06
Aug 2008 - The Archipelago claims for a
new and urgent fishing revival - Maputo,
Mozambique – WWF´s Community Based
Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Project
in Bazaruto has achieved one of its main
goals by, recently, helping in the establishment
of a new fishermen association in Bazaruto
Archipelago: the Bazaruto Archipelago Fishermen
Association (APABA). The new association
called after the Archipelago will stand
as the officially known community entity
responsible for the good and prosperous
management of the scarce marine natural
resources left in this area.
The new association
will have as its big challenge the restoration
of the formerly well-known ecological biodiversity
in the area and will, specifically, deal
with one of the most dramatic fisheries
crisis ever faced in the archipelago. Contrary
to the past, the word “fish”, in all its
senses and varieties, seems now to be one
of the most missing “resources” for local
communities as it makes ages since a good
catch has been seen around. This scary crisis
has lead to an unstoppable and irrational
exploration of the few and juvenile remaining
fishing stocks.
Eng. Meneses Roberto,
WWF´s CBNRM Bazaruto Project Executant,
thinks that, although this association should
have come long time ago, it is now very
welcome and WWF should congratulate itself
for this achievement: “We have created enough
capacity for local communities to start
manage themselves, in a sustainable way,
the marine resources they have around them,
which represent they granary”, said Mr.
Roberto.
When questioned about
the first steps of his mandate, the new
elected president of the APABA, Mr. Cremildo
Zivane, said that:”My first action will
be to carry out a consultation with the
fishermen, mostly to find out or to confirm
what is exactly leading to the scarcity
of fish in our archipelago…one of the great
reasons for that is the we are not using
the appropriate mesh (of nets), and that
problem must be resolved amongst us”.
WWF current studies
on marine resources management in the area
are proving that if serious measures are
not taken as soon as possible. Bazaruto
may fall into one of its deepest fisheries
crisis ever seen. According to Lara Muaves,
the WWF Marine Biologist carrying out the
studies in the area, the best thing to happen
to local fishermen is that: “...now they
accept the fact that the fish is gone and
that´s due to their direct action
over marine resources: I trust that this
association will, I mean must, revert the
situation”.
Besides the initiative
of the creation of a fishermen association,
the WWF CBNRM Bazaruto Project is engaged
in other alternatives livelihoods which
go from providing training opportunities
for local people in construction, carpentry,
bee-keeping and sewing to the establishment
of cultural, workmanship and tourist guides
groups that may “sell” their services to
tourism private operators based in the archipelago.
WWF CBNRM Bazaruto Project comes to an end
in December 2008.
