A participatory decision making framework for artisanal fisheries collaborative governance: Insights from management committees in Chile

Fisheries management is increasingly transitioning towards collaborative governance. Collaborative systems depend on stakeholders’ capacity to design and implement legitimate and scientifically robust management plans within collective action arenas. Here we propose that collaborative governance outcomes, in fisheries management, will benefit from using structured participatory decision making frameworks that enhance deliberative thinking among stakeholders. We tested our approach in the artisanal fishery of Chile, an important producer of marine resources. Recently in 2013, Chile made important changes to fisheries policies by creating multi-sectorial management committees to manage de facto open access fishing areas. We applied a structured decision making framework to inform the restructuring of a management plan within a committee. As a result, we identified goals,objectives and indicators, including social, economic, biological and ecological dimensions; we explored tradeoffs, assessing the relative importance of the objectives; finally, we created scenarios and prioritized alternatives, reflecting on the interplay between self-regulation and government control. Members of the management committee were able to rationalize the different steps of the framework and identify ways forward which highlighted the importance of self-regulation in comparison to central authorities’ control. We concluded that structured decision making promotes spaces for rational analysis of alternatives costs and benefits. Promoting deliberative thinking in fisheries management can improve equity, legitimacy and sustainability of collaborative governance.     

A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH TO WATERSHED MANAGEMENT: THE BRAZILIAN SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: Brazil is currently facing the challenge of implementing a new water resources management system to promote the rational and sustainable use of the country's waters. This system is based on the following principles of water management: (2) stakeholders' participation; (2) the watershed as the planning and management unit; and (3) the economic value of water. Stakeholders' participation and the involvement of civil society in the decision making process is guaranteed by permanent seats in the watersheds' management committees. These committees are the highest decision level for the establishment of water policy and for planning its use. The executive branch of the committees is the watershed agency or the water agency. This paper presents the recently approved Brazilian water resources management system and discusses the participatory approach followed to validate and to ensure prompt response to decisions regarding water use by all stakeholders. The formulation of the National Water Law (January/1998) was also supported by extensive consultation with civil society, professional associations, state and municipal governments as well as with federal governmental agencies and private sector organizations. It also presents an overview of the formulation of the National Water Law. Finally, as watershed committees have been created and are already operating in a limited number of watersheds, some of the major obstacles to the success of the new system are discussed along with alternatives for overcoming such obstacles.     

Displacement and sweep efficiencies in a DNAPL recovery test using micellar and polymer solutions injected in a five-spot pattern

Soil washing with micellar solutions is a promising alternative for the remediation of DNAPL source zones. As with any flushing technology, the success of soil washing with micellar solutions depends in a very large part on the ability of the solution to contact the contaminant (sweep efficiency) and then on the efficiency of contaminant removal once this contact is made (displacement efficiency). We report here on a field test where a micellar solution was used to recover a DNAPL in an open five-spot pattern in which polymer solutions were also injected before and after the washing solution to improve sweep efficiency. The washing solution formulation was optimised in the laboratory prior to the test to obtain good dissolution capacity. For a high-concentration and low-volume soil flushing remediation test such as the one performed (0.8 pore volumes of actual washing solution injected), slug sizing of the washing solution is critical. It was evaluated by an analytical solution. In a five-spot pattern, the displacement efficiency of the washing solution was observed to vary in the porous medium as a function of the radial distance from the injection well because: (1) the volume of the washing solution flowing through a section of the test cell changes (maximum close to the injection well and minimal at the pumping wells); (2) the in situ velocity changes (maximum at the wells and minimum between the wells) and; (3) the contact time of the washing solution with the NAPL changes as a function of the distance from the injection well. The relative importance of the recovery mechanisms, mobilisation and dissolution, was also observed to vary in the test cell. The reduced velocity increased the contact time of the washing solution with the DNAPL enhancing its dissolution, but the decrease of the capillary number caused less mobilisation. The washing process is much more extensive around the injection well. The use of an injection-pumping pattern allowing a complete sweep of the remediated area is essential. Following a comprehensive characterisation, modeling is an efficient tool to design the injection-pumping scheme and to optimise injection and pumping rates providing the best areal sweep. The vertical sweep can be controlled by using a polymer solution (Xanthan gum). The polymer solution also has a positive effect on front stability between the solutions injected. The injection rate of the polymer solution that follows the washing solution must be kept minimal initially to prevent dilution of the washing solution by fingering.     

Assessment of water quality monitoring for the optimal sensor placement in lake Yahuarcocha using pattern recognition techniques and geographical information systems

Pollution and the eutrophication process are increasing in lake Yahuarcocha and constant water quality monitoring is essential for a better understanding of the patterns occurring in this ecosystem. In this study, key sensor locations were determined using spatial and temporal analyses combined with geographical information systems (GIS) to assess the influence of weather features, anthropogenic activities, and other non-point pollution sources. A water quality monitoring network was established to obtain data on 14 physicochemical and microbiological parameters at each of seven sample sites over a period of 13 months. A spatial and temporal statistical approach using pattern recognition techniques, such as cluster analysis (CA) and discriminant analysis (DA), was employed to classify and identify the most important water quality parameters in the lake. The original monitoring network was reduced to four optimal sensor locations based on a fuzzy overlay of the interpolations of concentration variations of the most important parameters.     

