Fisheries Management Of Mexican And Central American Estuaries

The tropical estuarine systems of Mexico and Central America are an important part of the region ́s coastlines; for example Mexico alone possesses more than 770 thousand hectares of mangroves, as well as the largest estuarine mangrove complex on the American Pacific (Marismas Nacionales), yet is one of the poorest studied areas in the world. This is the first book that deals extensively with fisheries management issues in this region from physical-chemistry, ecological and socioeconomic views, providing an understanding on the function and the effects of human activities on these areas, with works undertaken by local scientist.

In June 2014, FAO member-states endorsed the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines). These Guidelines are one of the most significant landmarks for small-scale fisheries around the world. They are comprehensive in terms of topics covered, and progressive, with their foundations based on human rights and other key principles. It can be anticipated that implementing the SSF Guidelines, whether at local, national, or regional levels, will be challenging. This book contains in-depth case studies where authors discuss the extent to which the Guidelines can help improve the realities of small-scale fishing men and women globally and make their livelihoods and communities more secure. This will require policy intervention and innovation, along with contributions of civil society organizations and academia. However, most of all it will necessitate the empowerment of fishing people so that they can become active participants in decision making on matters where their well-being and human rights are at stake. By endorsing the SSF Guidelines, states have committed themselves to support and facilitate this development. This book asks whether states can successfully “walk the talk,” and provides advice as to how they can do so. The collection of case studies sets the platform for an interactive dialogue space for researchers, policy makers, civil society and small-scale fishing communities to start the conversation about the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the SSF Guidelines at local, national, regional and global levels. An added value is that it helps add focus to our work as civil society activists involved in ensuring the application of the SSF Guidelines. Naseegh Jaffer – General Secretary, World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP) This collection offers many ways in which institutions enabling small-scale fisheries can protect and promote sustainability, food security, customary tenure, self-management, and market access, while fostering such benefits as ecosystem-based management, protected areas, incorporation of local knowledge, and poverty alleviation. You will want to put this book in the hands of policy-makers and practitioners immediately -- and for years to come. Evelyn Pinkerton – Professor, Simon Fraser University, Canada

The result of nearly twenty years of interdisciplinary research, this volume contributes to the archaeological and paleoenvironmental knowledge of an important but lightly investigated hyperarid coastline at the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Focused on the coast near Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico, Coastal Foragers of the Gran Desierto examines the diverse groups occupying the coast for salt, abundant food sources, and shells for ornament manufacturing. The archaeological patterns demonstrated by the data gathered lead to the conclusion that, since ancient times, this coastal landscape was not a marginal zone but rather an important source of food and trade goods, and a pilgrimage destination that influenced broad and diverse communities across the Sonoran Desert and beyond. Contributors Jenny L. Adams Karen R. Adams Thomas Bowen Tessa L. Branyan Bill Broyles Richard C. Brusca David L. Dettman Michael S. Foster Gary Huckleberry Jonathan B. Mabry Natalia Martínez-Tagüeña Richard J. Martynec Douglas R. Mitchell Kirsten Rowell Melissa R. Schwan M. Steven Shackley R. J. Sliva Kayla B. Worthey

Science diplomacy and policy can support collaborative national and international science for advancing knowledge with societal impact in fields such as climate, space, medicine, and the environment., Scientific advances made possible by the basic and applied research carried out by government agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations create opportunities and challenges with growing impact on policy decisions. Developing structures that produce the best science information to policy makers is becoming more critical in an ever-changing world. This three-volume set presented by prominent figures from the disciplines of science, engineering, technology, and diplomacy includes their perspectives on potential solutions to opportunities 21st-century scientists, engineers, and diplomats face in the future: To shed light and interface science, technology, and engineering with the realm of policy; To provide a vision for the future by identifying obstacles and opportunities while focusing on several key issues.

Building on work presented at the IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC) held in Australia in 2014, this document outlines experiences with aquatic protected areas (PAs), marine protected areas (MPAs) and protected areas in inland waters in the context of livelihoods and food security. It provides a general overview of MPAs and reports on their interface with livelihoods and food security, based on case studies in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. It also synthesizes the papers conclusions and discusses the observed outcomes of aquatic PAs, together with problems and solutions.

Small-scale fisheries play an important role in contributing to food security, nutrition, livelihoods and local and national economies. However, there is often limited data and information available (or not easily accessible) on their contributions, and hence small scale fisheries tend to be overlooked and marginalized in policy processes, leading to low levels of support for the sector. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and P overty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines), adopted by the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in 2014, provide a policy framework for how to ensure sustainability for small-scale fisheries through a holistic and integrated approach. However, this transformational process needs substantial support to take place and be successful, which may be difficult to obtain in the absence of better data and information on the socio-economic contributions of small-scale fisheries. For this reason, a new study has been proposed by FAO and WorldFish to build upon the 2012 World Bank, FAO and WorldFish Center report Hidden Harvest: The Global Contribution of Capture Fisheries. The new study would deepen the knowledge and encourage data-sharing on small-scale fisheries and their socio-economic contributions, and also aim to make policy- and decision-makers aware of the sector’s importance.

This book combines multidisciplinary studies on the environmental consequences of intensified use of land and water, and the fusion of land to provide food for a growing population. Studies on water, vegetation, and soil are addressed from an environmental management perspective with a special focus on the relation between natural elements and humans. This book considers the essential dynamics of humans and the natural environment, which is especially important in areas with shallow water-table that influence directly on agricultural activities (crops, livestock, and forests), land management, flooding, droughts, waterlogging, salt-affected soils (saline and sodic) and variation in obtained water quality in wells where these processes as related to the local and regional geomorphology control. The studies present hydrological processes towards the definition of an adequate use of soil and water with consequences of its management on the environment. Also, water study procedures are presented as well as their relation to other elements of the landscape. Methodologies such as the Tóthian flow system concept are recognized by different authors to provide the reader with solid interdisciplinary analyses of related environmental components such as soils, vegetation, surface water, geomorphology, geological framework and groundwater physical-chemical composition.