UFZ-Discussion Papers Department of Economics, Sociology and Law (OEKUS) 8/2004 Comparative analysis of the conflicts between carp pond farming and the protection of otters (Lutra lutra) in Upper Lusatia and South Bohemia Jaroslav Myšiak, Kathleen Schwerdtner, Irene Ring * July 2004 * UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle GmbH, Permoserstr. 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany Email:
[email protected] COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN CARP POND FARMING AND THE PROTECTION OF OTTERS (LUTRA LUTRA) IN UPPER LUSATIA AND SOUTH BOHEMIA JAROSLAV MYŠIAK1,2, KATHLEEN SCHWERDTNER1 AND IRENE RING1 1 UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle GmbH, Permoserstr. 15, Leipzig, e-mails:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected] 2 FEEM Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, Venice, Italy Keywords: Conflict mitigation, Nature conservation, Pond fisheries, Otter, Saxony, Czech Republic, Compensation payment, Aquaculture Abstract: The fishpond landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe have immense historical and cultural value, and are highly significant as a habitat for numerous endangered species. Typical examples of cultural landscapes, their maintenance depends on (extensive) fishpond farming. However, although the protection of endangered pescivore predators in these landscapes such as the otter and the cormorant has been successful in recent years, it is increasingly running into conflict due to the damage caused by these species in the fishponds. We present a comparative analysis of such conflicts with otters in two regions with a long history of carp-farming – Upper Lusatia in Saxony (Germany) and South Bohemia in the Czech Republic. For this purpose we examine various ecological, economic and social aspects of the conflicts in both regions.