Community based aquaculture in the western Indian Ocean: challenges and opportunities for developing sustainable coastal livelihoods

Abstract

The small-fisheries social-ecological system in the western Indian Ocean (WIO) represents a typical social-ecological trap setting where very poor natural resources dependent coastal communities face local and global threats and engage in unsustainable practices of exploiting limited resources. Community-based aquaculture (CBA) has been implemented as an important alternative or supplementary income generating activity for minimizing the overdependence on marine natural resources and promoting biodiversity conservation. Despite its proliferation throughout the WIO region in recent decades, little is known about the degree to which CBA activities have contributed to achieving the objectives of breaking the cycle of poverty and environmental degradation and promoting community development and biodiversity conservation. In order to improve understanding of common challenges and to generate recommendations for best practice, we assessed the most common CBA activities practiced in the region through literature review and workshop discussion involving practitioners and key stakeholders. Findings indicated that despite favorable environmental conditions for various CBA practices, the sector remains underdeveloped, with few activities delivering the intended benefits for coastal livelihoods or conservation. Constraints included a shortage of seed and feed supplies, low investment, limited technical capacity and skills, insufficient political support, and lack of a clear strategy for aquaculture development. These are compounded by a lack of engagement of local stakeholders, with decision making often dominated by donors, development agencies, and private sector partners. Many of the region's CBA projects are designed along unrealistically short time frames, driven by donors rather than entrepreneurs, and so are unable to achieve financial sustainability, which limits the opportunity for capacity building and longer-term development. There is little or no monitoring on ecological and socioeconomic impacts. Except for a few isolated cases, links between CBA and marine conservation outcomes have rarely been demonstrated. Realizing the potential of CBA in contributing toward food security in the WIO will necessitate concerted investment and capacity strengthening to overcome these systemic challenges in the sector. Lessons herein offer managers, scientists, and policy advisors guidance on addressing the challenges faced in building strategic development initiatives around aquaculture in developing countries.

Beyond social-ecological traps: fostering transformations towards sustainability

“…In parts of the Western Indian Ocean, community-based aquaculture is being promoted as a livelihood diversification strategy, with the aim of minimizing overexploitation of marine fisheries and promoting biodiversity conservation (Ateweberhan et al 2018). Through a workshop with 44 relevant stakeholders (including researchers, technicians and extension workers, commercial partners, CBA farmers, fishers, conservation ecologists, and university students) in Zanzibar and a literature review, Ateweberhan et al (2018) find that the potential for smallscale aquaculture to alleviate poverty and environmental degradation is limited. They find that many projects are driven by external donors, rather than local entrepreneurs.…”

“…One paper explores the role of social networks in supporting transformational change when the current social-ecological conditions have become untenable (Barnes et al 2017). Several articles focus or incorporate livelihood diversification projects and government service delivery (Ateweberhan et al 2018, Baker et al 2018, van Brakel et al 2018, Eriksson et al 2020. As a whole, the feature is rich with contributions to the field of social-ecological traps and systems thinking more broadly, sometimes straddling the themes of rural development and agricultural innovation systems.…”

Using systems thinking and open innovation to strengthen aquaculture policy for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

“…Aquaculture, if sustainably resourced and managed, can give back more to the aquatic environment than humans take. This can happen when fishery‐dependent communities have an alternative or supplementary source of desired farmed finfish to wild‐caught fish, thus mitigating pressure on vulnerable fish stocks (Ateweberhan et al , ; Krause & Stead, ; Stead, , ). Similarly, aquatic ecosystems can benefit from an improved health status from introduction of best aquaculture management practices, such as restocking, habitat enhancement, which increase environmental quality in areas where bad practices such as over fishing and groundwater pollution from land has led to damaged ecosystems.…”

“…Aquaculture, if sustainably resourced and managed, can give back more to the aquatic environment than humans take. This can happen when fishery-dependent communities have an alternative or supplementary source of desired farmed finfish to wild-caught fish, thus mitigating pressure on vulnerable fish stocks (Ateweberhan et al, 2018;Krause & Stead, 2017;Stead, 2002Stead, , 2015.…”

“…The rate of sector growth from small family‐run farms to multi‐national owned production units, but continues to attract negative comments, particularly regarding effects of the sector on the environment (Kaiser & Stead, ). This is despite huge improvements to reducing environmental effects in recent years and clear socio‐economic benefits provided to local communities (Ateweberhan et al , ; Stead, , ).…”