'More Eyes Watching' Community-based Management of the Arapaima (Arapaima gigas) in Central Guyana

Abstract

"The Makushi of Guyana's North Rupununi Region maintain strong cultural, economic and subsistence relationships with their resource base. Recent threats to these resources have led to self-organisation and the creation of multi-level partnerships, and a series of community-based projects. This paper discusses lessons learned in one such project, the conservation of the Arapaima (Arapiama gigas) fishery, by examining traditional Makushi management and current community-based efforts. The Arapaima is the subject of many beliefs and taboos in traditional Makushi culture, and still features prominently in local folklore, although taboos have broken down. Guyanese law forbids harvesting of the species, but is rarely enforced. Years of overharvest driven by outside groups led to the virtual commercial collapse of the Arapaima fishery. In response, local communities partnered with national NGOs to develop a conservation strategy for the species. This relationship led to exchanges between fishermen and scientists from Brazil and Guyana, and the development of a management plan based on local knowledge. Current management efforts include a community imposed harvesting ban, the formation of fishermen groups at village and regional levels, a local monitoring program, and community education and awareness campaigns. Since the project began, Arapaima populations have increased threefold, even though the formal approval of the management plan has stalled largely due to lack of commitment at senior levels. Planned harvesting has therefore yet to occur, and no direct income has been generated by the initiative. Community responses suggest that reduced harvest intensity is related primarily to changed attitudes and self- monitoring at the community level. The education and awareness campaign appears to have influenced social norms, resulting in informal social pressure that has been more effective in enforcing the ban than formal mechanisms. The case shows the importance of developing multilevel partnerships, understanding local culture, and targeting informal social mechanisms with a history of success. This is critical when formal institutions are inappropriate or slow to develop."