundation, the Campus do Mar-International Campus of Excellence, and the Norwegian Research Council. HÖ was funded by Mistra, through a core grant to Stockholm Resilience Centre, the Nippon Foundation, and FORMASS

Editorial: Challenges and Opportunities for the EU Common Fisheries Policy Application in the Mediterranean and Black Sea

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Magnitud e implicaciones de la política pesquera comunitaria : aplicación de indicadores de sostenibilidad sobre el metabolismo de los ecosistemas marinos

Desde hace aproximadamente diez años los científicos asistimos al declive casi generalizado de las poblaciones comerciales en el océano Atlántico Nordeste, y prácticamente nadie pone en duda estas tendencias y los factores que ocasionaron este diagnóstico. Todas estas cuestiones han suscitado enormes implicaciones para el sector pesquero y los ecosistemas. Pero lo que no parece del todo claro es que exista un consenso acerca de los métodos para recuperar y monitorear el estado de los recursos al punto que se sitúen por encima de la biomasa precautoria establecida por las evaluaciones científicas. Por este motivo, en esta memoria de tesis doctoral determinamos, como primer objetivo, explorar las principales implicaciones de la política pesquera europea en los caladeros comunitarios y en las pesquerías de aguas profundas en todo el mundo. El segundo objetivo principal consistió en la reconstrucción estadística de las capturas de la pesca de bajura y litoral en la plataforma continental de Galicia, con la finalidad de aplicar indicadores de sostenibilidad y examinar la capacidad de carga que nos permita medir la pérdida de biodiversidad marin

Relations between the Economy, Co-Adaptability and Resilience of Marine Ecosystems

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolA alteración humana dos ecosistemas mariños é importante, e continúa crecendo como resultado das diferentes ameazas antropoxénicas. Fronte a esta problemática, o termo “resiliencia” examina a capacidade dos sistemas socioecolóxicos para superar un estrés e recuperarse ou, mesmo, para endoxeneizar os cambios e transcendelos. Este traballo constitúe un avance teórico que examina a magnitude e as características da resiliencia como capacidade para absorber os cambios que sofren os ecosistemas mariños. Igualmente, explóranse as relacións entre a capacidade adaptativa dos ecosistemas ante as modificacións do coñecemento local dos usuarios sobre os recursos mariños, así como os atributos dunha gobernanza sostible, e as interaccións entre os usuarios e as institucións formais e non informais. Por último, preséntase unha discusión e unha reflexión sobre o principio de precaución como o paradigma universalmente válido para a nova xestión dos recursos mariñosLa alteración humana de los ecosistemas marinos es importante, y continúa creciendo como resultado de las diferentes amenazas antropogénicas. Frente a esta problemática, el término “resiliencia” examina la capacidad de los sistemas socioecológicos para superar un estrés y recuperarse o, incluso, para endogeneizar los cambios y transcenderlos. Este trabajo constituye un avance teórico que examina la magnitud y las características de la resiliencia como capacidad para absorber los cambios que sufren los ecosistemas marinos. Igualmente, se exploran las relaciones entre la capacidad adaptativa de los ecosistemas ante las modificaciones del conocimiento local de los usuarios sobre los recursos marinos, así como los atributos de una gobernanza sostenible, y las interacciones entre usuarios e instituciones formales y no informales. Por último, se presenta una discusión y una reflexión sobre el principio de precaución como el paradigma universalmente válido para la nueva gestión de los recursos marinosHuman alteration of marine ecosystems is important and continues to grow as a result of various anthropogenic threats. Trying to understand this problem, the concept of resilience examines the capacity of social-ecological systems to overcome a stress and recover, or even endogenize changes. This paper discusses a theoretical advance that examines the extent and characteristics of resilience and capacity to absorb the changes suffered by marine ecosystems. It also explores the relationship between the adaptive capacity of ecosystems to changes in the users' local knowledge on marine resources and the attributes of sustainable governance, and the interactions between users and non-formal and informal institutions. Finally, the paper presents a discussion and reflection on the precautionary principle as universally valid paradigm for the new fisheries management consensus of fishery resourcesS

