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Rufiji Environment Management Project1 Environmental Management and Biodiversity Conservation of Forests, Woodlands, and Wetlands of the Rufiji Delta and Floodplain An analysis of smallholder opportunities in fisheries, coastal and related enterprises in the floodplain and delta areas of the Rufiji River, Tanzania Richmond, M.D., Wilson, J.D.K., Mgaya, Y.D. & Le Vay, L. Technical report No. 25 February 2002 For more information please contact Project Manager, Rufiji Environment Management Project P O Box 13513 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tel: 44 Utete Rufiji or 2666088 / 0741 322366 Dar es Salaam Email: [email protected] or [email protected] 1 The Rufiji District Council implements Rufiji Environment Management Project with technical assistance from IUCN – The World Conservation Union, and funding from the Royal Netherlands Embassy. Rufiji Environment Management Project – REMP Project Goal: To promote the long-term conservation through ‘wise use’ of the lower Rufiji forests, woodlands and wetlands, such that biodiversity is conserved, critical ecological functions are maintained, renewable natural resources are used sustainably and the livelihoods of the area’s inhabitants are secured and enhanced. Objectives • To promote the integration of environmental conservation and sustainable development through environmental planning within the Rufiji Delta and Floodplain. • To promote the sustainable use of natural resources and enhance the livelihoods of local communities by implementing sustainable pilot development activities based on wise use principles. • To promote awareness of the values of forests, woodlands and wetlands and the importance of wise use at village, district, regional and central government levels, and to influence national policies on natural resource management. Project Area The project area is within Rufiji District in the ecosystems affected by the flooding of the river (floodplain and delta), downstream of the Selous Game Reserve and also including several upland forests of special importance. Project Implementation The project is run from the district Headquarters in Utete by the Rufiji District Administration through a district Environmental Management Team coordinated by the District Executive Director. The Project Manager is employed by the project and two Technical Advisers are employed by IUCN. Project partners, particularly NEMC, the Coast Region, RUBADA, The Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, collaborate formally through their participation in the Project Steering Committee and also informally. Project Outputs At the end of the first five –year phase (1998-2003) of the project the expected outputs are: An Environmental Management Plan: an integrated plan for the management of the ecosystems (forests, woodlands and wetlands) and natural resources of the project area that has been tested and revised so that it can be assured of success - especially through development hand-in-hand with the District council and the people of Rufiji. Village (or community) Natural Resource Management Plans: These will be produced in pilot villages to facilitate village planning for natural resource management. The project will support the implementation of these plans by researching the legislation, providing training and some support for zoning, mapping and gazettement of reserves. Established Wise Use Activities: These will consist of the successful sustainable development activities that are being tried and tested with pilot village and communities and are shown to be sustainable Key forests will be conserved: Forests in Rufiji District that have shown high levels of plant biodiversity, endemism or other valuable biodiversity characteristics will be conserved by gazettement, forest management for conservation, and /or awareness-raising with their traditional owners. 2 REMP Technical Report 25: Coastal Enterprises Executive Summary Visits were made to the Rufiji District floodplain and delta areas during October and November 2001 to examine aspects of the trade, marketing and preservation of aquatic products, and to consider options for increasing the profitability from aquatic resources. Ten fisheries-related or other potential enterprises that might assist in improving local communities’ profits are considered for piloting in the District. The two main fishery products marketed from the Rufiji District are finfish (both from freshwater and marine sources) and prawns. A specific commercial network governs each product. The prawn fishery supplies an export market via a capitalised structure, and finfish fisheries supply an extensive domestic market, characterised by low individual buying power. The general marketing of aquatic products was found to be similar in structure to that of other small-scale fisheries in East Africa, the sector being characterised by a large number of product-specialised intermediaries with detailed knowledge of particular products and particular markets. The relationships between traders of different levels and between traders and fishers are generally intricate and bonding, the latter improving security of supply for the trader and ensuring both a market and a source of inputs for the fisher. The marketing of other fishery products, presently of considerably less significance than prawns and finfish, are also described. These include the trade in octopus, sea cucumbers, lobsters, freshwater shrimps, sergestid shrimps (‘uduvi’) and mud crabs. Few losses are associated with the prawn fishery since fishers rarely fish when there are no buyers for prawns. Trading losses in finfish are mostly associated with poor quality smoking. The wider availability of ice would have a positive impact on many of the finfish fisheries as well as on trade in prawns. The economic viability of such an enterprise will depend on investment and operation by the private sector. Marine resource management issues pertinent to the Rufiji Delta are highlighted, with a focus on the artisanal prawn fishers and the activities of the industrial fleet of 20 trawlers. The need to incorporate environmental and resource messages in an educational context is discussed and research topics considered to be priorities for the better understanding of the various aquatic resources and their future management are briefly presented. Descriptions are provided on the use of various aquatic resources of the floodplain and delta areas. Future development options are examined, and ways to improve or develop existing enterprises associated with these resources described. The potential to develop small-scale prawn farming in the delta is discussed but not encouraged at this stage. While considering possible enterprises for piloting in the District, the present study focused on the delta area, thus deliberations on the floodplain fishery are based more on brief discussions and the available literature than on field visits. With indications that the floodplain fishery approaches or exceeds the maximum yields no suggestions are made to increase fishing effort in existing water bodies. Instead, a proposal to boost the productivity of the floodplain lakes is provided through the introduction of brushwood enclosures (acadja-enclos). The development of three different freshwater fish culture systems for the floodplains is also described. The first of these is the practice based on excavations of shallow ponds in natural depressions to trap and culture the African air-breathing catfish. The second is tilapia fish farming using ponds and the third is a cross between catfish ponds and tilapia fish culture whereby an extension of existing lakes is dug to trap and culture fish as the lake recedes. The resulting ‘finger ponds’ are then used to grow a mix (or polyculture) of fish with agricultural pursuits on the raised land in between. Recognising that the preservation of fish, and other products, with wood smoke is so vital to the delta i REMP Technical Report 25: Coastal Enterprises and the floodplain, one wide-reaching recommendation is to improve the fish smoking techniques currently in use. Similarly, the fishery for mud crabs already exists but on a small scale. The development and expansion of this fishery is supported. Fishing for large neritic fish species, such as jacks, barracudas, and kingfish is considered under longline fishing gear development. The exploitation and marketing of alternative timbers such as coconut wood is proposed, as is the encouragement of environmental and cultural tourism in the District, particularly in the delta area. Finally, the supply of seafood to the Selous Game Reserve lodges and the description of associative enterprises are synthesised. The final section of this report compares and contrasts the ten potential enterprises described above to determine the “wisest” choices for immediate piloting in the district. The wider application of catfish ponds in the floodplain, the introduction of brushwood enclosures in floodplain lakes, and the development of the delta mud crab fishery were selected for piloting and guidelines for each of these are provided. The importance of the private sector is recognised throughout the study, since without a strong economic incentive, no development is likely to be supported. ii REMP Technical Report 25: Coastal Enterprises Acknowledgements The staff of the REMP are acknowledged for their time and efforts in making the visit to the floodplain and delta so successful. In particular we would like to thank Rose Hogan, Albert J. Mkama,
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