Mangrove: changes and conflicts in claimed ownership, uses and purposes.

Abstract

From its early discovery, mangrove has inspired ambivalent feelings among Westerners, ranging from delight to repulsion. It has been considered in turn as an unhealthy and hostile milieu, as a source of multiple resources or as a fragile, diversified and rich ecosystem. Management policies have also varied between extremes: from periods of degradation and conversion to periods of rehabilitation, restoration and protection. This contribution is centred on claims and conflicts over mangrove wetlands.First, through the case study of West Africa, we will show the very early (at least, the 15th century) multiple-use system controlled by peasant-fishermen communities, then the disruption of this remarkable and sustainable system with the 'white' penetration and colonization, ending with the recent process of rehabilitation, restoration and protection or 'heritage construct', that leads to conflicts.Second, this contribution will question the relevance of the concept of natural heritage, and set out the different interpretations and constructions that can be made from it: Which are the living objects designated as heritage? Who are the decision-makers, the stakeholders, the managers and/or the caretakers? Is mangrove a world heritage, a communal territory, a private capital or a public good?Third, to answer these questions, multidisciplinary approaches and new tools of management, not only integrated but also concerted, have to be developed. The diverse relationships in mangrove societies call for a variety of legal and management policies. In addition, a diachronic approach is necessary, investigating several time intervals (from a few years to eras).This contribution also discusses the implications of innovative tools such as the institutionalization of heritage and new ways of valuing nature, such as product labelling, eco-certification or ecotourism.

Let the Women Harvest the Mangrove. Carbon Policy, and Environmental Injustice

“…In previous publications, I show that the mangroves have been the subject of very contrasted perceptions and policies, moving from a productivist vision in the colonial era to a sanctuarist vision in the 1970s and 1980s, then a market vision, advocating the conservation of ecosystem services through mechanisms such as PES and REDD+ [8,13]. I develop a critical approach to discourses, highlighting the weight of imperialism, whether it is colonial, green or blue (as part of carbon policies, that seek coastal forests and marshes) and the consequences of neo-liberalism and neocapitalism, resulting in injustices against mangrove harvesters [9,39,40].…”

“…In addition to classic ethnographic primary sources (participant observation, focus groups, surveys, and in-depth inquiries), my research study is based on secondary sources of information, such as newspapers, early 15th century explorers' stories, and 19th and early 20th century colonial reports [8,11].…”

“…), salt collection, etc. This multiple use system has built a unique landscape, managed and controlled by local institutions and transmitted from one generation to another [8].…”

“…While the contribution of mangrove to people is well known and recognized [8,9],and while its drastic decline worldwide is undeniable, its current dynamic and the solutions recommended for its preservation are debatable.…”

Adding Environment to the Collective Action Problem: Individuals, Civil Society, and the Mangrove-Fishery Commons in Ecuador

“…Coastal mangrove forests have been among the most vulnerable forest types to such forms of global change for their widespread undervaluation that has often led to their conversion to other uses like shrimp farming (Alongi, 2002;Cormier-Salem, 2006;FAO, 2007;Martinez-Alier, 2001;Valiela, Bowen, & York, 2001). The social and ecological impacts of shrimp aquaculture such as landscape transformations, community displacement, livelihood loss, the erosion of resource rights, and conflict, have been well-documented in the literature (Cruz-Torres, 2000;Deb, 1998;Dewalt, Vergne, & Hardin, 1996;Gunawardena & Rowan, 2005;Martinez-Alier, 2001;Meltzoff & LiPuma, 1986;Primavera, 1997;Stonich, 1995;Stonich & Vandergeest, 2001;Veuthey & Gerber, 2011).…”