Co-governance, Transregional Maritime Conventions, and Indigenous Customary Practices Among Subsistence Fishermen in Ende, Indonesia

Abstract

This article presents a case study of a fishery in the port-town community of Ende, Flores, a former littoral hub located at the periphery of major commercial systems in the Indo-Pacific region. The article argues that more attention be paid to the role of transregional maritime networks, nautical conventions, and navigational practices embedded within local tenure systems to understand the apparent absence of formal control of marine and coastal resources. Through ethnographic and archival research, this study identifies the presence of indigenous institutions for fishing grounds regulation and documents the existence of broader transregional norms dictating proper fishing and navigation. Exploring the interactions between more pluralistic customary systems that exist in port-towns such as Ende and recent fishery development policies, the article discusses some of the obstacles to implementing sustainable co-management strategies. While the Indonesian central government is strongly promoting co-governance approaches for resource management, these institutional models are based on geographically narrow definitions of tradition and customary law which can lead to management failures, such as elite capture and local fishers’ disenfranchisement. In this case, policies emphasize the formation of cooperative groups without considering transregional beliefs about independence and pre-established systems of obligations. As a result, disputes among the fishermen, conflicts with local fishery officers, and the use of non-sustainable practices continue. For example, embodying predominant Southeast Asian beliefs, Endenese are known for their entrepreneurial nature and strong self-sufficiency ethos. Yet, these notions are ignored by local government agencies that view the fishermen as selfish and disorganized. In order to formulate true participatory solutions, a careful assessment of the role played by transregional perspectives that go beyond geographically localized understandings of customary practices is needed. The article concludes with a consideration of the role played by decentralization processes, subsidies, and aid programs in entrenching poverty and inequality among local communities.

Limits to fishing: the case for collective self-limitation illustrated with an example of small-scale fisheries in Catalonia

“…We concur with such criticisms in questioning the role that projects of power devolution from centralized state institutions play in the context of neoliberal restructuring of fisheries management (Pinkerton and Davis, 2015;Pinkerton, 2017;Pinkerton, 2019b) where processes of decentralization are at risk of market co-optation and privatization. Moreover, researchers have long pointed out how comanagement schemes can function as a tool of regulatory capture by powerful actors, leading to an extension rather than a reduction of state and market rule resulting in the disenfranchisement and marginalization of resource-dependent communities (Agrawal and Gibson, 1999;Blaikie, 2006;Ribot et al, 2006;Nayak and Berkes, 2008;Ramenzoni, 2021). Although we recognize the wider power imbalances and structural constraints that economically vulnerable and politically weak communities are subject to, we also want to make space for seeing mechanisms of collective self-determination in the face of such constraints and imbalances (Foley et al, 2015;Pinkerton, 2015;Snyder and St Martin, 2015;Pinkerton, 2017;Goḿez and Maynou, 2021).…”

When the Sugar Runs Out: Transitioning Agricultural Systems and Their Effect on Dietary Diversity in Yaguajay, Central Cuba

“…The year 2003 saw the closing of the last sugar mill in Yaguajay, Central Cuba. Once a lively municipality with over one third of its population directly employed by the sugar industry, the region was rapidly reconverted into ranching and different types of farming, including small-scale, organic, and commercial production [1][2][3]. This shift in agricultural practices was nothing short of revolutionary for thousands of households, which saw their livelihoods profoundly changing in under two years.…”

When the Sugar Runs Out: Transitioning Agricultural Systems and Their Effect on Dietary Diversity in Yaguajay, Central Cuba

“…The year 2003 saw the closing of the last sugar mill in Yaguajay, Central Cuba. Once a lively municipality with over one-third of its population directly employed by the sugar industry, the region was swiftly transitioned into livestock farming, including small-scale, organic, and commercial production operations [1][2][3]. The shift in agricultural practices was nothing short of revolutionary for thousands of households, which saw their livelihoods profoundly changing in under two years.…”