Systematic conservation planning in floodplain fisheries: To what extent are fishers’ needs captured in prioritisation models?

Abstract

Systematic conservation planning (SCP) is a promising tool underpinned by the idea that multistakeholders’ needs should be considered in any conservation action. However, there is almost no research verifying whether those proposed solutions indeed capture local people's needs. In this article, a SCP exercise was developed in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil, to propose a possible new negotiated solution for environmental protection areas and fisheries zone. To test the validity of the SCP‐delivered solutions, physical maps showing them were presented and discussed with local people. None of the proposed possible SCP scenarios was accepted locally as workable. The fixed solutions proposed by SCP do not map onto the spatial–temporal flexibility of floodplain fisheries. Current, SCP approaches seem far from being able to incorporate the livelihood uncertainties of floodplain fisheries into mathematical models in a way that encompasses people's needs and, therefore remains only a theoretical tool for sustainability.

Sustainability Agenda for the Pantanal Wetland: Perspectives on a Collaborative Interface for Science, Policy, and Decision-Making

“…Also, scientists have contributed to the discussions concerning fisheries and conservation of fish resources in MT (Law no. 9794, Estado de Mato Grosso, 2012) and the creation of a Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustenta´vel (Sustainable Development Reserve) in the Barra do São Lourenc¸o region near Corumba´, MS (Chiaravalloti, 2017b, Chiaravalloti, Homewood, & Erikson, 2017. Significantly, fisheries regulations have been based on the results from scientific research on fish population dynamics and reproductive biology (e.g., Resende et al, 1995).…”

“…Recent studies are defining some of traditional populations' areas of use or territories (e.g., Chiaravalloti, 2017bChiaravalloti, , 2019Chiaravalloti et al, 2017). The combination of the several communities' territories is helping to build what is called "Extractivism Corridor."…”

“…Many of the indigenous groups merged to "traditional populations," today recognized by the Brazilian Policy on Traditional Peoples and Communities (Brasil, 2007). Local "traditional population" in the Pantanal are composed by mixed indigenous groups and foreigners that still have strong roots with the area and undertake a sustainable livelihood, such as fishing, that are adapted to the ecological dynamics of the ecosystem (Chiaravalloti, 2019(Chiaravalloti, , 2017a(Chiaravalloti, , 2017bChiaravalloti et al, 2017). In spite of legal recognition, most communities in the Pantanal are still invisible to policy makers, or have been oppressed and displaced (Chiaravalloti, 2019).…”

Limited open access in socioecological systems: How do communities deal with environmental unpredictability?

“…Where such regimes exist, conservation interventions should take them into account in order to support local livelihoods. In terms of policy, this could be achieved by the creation of flexibly bounded protected areas that allow access according to different tenure rights (Chiaravalloti, ). Within the Brazilian legislation this could be done through the creation of sustainable development protected areas that partly fulfill these requirements.…”

Understanding Public Views on a Dam Construction Boom: the Role of Values

“…This study draws on data from a household survey with members of the general public in the Upper Paraguay River Basin in Mato Grosso (N = 1067), conducted between April and June 2016 by a team of trained local enumerators. A large number of dams are projected to be built in this hydrographic basin (Calheiros et al 2012), whose rivers sustain the Pantanal wetland, and where many traditional subsistence fishing communities still exist alongside the major rivers (Chiaravalloti 2017). The sampling procedure was designed to produce a representative sample of the general population according to multiple socio-demographic variables, as described in more detail in Schulz et al (2018).…”