Carbon Cycling in Mangrove Ecosystem of Western Bay of Bengal (India)

Carbon cycling in the mangrove ecosystem is one of the important processes determining the potential of coastal vegetation (mangroves), sediment, and adjoining waters to carbon absorption. This paper investigates the carbon storage capacity of five dominant mangrove species (Avicenia marina, Avicenia officinalis, Excoecaria agallocha, Rhizophora mucronata, and Xylocarpous granatum) on the east coast of the Indian mangrove along with the role they play in the carbon cycling phenomenon. Soil and water parameters were analyzed simultaneously with Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Above Ground Carbon (AGC) values for 10 selected stations along. The total carbon (TC) calculated from the study area varied from 51.35 ± 6.77 to 322.47 ± 110.79 tons per hectare with a mean total carbon of 117.89 ± 28.90 and 432.64 ± 106.05 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). The alarm of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for reducing carbon emissions has been addressed by calculating the amount of carbon stored in biotic (mangroves) and abiotic (soil and water) compartments. This paper focuses on the technical investigations on the factors that control the carbon cycling process in mangroves. This blue carbon will help policymakers to develop a sustainable relationship between marine resource management and coastal inhabitants so that carbon trading markets can be developed, and the ecosystem is balancedThis research was funded by the MINISTRY OF EARTH SCIENCES, GOVT. OF INDIA, grant number MoES/36/OOIS/Extra/44/2015 dated 29 November 2016S

Electricidad verde. La biomasa en los montes de Galicia ALBINO PRADA BLANCO [DIR.] /MARÍA XOSÉ VÁZQUEZ RODRÍGUEZ MARIO SOLIÑO MILLÁN Centro de Investigación Económica y Financiera (CIEF) / Fundación Caixa Galicia. (Colección Monografías, Serie Estudios Sectoriales). 2006 [270 páginas]

Texto dispoñible en galego e españolNO

Navigating transformations from artisanal fishers to entrepreneurial scallop farmers in Chile

The expansion of neoliberalization of fisheries in developing countries has been largely driven by political economic decisions. Artisanal fisheries and aquaculture have not been exempt from these privatization measures, the implementation of deregulation measures in the fisheries sector, and commoditization strategies oriented mainly to exports. However, little research has been done about these issues jointly in South America. Therefore, the adoption of these measures and the adaptation and transformation of artisanal fishermen to entrepreneurs were studied in the scallop (Argopecten purpuratus) fishery/aquaculture in Tongoy Bay, Chile. We use qualitative research and an analysis of historical archives to describe a series of political-economic changes, stages, and processes involved in the transformation of the sector. The analysis focuses on conflicts, resistance practices, and value regimes between fishers and farmers to explore the different moral economies at play. Our results show that (a) changes in moral economies are neither automatic nor unidirectional; (b) the State, through its economic policy, technological development institutions, and technology transfer actions, does not directly generate expected results; (c) artisanal fishers who have become entrepreneurs understand and justify competitiveness (or lack of it) because some are more entrepreneurial than others; (d) despite the adoption of neoliberal guidelines, aspects of a more traditional moral economy remain, such as the role of family units in the configuration of enterprises; and, finally, (e) artisanal fishers have moved from a traditional moral economy based on collective and historical rights to a neoliberal moral economy based on the individual and his or her capacity for self-improvement, entrepreneurship, and efficient work management

Economic Effects of Global Warming under Stock Growth Uncertainty: The European Sardine Fishery

