Maquetación 1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Assessment of the socio-economic value of freshwater species for the northern African region Assessment of the socio-economic value of freshwater species for the northern African region Edited by Diego Juffe-Bignoli and William R.T. Darwall II ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUE OF FRESHWATER SPECIES FOR THE NORTHERN AFRICAN REGION 2 1 3 4 5 6 Cover pictures: 1.- Collection of reed in the River Nile. Photo © Jon Savage. 2.- The Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ), native to the Nile Basin, is a highly valuable species. Photo © W.A. Djatmiko. 3.- Fishermen in the river Nile, in Egypt. Photo © dingoup. 4.- Mint species trade in a local market in Marrakech, Morocco. Photo © besopha. 5.- Use of Juncus articulatus and Juncus maritimus in Saidia, a touristic resort in north-eastern Morocco. Photo © M. Melhaoui. 6.- The Oued Za Gorges in Morocco. Photo © Jean-Pierre Boudot. The designation of geographical entities in this Reproduction of this publication for educational Available from: book, and the presentation of the material, do not or other non-commercial purposes is authorized IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever without prior written permission from the C/ Marie Curie 22 on the part of IUCN or the Spanish Agency for copyright holder provided the source is fully 29590 Campanillas, Malaga, Spain International Cooperation and Development acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication Tel: +34 952 028430 (AECID) concerning the legal status of any for resale or other commercial purposes is Fax: +34 952 028145 country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or prohibited without prior written permission of the www.iucn.org/mediterranean concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or copyright holder. www.iucn.org/publications boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not Citation: Juffe-Bignoli D. and Darwall W.R.T necessarily reflect those of IUCN or of the (eds.) (2012). Assessment of the socio-economic Spanish Agency for International Cooperation value of freshwater species for the northern and Development (AECID) African region. Gland, Switzerland and Málaga, Spain: IUCN. IV + 84 pages. This publication has been made possible by funding from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development ISBN: 978-2-8317-1509-4 (AECID). Layout: Simetrica S.L. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Rereading and corrections: Chris Tribe Málaga, Spain. Produced by: IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation Copyright: © 2012 International Union for This book has been printed on ecological Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Printed by: Solprint chlorine-free paper. IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation CONTENTS III CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................. 1 3.2.1. Inland fisheries ........................... 22 Executive summary ............................................. 2 3.2.2. Ornamental fish .......................... 23 3.2.3. Aquaculture ................................ 24 1. Introduction ................................................... 5 3.3. The importance of freshwater fishes to 1.1. Freshwater ecosystems: conservation livelihoods in northern Africa .................. 25 status and socio-economic value ............. 6 3.3.1. Egypt ........................................... 26 1.2. Situation analysis for the northern African 3.3.2. Maghreb countries ...................... 28 region ....................................................... 8 3.3.3. Conclusion .................................. 30 1.3. Objectives of the study .......................... 10 3.4. Patterns of distribution ........................... 31 3.5. Threats to species 2. Methodology ................................................. 11 of socio-economic value ......................... 32 2.1. Assessment of the conservation status of 3.6. Te n conclusions and recommendatio ns .. 34 northern African freshwater species ....... 12 2.2. Data compilation .................................... 12 Case study 3.1 The European Eel: a northern 2.3. Geographical scope ............................... 13 African perspective, by D. Juffe-Bignoli ............. 36 2.4. Spatial analysis ...................................... 14 Case study 3.2 The Nile Tilapia Oreochromis 2.5. Use and livelihood value ........................ 15 niloticus in Egypt, by M. Saleh .......................... 39 3. The socio-economic value 4. The socio-economic value of freshwater fish ....................................... 17 of aquatic plants ........................................ 41 3.1. Conservation status of freshwater fish 4.1. Conservation status of aquatic species ................................................... 18 plant species .......................................... 43 3.2. Socio-economic value ............................ 19 4.2. Socio-economic value ............................ 44 IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation IV ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUE OF FRESHWATER SPECIES FOR THE NORTHERN AFRICAN REGION 4.2.1. Medicinal use .............................. 47 Case study 4.1 Uses and socio-economic value of Mentha species in northern Africa, by L. Rhazi, 4.2.2. Food ............................................ 48 P. Grillas and D. Juffe-Bignoli ............................ 61 4.2.3. Other uses .................................. 49 Case study 4.2 Socio-economic importance of 4.3. The importance of aquatic plants to Phragmites australis in northern Africa, by L. Rhazi, livelihoods in northern Africa .................. 49 P. Grillas, B. Poulin and R. Mathevet . ............... 63 4.3.1. Morocco ...................................... 50 4.3.2. Other northern African countries .. 52 5. Conclusions and recommendations ......... 66 4.4. Crop Wild Relatives—value for the future .......................................... 53 6. Appendices ................................................. 69 4.5. Patterns of distribution ........................... 54 4.6. Threats to species Appendix 1— List of freshwater fish of socio-economic value ......................... 57 species of socio-economic value ....................... 70 4.7. Ten conclusions and Appendix 2— List of aquatic plant species recommendations ................................... 59 of socio-economic value .................................... 73 IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Jane Kloda from the UNEP– WCMC species programme and Dr Boye Gricar for sharing information on the ornamental fish trade, and Thomasina Olfield and Gemma Goodman from TRAFFIC for providing the Access database used to carry out this study. Special thanks go to Vicki Crook from TRAFFIC and Matthew Gollock from the Zoological Society of London for their advice on the European Eel case study. We also thank Imtinen Ben Haj Jilani and Amina Daoud-Bouattour from Faculté des Sciences de Tunis (Tunisia) for providing pictures and survey data, Florence Daubigney from Tour du Valat for sharing pictures and Professor Mohammed Melhaoui from Université d'Oujda (Morocco) for providing information on freshwater species use in the Moulouya Basin (Morocco). We are grateful to Danna Leaman and Uwe Schippmann from the IUCN–SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist Group and Nigel Maxted and Sam Lala from the IUCN–SSC Crop Wild Relative Specialist Group for checking all plant species included in this study against their databases and for providing bibliography. We also thank a number of individuals who provided advice, relevant bibliography and contacts: Nieves García and Annabelle Cuttelod from IUCN; Lori Curtis and Cherif Toueilib from FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department; Steve Davis and Shahina Ghazanfar from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; Robert Holland; Kevin Smith, David Allen, Jacques Lemoalles; Christophe Béné; Edward H. Allison; Abebe Getahun and Serge Muller. Additionally, we are grateful to Christopher Tribe, who edited the document, Sonsoles San Román and Violeta Barrios for their comments. Finally we thank the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation for coordinating the project and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) for the financial support that enabled us to carry out this study. Reservoir, Ouezzane, Morocco. Photo © Gilles Jacquemin. IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation 2 ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC VALUE OF FRESHWATER SPECIES FOR THE NORTHERN AFRICAN REGION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Northern Africa is a place where the balance between the allocation of freshwater for human Every day of our lives we benefit from what nature consumption and the protection of freshwater provides for us. The food we eat, the water we biodiversity is complex and at risk. Water resources drink, the clothes we wear, even our mobile phones in the region are already under great stress from and computers have been manufactured with the pressures exerted by a growing population, natural resources extracted from species and such as the increased demand for drinking water ecosystems that have played a major role in our and water for agriculture. Water itself, however, is success as a civilization. In technologically only one of many services that freshwater advanced societies this link to nature may seem ecosystems provide. Freshwater ecosystems in distant and probably irrelevant, but it is there northern Africa, like others throughout the world, through complex supply chains, and we still also support species that are of direct socio- depend on it. In