On the economic viability of preserving nature - the fish as a parable
to the first part of the article
"Marine nature reserves that are managed in cooperation with local communities affect the reduction of poverty" states a study called "Nature's Investment Bank" carried out for a body from the USA called "Nature Conservancy". Nature Conservancy, US.
The research in four projects, (four areas where the villagers live from fishing), showed that the participation of villagers in conservation projects, reduces the damage caused by wild fishing, and as a result increases the income of the fishermen in the villages.
The research was conducted in fishing villages in: Fiji, Indonesia, Philippines and Solomon Islands, by a group of researchers led by Craig Leisher who serves as a consultant for nature conservation. Partners in funding the research were the governments of Australia, the University of Wierja / Netherlands and the World Conservation Organization.
According to Lisher, in order to reach a situation where there would be a willingness to cooperate, the residents had to frequently feel the need to change, a feeling that followed a sharp decrease in the fishing harvest, the decrease in the quantities of fish caught led to the willingness of the residents to change, a change whose main point was the fishermen's agreement to stop fishing in areas that were declared protected.
By protecting fish breeding areas and stopping fishing in them, the fishermen's income doubled compared to areas where fishing continued without restrictions. According to the researchers, the results of the study form the basis for an action plan in fishing villages around the world.
In all four areas chosen for research, the majority of the population lives by fishing and due to overfishing, the amount of fish has dwindled, since the basis of food is fish, many of the residents were on the brink of starvation. Protected areas, where fishing is prohibited, are a source of breeding for fish species, the study showed that when the fish population in the protected areas increased, the "excess population" drifted into the fishing areas, in a short time it became clear to the fishermen that the depleted fishing areas were replenished with fish, because of the protection of the breeding areas, a population was formed Large and healthy fish, which allowed the fishermen a greater profit from the fisherman.
At the same time, since the protected areas were declared as reserves, reserves that attracted tourists, it turned out that the tourists brought more profit from the fishing.
In other words, it turns out that the right attitude, the management of natural resources by preserving them is the right method to exist while involving local residents and economic profit for those around and the environment.
On the sidelines, recently it has become clear that the fishing areas in the Mediterranean Sea are being emptied of fish. Israeli fishermen accept a significant decrease in the amount of fish and as a result a sharp decrease in their ability to make a living. The Mediterranean Sea is a closed basin that can be treated separately from the bodies of water around it, therefore the feasibility of conservation is clear - setting no-fishing areas, setting quotas, monitoring the size and species of fish caught, in short, a transition to sustainable-fishing, will help and restore the fish population as well as the fishermen .
On the same topic: by the middle of the century there will be no fish in the sea
Dr. Assaf Rosenthal, ecologist,
Tour guide/leader in Africa and South America.
For details: Tel. 0505640309 / 077-6172298,
Email: assaf@eilatcity.co.il