Global warming of the oceans is expected to alter the environmental conditions that determine the growth of a fishery resource. Most climate change studies are based on models and scenarios that focus on economic growth, or they concentrate on simulating the potential losses or cost to fisheries due to climate change. However, analysis that addresses model optimization problems to better understand of the complex dynamics of climate change and marine ecosystems is still lacking. In this paper a simple algorithm to compute transitional dynamics in order to quantify the effect of climate change on the European sardine fishery is presented. The model results indicate that global warming will not necessarily lead to a monotonic decrease in the expected biomass levels. Our results show that if the resource is exploited optimally then in the short run, increases in the surface temperature of the fishery ground are compatible with higher expected biomass and economic profit.Financial aid from the European Commission (MYFISH, FP7-KBBE-2011-5, nº 289257), the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (ECO2009-14697-C02-02) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (ECO2012-39098-C06-01 and ECO2012-35820) is gratefully acknowledged. The first draft of the paper was written while Jose María Da Rocha was visiting Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica-CSIC, and the hospitality extended by its members is gratefully acknowledged. Sebastián Villasante acknowledges the financial support of the Latin American and Caribbean 20 Environmental Economic Program, the Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency, the International Development Research Center, and the Pedro Barrié de La Maza Foundation. The author is also grateful to the Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics (The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden) for awarding him the Karl-Göran Mäler Scholarship

Valuation of Ecosystem Services to promote sustainable aquaculture practices

Conceptual frameworks to assess and valuate Ecosystem Services (ES) are rapidly becoming important tools for ecosystem‐based management, as they support transdisciplinary approaches to ecological economics and expand current asset boundaries to include natural and social capital. An important area where such ES assessment frameworks could become relevant management tools is aquaculture. Aquaculture activities are an interconnected part of the ecosystem in which they exist and, under certain circumstances, can support many of the same fundamental ES provided by nature. But, in most cases, aquaculture typically increases provisioning services at the expense of the other services (regulation & maintenance and cultural services). To understand the capacity of ES valuation methods to expose existing ES trade‐offs in areas under aquaculture development, this study provides a literature review of publications that assessed and valuated ES delivered and/or impacted by aquaculture. In general, it seems that certain types of aquaculture do negatively impact overall ES delivery (e.g. intensive mangrove shrimp farming in Asia), yet certain modes of production (e.g. integrated multi‐trophic aquaculture) and cultured species (e.g. algae and certain bivalves) can have a positive impact on ES, not only improving provisioning services but also regulation and maintenance services and, potentially, cultural services. ES valuation methods provide important data that facilitate discussion among stakeholders and policymakers and should be included in marine and coastal management planning processes to foster a more sustainable aquacultureThanks are due to the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the financial support of this study through a PhD grant to M. Custódio (PD/BD/127990/2016) and CESAM (UID/AMB/50017/2013), and the co‐funding by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement and Compete 2020. This work was also supported by the Integrated Program of SR&TD “Smart Valorization of Endogenous Marine Biological Resources Under a Changing Climate” (reference Centro‐01‐0145‐FEDER‐000018), co‐funded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020 and European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund, by the European COST Action “Ocean Governance for Sustainability – challenges, options and the role of science” and by the ICES Science Fund Project “Social Transformations of Marine Social‐Ecological Systems”S

Public subsidies have supported the development of electric trawling in Europe

In the 2000s, the Dutch beam trawl fleet was in chronic deficit and under pressure to reduce its environmental impact. Instead of converting to selective fishing gears, it successfully lobbied the European Commission with the support of public authorities and scientists to obtain derogations against formal scientific advice to practice a prohibited technique: electric trawling. Since then, electric trawling has expanded beyond regulatory threshold: 84 large trawlers now catch the vast majority of the Dutch flatfish quota, causing detrimental socio-environmental impacts. To assess whether the European Union's fisheries policies fulfilled legal objectives and implemented the 2030 Agenda, it appeared crucial to quantify how much public financial aid had been provided to the Dutch fishing sector for its conversion to electric trawling. The financial information enabling this evaluation was first concealed but was eventually obtained. We show that the institutional opacity surrounding electric trawling was not serendipitous and has served to dissimulate allocations of public monies to a prohibited fishing method (otter trawl), illegal licenses, and falsely ‘scientific’ fishing. In breach of EU laws, 20.8 million EUR of structural funds have so far been granted to this sector in the form of direct subsidies, i.e. over 30 times the amount acknowledged by the fishing industry. The findings presented here lift part of the veil surrounding electric trawling, but the complete reconstruction of the impacts of this fishing method can only be done when decision-makers and scientists disclose all data in full transparency and become the warrants of the public interestS