world fish congress conference 2012
TRANSCRIPT
Harmony Patricio, Doug Demko, Daniel Schperberg
Fisheries and Livelihoods in The Lower Mekong Basin:Benefits and Challenges of Community-based Participatory Research
What makes the Mekong special?
High number, widely distributed
fishers
Subsistence, artisanal, and
commercial scale fisheries
Women, men, children participate
Fishing wide variety of habitats
Over 250 gear types used
High species diversity
Massive migrations
Research Challenges in a Large and Dynamic System
Rich diversity and massive migrations Need extensive geographic coverage
Productive fishery Need different scales of harvest surveys; economics
Extreme hydrography Need seasonally stratified sampling
Importance for food and income Need consumption and market
sampling
Hydropower impacts Need sites near proposed dams, quantify migrations
What is the “best” way to conduct research considering…
What is community-based participatory research?
Engages communities
Ensures goals driven by community interests
Provides appropriate training
Nam Kading River, Lao PDR
We applied this method of
participatory research in Lao People’s
Democratic Republic
Our study area is in central Laos near
the Nam Kading Protected Area
Goals: measure species diversity in
catches and the role of wild fish in
sustainable livelihoods, total economic
value, total catch estimates
Methods: Community-Based
Consultation with
communities and resource
managers to identify goals
Train local field technicians
to collect data in their own
villages
Methods: Catch Sampling
Catch sampling:
Collect data on species ID
Photograph every species
Total biomass
Individual lengths and weights
Gear types
Effort
Time of day
Income from fishing
Destination:
Fish kept for consumption
Amount sold
Methods: Household Food Consumption
Consumption sampling:
Appointment with households
ID and weigh all food items
Geographic / production source
Wild harvest
Purchase
Trade
Gift, etc.
Family demographics
Age and sex of family members
Total income
Main activity for the day
Methods: Local Market Sampling
Market sampling
For each vendor:
ID species
Weight for sale at market
open
Price/kg/species
Source of fish
Relative demand for different
species
Total sold (kg)
Income at market close
Results: Fish Family Diversity
Pak Kading Hatxaykham
Pak Xoun Phon Ngam
Results: Household Consumption
Dry Season1 November 2010 – 30 April 2011
Wet Season1 May 2011 – 30 October 2011
Results: Animal Protein Consumption
Insects1%
Dry Season1 November 2010 – 30 April 2011
Wet Season1 May 2011 – 30 October 2011
Opportunities and Challenges of Participatory Research
Opportunities:
Increase frequency and geographic coverage of sampling
Access to households unlikely without local technicians
Builds capacity, engages communities, fosters conservation awareness
Challenges:
Data accuracy, species ID (local vs. scientific names)
Seasonal activities by villagers (ie. rice planting and harvesting)
Retention of technicians (family obligations, opportunities for other work)
How do we improve the effectiveness of participatory research?
Data accuracy verify adherence to protocols
frequent communication
students from local universities to support techs
verify species ID with photos, experts, DNA samples
consider analysis at genus rather than species level
Seasonal activities Design sampling to consider such activities
follow proportion of villagers to rice huts
consider self-reporting by subset of villagers
Technician retention Additional incentives
communicate opportunities for future work using new skills
Conclusions
Characteristics of Mekong well aligned with participatory approach
Best way to cover large area, diversity of habitats, species, and fishing methods
Best way to access households for consumption data
Maximize data, reduce field costs, engage resource users
Ultimately building local capacity
Thank You!
Harmony Patricio
Doug Demko
Daniel Schperberg
Learn more at…
fishbio.com/conservation