Comparative Analysis of the Conflicts Between Carp Pond Farming and the Protection of Otters (Lutra lutra) in Upper Lusatia and South Bohemia

Abstract

Protection of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) has been successful in recent years but is increasingly running into conflict due to the damage caused on the fish stock in ponds aquaculture. In this chapter we compare the conflicts in two regions with a long history of carp farming—Upper Lusatia in Saxony (Germany) and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, teasing out the factors which amplify or attenuate the conflicts. We show that financial compensation for the damage occurred is insufficient to mitigate the conflict or stop it from becoming worse. To succeed in long term, a set of mitigation measures, both financial and non-financial, should be deployed. These measures perform best when they are spatially differentiated and tailored to the size of farms and farming practices.