Small-scale artisanal fishers and socio-environmental conflicts in estuarine and coastal wetlands

Abstract

This chapter aims to build different ways of thinking the marine and estuarine spaces from an ontological perspective. Due to the extractive activities (i.e., petrochemical activities, large and industrial fisheries, among others) that often occur in coastal and estuarine systems, small-scale artisanal fishers are among the most damaged and vulnerable collective. We propose that the Bahia Blanca Estuary is a sacrificial territory and there are three territorial moments that could help us to explain the environmental conflicts that arise in this coastal area. These conflicts involve three different territorial moments: the ria, the port-petrochemical complex, and the protected areas. Each of them has different actors with different conservation paradigms that tend to clash, making difficult to achieve consensual management goals for this complex ecosystem. Finally, we suggest to rethink the actual management and conservation strategies that seem to have failed in conceiving locals' livelihoods and their knowledge. Specifically, we aim to build bridges in knowledge with small-scale artisanal fishers, toward the implementation of dialogic strategies.