A Political Ecology of Shrimp Aquaculture in Thailand¹

Abstract

This paper uses themes from political ecology to develop insights into the billion dollar shrimp aquaculture sector in Thailand . We find that corporations can exercise only limited control over shrimp production and that there is no clear trend toward larger operations . We explain the continued viability of small owner-operated farms by looking at how shrimp farming is located in physical and social space, and at the ability of owner-operators to work within the highly unstable socio-ecological processes of shrimp production. We also find that shrimp farming has induced a spatially-uneven increase in state territorial regulation . The spatial distribution of regulation is shaped by differences in how landscapes become politicized, and the degree of jurisdictional clarity . We conclude that industry self-regulation has limited prospects for containing the social and environmental problems of shrimp farming in Thailand, but that expanded state regulation that mobilizes the participation of local people might be effective. 76Rural .Sorioloy Vol. 64 . No. , /)r . i'm/ar JV})

Diversity Shifts in the Mangrove Vegetation of the Rio del ReyEstuary (Cameroon)

“…For [57], mangrove destruction appears in South-east Asia generally as the result of their use for aquaculture, agriculture, the extension of the village, eco-tourism. Particularly in Thailand, the culture of shrimp is the leading cause of mangrove destruction [58,59]. …”

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Knowledge and innovation relationships in the shrimp industry in Thailand and Mexico

“…Secondary drivers are criticism of unsustainable practices and socio-ecological impacts of shrimp farming (1,9,11,19).…”

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