Boat construction in Quirimbas, Mozambique.
"When the park started, I did not like what it was trying to do. But once people started catching more fish I was convinced,” said Salmo Jakubu, a chief in the town of Ibo on Ibo Island, the main island of the archipelago included in Quirimbas National Park. | |
In Africa, where the vast majority of rural populations depend directly on natural resources for their survival, peace and stability is interdependent with sustainable livelihoods. As an illustration, in the remote Quirimbas archipelago of Mozambique, communities faced food shortages due to climate and wildlife-related crop damage and depleted marine fish stocks from overfishing. The pressure on those natural resources was exacerbated by 16 years of civil war that weakened governance. As fish stocks declined, conflict between local communities and illegal fishers in the area increased. Communities sought assistance to improve their food security and reduce conflict through improved management and conservation of resources.
In 2002, the Quirimbas National Park (QNP) (the largest marine protected area in the Indian Ocean) was established to enhance sustainable resource management, including ecotourism, through community participation. The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Mozambican Government, local communities and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), worked in partnership to specifically address fish stock decline, including planning and establishing fish sanctuaries in QNP. Protection of fish breeding grounds yielded results- within two years fishermen reported increased catches outside the zones.
Fisheries management also needed to be addressed on a larger scale, as illegal and over fishing by industrial fishing fleets jeopardized the country’s fragile marine resources and served as a source of conflict along its 2,000 mile coastline. QNP faced serious management constraints, such as a lack of capacity, funding and infrastructure, including vessels for fisheries regu-lation and enforcement. The Mozambican Government, including the navy, the U.S. Government and WWF partnered to respond to these challenges. This unique partnership resulted in regular naval patrols of marine protected areas and improved enforcement. The cooperation also led to the donation of patrol boats from India, France and South Africa which, with US Embassy financing, were equipped and overhauled. Some of these boats are permanently based in Quirimbas and assist local communities in managing their fisheries resources, prevent illegal fishing and reduce conflict. Improved management of fisheries is increasing food security for local people and contributing to lasting peace. |
