Stakeholder Perceptions on the Governance of Fisheries Systems Transformed by Hydroelectric Dam Development in the Madeira River, Brazil

Abstract

Hydroelectric dams often have significant impacts on freshwater fisheries. Major impacts are known to be driven by changes in river hydrology and fish ecology, but the role of governance arrangements in mitigating or exacerbating fisheries impacts from hydropower development is less understood. This study presents an analysis of stakeholder perceptions about the effects of hydroelectric dam implementation on fisheries governance arrangements in the Madeira River basin, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 stakeholders representing the fishers and fish traders, government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Fishers, non-governmental, and private sector agents perceived hydropower development to be the strongest factor driving fisheries decline or change over the past 10 years, while government staff perceived overfishing to be an equally or even more important factor. Most stakeholders affirmed that fisheries governance arrangements have weakened in the face of hydropower development, and that these arrangements have been insufficient to effectively mitigate or compensate for negative impacts on fisheries. Fishers, non-governmental and private sector agents saw lack of opportunities to participate in fisheries governance as a major contributing factor, while government staff emphasized lack of qualified personnel, lack of trust between agencies, and control over the decision-making process held by hydropower companies. Perspectives on other implications of governance arrangements were shared across stakeholder groups. These included increased conflicts; lack of interaction and coordination between agencies; the fragility of fishers’ social organization; lack of trust and reciprocity between organizations; and power imbalances between stakeholders. The results show that hydropower development impairs and changes relationships between diverse players involved in fisheries governance, which can exacerbate existing weaknesses and negatively affect fishery sustainability. Drawing from the perspectives and comments of the various stakeholders who participated in the study, we provide recommendations to improve freshwater fisheries governance in the Madeira River basin and in the Brazilian Amazon.

Capítulo 14: La Amazonía en movimiento: Políticas cambiantes, estrategias de desarrollo, pueblos, paisajes y medios de subsistencia

“…Los impactos provienen del bloqueo de la migración de los peces, incluyendo el famoso "bagre gigante" del río Madeira, del impedimento del descenso de las larvas de peces que se generan en las cabeceras del río, del entorno desfavorable de los embalses para muchas especies y de la reducción de los nutrientes asociados con los sedimentos (Fearnside 2014;Forsberg et al 2017; Faleiros e Isensee e Sá 2019). El desarrollo de la energía hidroeléctrica puede afectar negativamente las percepciones de la sostenibilidad de la pesca y exacerbar las debilidades existentes en la gobernanza de la pesca (Doria et al 2021).…”

Chapter 14: Amazon in Motion: Changing politics, development strategies, peoples, landscapes, and livelihoods

“…Impacts come from blocking fish migration, including the famous "giant catfish" of the Madeira River, from impeding the descent of fish larvae spawned in the river's headwaters, from the reservoirs' unfavorable environment for many species, and from reduction of nutrients associated with sediments (Fearnside 2014;Forsberg et al 2017;Faleiros and Isensee e Sá 2019). Hydropower development can negatively affect perceptions of fishery sustainability and exacerbate existing weaknesses in fisheries governance (Doria et al 2021).…”