Land and water management in coastal zones: dealing with agriculture-aquaculture-fishery conflicts.

Abstract

AbstractThe coastal environment has undergone rapid changes in recent times. Change in the state of the environment is multifaceted, but a key concern is the way that natural habitats - principally mangrove forests and salt marshes - have been extensively cleared and converted to shrimp farming and other uses. The expansion of shrimp farming has also encroached onto agricultural lands. Coastal shrimp farming has been practised for a very long time in some countries as part of the traditional livelihood system, but recent strong demand in global markets, together with technological advances, has fuelled rapid expansion. These rapid, and generally unplanned changes, have provoked conflicts among the three dominant resource-dependent livelihoods in the inland coastal zone: agriculture, shrimp farming and fishing. The coastal zone is characterized by ambiguities of resource ownership and a complex web of interactions among people, resources and ecosystems. Conflicts exist between the drive for short-term financial gain and the desire for long-term sustainable development. Conflicts exist between the priorities of people who derive their livelihoods from aquaculture and those who depend upon agriculture. Conflicts exist between the needs of people who may gain from intensification of land use for agriculture and/or aquaculture and other people (e.g. fisherfolk), whose livelihoods may be adversely affected by environmental impacts. This chapter discusses the trends, problems and approaches to managing change in the inland coastal zone. A problem analysis is given wherein the main environmental and social impacts of change are examined. We identify key messages from previous research and development experience and consider the supporting evidence for these messages.