Within and Beyond the Tradition: Women's Participation in Arapaima CBM in the Amazon

Abstract

"Community-Based Management (CBM) serves as a cornerstone in resource governance, providing a sustainable development path. In the Amazon, it symbolizes a transformative journey led by the Amazonian people, re-shaping the narrative of biodiversity conservation and the region's sustainable future. This paper examines the 25-year history of institutional arrangements in Arapaima CBM, with a specific focus on the interplay between gender roles and women’s participation, and their potential implications for sustainable resource management. Our approach integrates a literature review about women’s participation in Arapaima fisheries in the Amazonia, document analysis of Arapaima CBM bylaws over time, as well as NGO and governmental reports assessing the systems. We also gathered assessments from leaders regarding women’s participation in the Arapaima co-management associations and activities through semi-structured surveys conducted in communities within 11 Arapaima CBM systems across the Amazon Basin. Additionally, we explored women's perceptions of the challenges and rights of participation through informal conversations with key actors from some of those communities and CBM systems. This study argues the importance of understanding the layers between formalized rights (written rules) and the subtler forms of interactions in everyday life (informal rules in use) that operate within Arapaima CBM contexts."