Comanagement of the application of fisheries resources in the Amazon: Present status and challenges for management and conservation

Abstract

The present article documents the progress of the comanagement strategies for the application of fisheries resources in the Amazon over the last 10 years, as has been observed through localized, diffuse, and demonstrative experiments. The article also shows that some of these experiments have played a key role in the modification and establishment of new relations, through the projection of these findings onto regions, both in the short and long terms. The background and reported experiments exemplify how diversified groups, such as communities, fishing colonies, local NGOs, governmental agencies, and international donors and organizations related to international conservation, can work together in order to develop a new comanagement system of fisheries resources that supports and legitimates the efforts of base organizations so as to defend the resources and livelihoods. The process of fisheries intensification and local organizational development has led to the emergence of new models of joint management. However, the establishment of these models not only has represented a response to an ecological change (effort restriction and an increase in the lakes' productivity), but also has raised the question of the right to common resources as a matter of concern. Despite the considerable progress made up to the present moment, it is necessary to carry out an analysis on the shared river basins, to perform a critical evaluation of the diverse fisheries activities, aimed at assessing their strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately to evaluate the institutional mechanisms (rules, procedures, monitoring) which may be necessary to determine management and comanagement strategies with the adjoining Amazon countries.