Catalyzing sustainable fisheries management through behavior change interventions

Small-scale fisheries are an important livelihood and primary protein source for coastal communities in many of the poorest regions in the world, yet many are overfished and thus require effective and scalable management solutions. Positive ecological and socioeconomic responses to management typically lag behind immediate costs borne by fishers from fishing pressure reductions necessary for fisheries recovery. These short-term costs challenge the long-term success of these interventions. However, social marketing may increase perceptions of management benefits before ecological and socioeconomic benefits are fully realized, driving new social norms and ultimately long-term sustainable behavior change. By conducting underwater visual surveys to quantify ecological conditions and by conducting household surveys with community members to quantify their perceptions of management support and socioeconomic conditions, we assessed the impact of a standardized small-scale fisheries management intervention that was implemented across 41 sites in Brazil, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The intervention combines TURF reserves (community-based territorial use rights for fishing coupled with no-take marine reserves) with locally tailored social-marketing behavior change campaigns. Leveraging data across 22 indicators and 4 survey types, along with data from 3 control sites, we found that ecological and socioeconomic impacts varied and that communities supported the intervention and were already changing their fishing practices. These results suggest that communities were developing new social norms and fishing more sustainably before long-term ecological and socioeconomic benefits of fisheries management materialized.     

Advancing climate compatible development: lessons from southern Africa

Climate compatible development (CCD) has emerged as a new concept that bridges climate change adaptation, mitigation and community-based development. Progress towards CCD requires multi-stakeholder, multi-sector working and the development of partnerships between actors who may not otherwise have worked together. This creates challenges and opportunities that require careful examination at project and institutional levels and necessitates the sharing of experiences between different settings. In this paper, we draw on the outcomes from a multi-stakeholder workshop held in Mozambique in 2012, the final in a series of activities in a regional project assessing emerging CCD partnerships across southern Africa. The workshop involved policymakers, researchers and representatives from NGOs and the private sector. We employ a content analysis of workshop notes and presentations to identify the progress and challenges in moving four case study countries (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe) towards CCD pathways, by exploring experiences from both project and policy levels. To advance institutional support for the development of successful CCD policies, practices and partnerships, we conclude that there is a need for: (a) institutional development at the national level to strengthen coordination and more clearly define roles and responsibilities across sectors, based on the identification of capacity and knowledge gaps; (b) partnership development, drawing on key strengths and competences of different stakeholders and emphasising the roles of the private sector and traditional authorities; (c) learning and knowledge-sharing through national and regional fora; and (d) development of mechanisms that permit more equitable and transparent distribution of costs and benefits. These factors can facilitate development of multi-stakeholder, multi-level partnerships that are grounded in community engagement from the outset, helping to translate CCD policy statements into on-the-ground action.     

Inhibition of Alternaria stem canker on tomato by essential oils from Baccharis species

Abstract

The toxicity of four essential oils extracted from Baccharis articulata, Baccharis ochracea, Baccharis psiadioides and Baccharis trimera was tested against the phytopathogen Alternaria alternata, which causes Alternaria stem canker on tomatoes. Diseases caused by Alternaria fungi are responsible for great economic losses in terms of production and are controlled by synthetic fungicides; however, essential oils offer an alternative, since they have been proven to be effective for controlling against various plant pathogens. In this way, the antifungal activity of Baccharis essential oils was tested using potato dextrose agar medium with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 20.0?µL mL^?1. Baccharis trimera and Baccharis ochracea essential oils presented 100% mycelial growth inhibition of A. alternata and were also able to control Alternaria stem canker disease under greenhouse conditions. Tomato plants treated with these essential oils exhibited area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) values of 230.10 and 241.42, differing from the control condition, which showed an AUDPC value of 268.92. The essential oils of B. trimera and B. ochracea can be an alternative for controlling Alternaria stem canker disease of tomatoes and should be formulated as a potential fungicide against the A. alternata pathogen.     

A temporal and spatial monitoring of organotin pollution in a harborside region of Brazil by imposex and ecological quality ratio using <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucozonia nassa</Emphasis>

This study represents the first use of Leucozonia nassa (Mollusca-Gastropoda) in a program of long-term monitoring. Specimens of L. nassa were collected between 2006 and 2014 and analyzed for the occurrence of imposex in two areas in Southeastern Brazil, one control area and another characterized by the presence of many ports and marinas. Imposex was evaluated in nine sites based on the percentage of females exhibiting imposex (I%), relative penis length index and vas deferens sequence index, classical indices to evaluate tributyltin (TBT) impacts. Moreover, this study uses for the first time in a tropical environment the ecological quality ratio (EQR), an approach to verify the imposex levels as an indicator of the impact by organotin compounds according to the EU Water Framework Directive. The results confirm the occurrence of high levels of imposex in L. nassa with all the indices evaluated. Furthermore, the results also indicate that, despite the international ban, antifouling paints based on TBT are still possibly used in Brazil. In addition, this study shows that L. nassa has the characteristics that make it a suitable bioindicator to monitor TBT pollution, and that the use of the EQR may create important data regarding this problem.