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Tropical river fisheries valuation: background papers to a global synthesis global a to papers background valuation: fisheries river Tropical This report is a compilation of five regional reviews that document the global status of tropical rivers and inland fisheries in three continents: Latin America, Africa and Asia. It explores the role of ‘valuation’ methods and their contribution to policy-making and river fishery manage- ment. From the compilation, the best estimate of the global value of inland fisheries for those three continents is US$ 5.58 billion (gross market value), which is equivalent to 19 percent of the current value of annual fish exports from developing countries (US$ 29 billion) for 2004. The compilation shows that there is a general shortage of information on inland fisheries, especially derived from conventional economic valuation methods, though infor- mation from economic impact assessment methods and socio-economic and livelihood analysis methods is more widely available. The status of knowledge about the impact of changes in river management on the value of tropical river fisheries is weak and patchy. Although the impacts of large dams on the hydrology, ecology and livelihood support attributes of tropical rivers are well-recognized, there have been only few valuation studies of these issues. The document highlights the need for further valuation studies of tropical river and inland fisheries in developing countries. It underlines how vital it is for policy-makers and other stakeholders to understand the importance of these natural resources in order to make appropriate decisions concerning their role in development policy and illustrates why capacity building in valuation should become a major priority for agencies concerned with fisheries management and policy-making. STUDIES & REVIEWS | 1836 Tropical river fisheries valuation: background papers to a global synthesis The WorldFish Center For further information on The WorldFish Center publications please contact: Business Development and Communications Division The WorldFish Center PO Box 500 GPO, 10670 Penang, Malaysia Tel : (+60-4) 626 1606 Fax : (+60-4) 626 5530 Email : [email protected] This publication is also available from: www.worldfishcenter.org Printed on 100% recycled paper. Reducing poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture www.worldfishcenter.org SR1836 cover.indd 1 5/3/2008 9:50:25 AM Tropical River Fisheries Valuation: background papers to a global synthesis This publication and the projects to which it relates were carried out in partnership with, and through generous funding support from, the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture and the Challenge Program on Water and Food. WorldFish also gratefully acknowledges the highly valued unrestricted funding support from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) specifically the following members: Australia, Canada, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. This publication should be cited as: Neiland, A.E. and C. Béné (eds.) 2008. Tropical river fisheries valuation: background papers to a global synthesis. The WorldFish Center Studies and Reviews 1836, 290 pp. The WorldFish Center, Penang, Malaysia. National Library of Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data ISBN 978-983-2346-61-6 Photographers (cover photo): Chris Béné (Man operating a giant net on the Benue River, Nigeria) Printed by: Viper Solution © 2008 The WorldFish Center All rights reserved. This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational or non-profit purposes without permission if due acknowledgement is given to the copyright holder. This publication may not be reproduced for profit or other commercial purposes without prior written permission from the The WorldFish Center. To obtain permission, contact the Communications Division <[email protected]>. ii Contents Foreword iv Executive summary v Introduction vi Chapter 1 Review of River Fisheries Valuation in Central and South America 1 2 Review of River Fisheries Valuation in West and Central Africa 47 3 The Valuation of Riparian Fisheries in Southern and Eastern Africa 107 4 Review of River Fisheries Valuation in Tropical Asia 147 5 Values of Inland Fisheries in the Mekong River Basin 227 iii Foreword he Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, started in 2003, has pioneered a global reexamination of how water contributes to the well-being and Tfood security of the world’s poor. While this program has involved looking again at how water productivity can be improved in irrigated and rain fed agriculture, its engagement with the wider role played by water in sustaining natural resource systems has brought a new dimension crucial to the management of water in agriculture. In doing so, the Comprehensive Assessment has moved beyond traditional concepts of water productivity and more “crop per drop” to embrace the importance of water in sustaining aquatic ecosystems, the resources they support, and the people that depend on these resources for food and income. The present review is an important contribution to this reassessment of water productivity and the role that water in rivers and their associated ecosystems can play in supporting food security and livelihoods. By focusing on river fisheries, the review has concentrated not only on those inland fisheries that are most at risk from changes in water management at the basin scale, but also on a resource that has long been recognized as important but “too difficult” to be fully understood. Furthermore, by pulling together information from Africa, Asia and Latin America, the review shows that, while it may not be easy to obtain good assessments of the value of these resources, failure to grapple with this challenge will seriously constrain efforts to effectively manage water productivity at the basin level. Because of their recognized importance and relative visibility, river fisheries may be viewed as the aquatic equivalent of the “canary in the coalmine”. That is, they provide an indicator of ecosystem health and the ecological value of the water that remains in the world’s river systems. As a result, fisheries can play a critical role in a world where policymakers require rapid information and indicators to guide their decisions. If the value of river fisheries and their role in supporting people’s lives and livelihoods can be better understood and demonstrated, this can provide critical evidence for the policy and management changes required to regulate water flow in these systems and maintain the productivity of the aquatic ecosystems that sustain the fisheries. This review makes an important case for increasing investment in such valuation studies and in building up the capacity to pursue them. It is expected that this message will be heard and the investments required will be made. Patrick Dugan Deputy Director General The WorldFish Center iv Executive Summary iver fisheries, and in general inland fisheries, in the tropical regions of the world provide a range of benefits including a means of livelihood and a source of food for millions of Rpeople. However, national policies relating to crucial issues, such as economic development, poverty alleviation, food security, conservation and sustainability, often fail to recognize these important attributes. This compilation of regional reviews documents the role of valuation and its contribution to policy-making and river fishery management. The document aims to provide a review of the global status of tropical river and inland fisheries valuation. It also considers the impact of changes in river basin management and compares valuation approaches used in different places. From this compilation, the main findings are as follows. The best estimate of current tropical river and inland fisheries production is 5.46 million tonnes valued at US$ 5.58 billion (gross market value), which is equivalent to 19 percent of the current value of annual fish exports from developing countries (US$ 29 billion). There is a general paucity of information globally. This is especially the case for information derived from conventional economic valuation (CEV) methods. Information derived from economic impact assessment methods (EcIA) and socio-economic and livelihood analysis (SE-LA) methods is more widely available. However, there are still serious gaps and deficiencies in these domains. The status of knowledge on the impact of changes in river management on the value of tropical river fisheries is weak and patchy although there is widespread recognition of these issues. Impacts of large dams on the hydrology, ecology and livelihood support attributes of tropical rivers are well-recognized, but there have been only few valuation studies of these impacts. Among other reasons, the generation of information in this area is severely constrained in many countries and river systems by a lack of institutional capacity and skills to undertake valuation studies. Finally, the document highlights the need for further valuation studies of tropical river fisheries and inland fisheries in developing countries. It is vital for policy-makers and other particular groups of stakeholders to understand the importance of these natural resources to society and to use this understanding as a basis for making appropriate decisions concerning the role of tropical river fisheries in development policy. The importance

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