World Fish Congress Conference 2012

Harmony Patricio, Doug Demko, Daniel Schperberg

Fisheries and Livelihoods in The Lower Mekong Basin:Benefits and Challenges of Community-based Participatory Research

What makes the Mekong special?

High number, widely distributed

fishers

Subsistence, artisanal, and

commercial scale fisheries

Women, men, children participate

Fishing wide variety of habitats

Over 250 gear types used

High species diversity

Massive migrations

Research Challenges in a Large and Dynamic System

Rich diversity and massive migrations Need extensive geographic coverage

Productive fishery Need different scales of harvest surveys; economics

Extreme hydrography Need seasonally stratified sampling

Importance for food and income Need consumption and market

sampling

Hydropower impacts Need sites near proposed dams, quantify migrations

What is the “best” way to conduct research considering…

What is community-based participatory research?

Engages communities

Ensures goals driven by community interests

Provides appropriate training

Nam Kading River, Lao PDR

We applied this method of

participatory research in Lao People’s

Democratic Republic

Our study area is in central Laos near

the Nam Kading Protected Area

Goals: measure species diversity in

catches and the role of wild fish in

sustainable livelihoods, total economic

value, total catch estimates

Methods: Community-Based

Consultation with

communities and resource

managers to identify goals

Train local field technicians

to collect data in their own

villages

Methods: Catch Sampling

Catch sampling:

Collect data on species ID

Photograph every species

Total biomass

Individual lengths and weights

Gear types

Effort

Time of day

Income from fishing

Destination:

Fish kept for consumption

Amount sold

Methods: Household Food Consumption

Consumption sampling:

Appointment with households

ID and weigh all food items

Geographic / production source

Wild harvest

Purchase

Trade

Gift, etc.

Family demographics

Age and sex of family members

Total income

Main activity for the day

Methods: Local Market Sampling

Market sampling

For each vendor:

ID species

Weight for sale at market

open

Price/kg/species

Source of fish

Relative demand for different

species

Total sold (kg)

Income at market close

Results: Fish Family Diversity

Pak Kading Hatxaykham

Pak Xoun Phon Ngam

Results: Household Consumption

Dry Season1 November 2010 – 30 April 2011

Wet Season1 May 2011 – 30 October 2011

Results: Animal Protein Consumption

Insects1%

Dry Season1 November 2010 – 30 April 2011

Wet Season1 May 2011 – 30 October 2011

Opportunities and Challenges of Participatory Research

Opportunities:

Increase frequency and geographic coverage of sampling

Access to households unlikely without local technicians

Builds capacity, engages communities, fosters conservation awareness

Challenges:

Data accuracy, species ID (local vs. scientific names)

Seasonal activities by villagers (ie. rice planting and harvesting)

Retention of technicians (family obligations, opportunities for other work)

How do we improve the effectiveness of participatory research?

Data accuracy verify adherence to protocols

frequent communication

students from local universities to support techs

verify species ID with photos, experts, DNA samples

consider analysis at genus rather than species level

Seasonal activities Design sampling to consider such activities

follow proportion of villagers to rice huts

consider self-reporting by subset of villagers

Technician retention Additional incentives

communicate opportunities for future work using new skills

Conclusions

Characteristics of Mekong well aligned with participatory approach

Best way to cover large area, diversity of habitats, species, and fishing methods

Best way to access households for consumption data

Maximize data, reduce field costs, engage resource users

Ultimately building local capacity

Thank You!

Harmony Patricio

[email protected]

Doug Demko

[email protected]

Daniel Schperberg

Learn more at…

fishbio.com/conservation