Browsing by Author "Lidzba, C."

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Conflicts and conflict prevention in perennial reservoir fisheries management
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Kumara, U.; Siriwardena, N.; Lidzba, C.
In comparison to marine fisheries, reservoir capture fisheries in Sri Lanka have a relatively short history. Therefore, this sector faces the absence of well-defined user rights, properly established structures and mechanisms, and long-term experiences. At the early stages the social recognition of fish-ing for an income had been very low, only the poorest strata of the communi-ties engaged in fisheries. More recently, the growing population and the in-creasing scarcity of resources force rural people to seek incomes supplemen-tary or alternative to agriculture. This has led to a continuously increasing number of people depending on a cash income from reservoir fisheries. Expe-rience of the Fisheries Community Development and Resources Management Project indicates that so far neither Fisheries Co-operative Societies nor the Fisheries Management Committees can cope with the increasing demand on the reservoir fisheries. This paper looks at social, distributional, institutional and historical issues that have led to conflicts among the fishers and ham-pered the proper management of the fisheries resources. Considering the pre-vailing local socio-cultural conditions, conflicts will continue to arise in res-ervoir fisheries management. However, it is possible to prevent or minimise conflicts through sensitive social organising and negotiation. Conflict resolu-tion will always and should always be a central part of inland fisheries man-agement and extension work in Sri Lanka. Therefore, sensitisation, capacity building and training of local fishers and extension staff in conflict recogni-tion, resolution and negotiation skills are crucial for the establishment of a sustainable, participatory management system.
Feasibility assessment of fish farming in seasonal reser-voirs: Packaging technical, social and financial aspects
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Jarchau, P.; Lidzba, C.; Jayasekara, S.
Many fish farming committees in seasonal reservoirs give up their activities after one or two years of operation due to a number of problems they encounter. The reason for this often can be traced back to insufficient preparatory work for the formation and preparation of committees before starting fish farming. The project has developed a comprehensive procedure for a feasibility assessment of fish farming in seasonal reservoirs including technical, social and financial feasibility assessment. By covering all three aspects it is hoped that failure rates can be re-duced considerably and, at the same time, will ensure a higher acceptance and reputation of fish farming as an economic activity in the rural communities. Based on the proposed assessment process, extension personnel need to be trained in all these aspects especially in financial and social issues. Ex-tension service must change from providing purely technical advice towards facilitating a process of institution and capacity building in the communities to enable them to participate in the economic development of the country.
Fish farming in seasonal reservoirs: Beyond technical feasibility
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Lidzba, C.; Siriwardena, N.; Kumara, U.
The Fisheries Community Development and Resource Manage-ment Project (FCDRMP) has tested community-based carp polyculture programmes in seasonal minor irrigation reservoirs in the Hambantota and the Monaragala districts of the southern dry zone of Sri Lanka since 1999. Seasonal reservoirs that are technically feasible for fish farming were se-lected for the implementation of the programme. The potential fish farm-ers were mobilised mainly through the local farmer organisation. In rare cases, extension staff mobilised people informally. As the main purpose of seasonal reservoirs is the irrigation of paddy lands, the fish farming pro-gramme is part of a complex system of resource uses. Ignoring this com-plexity and excluding the social dynamics within this system result in a high economic and social cost. Out of a sample of 20 reservoirs supported by FCDRMP in 2004, 18 faced serious non-technical problems. By high-lighting the social and institutional hindrances the project has experienced, this paper draws attention to the importance of a more holistic approach in planning and implementing fish farming programmes in seasonal reser-voirs. An assessment of the local social dynamics and the participation of the community during the planning and implementation stages of fish farming are crucial. In order to recognise, prevent or resolve potential and actual problems and conflicts, a different approach to extension services is necessary.
How participatory is inland fisheries co-management in Sri Lanka?
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Lidzba, C.; Siriwardena, N.; Kumara, U.
Participatory and co-management systems in reservoir fisheries have a relatively short history in Sri Lanka. The legal foundation for such management systems has been provided by the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act of 1996. Based on these legal pre-conditions, the Fisheries Community Development and Resource Management Project has pro-moted the co-management approach in eight perennial reservoirs in the Hambantota and the Monaragala Districts in the southern dry zone of Sri Lanka. Despite the progressive legal provisions, the project experience indicates that the institutional framework and infrastructure for extension are so far not favourable for the proper implementation of co-management systems in Sri Lanka. This paper argues that the fisheries co-management presently established is of the instrumental type where the fishers are only involved in the implementation process. Among other recommendations the paper stresses the importance of a better representation of fishers in fisheries decision-making and to move towards a more functional decen-tralisation. This could be achieved by a better organisational structure and procedures that are legally better-defined, and by providing guidelines and training that would compel and support the fisheries administration and extension staff to consult the fishers and consider their views.