Evaluating impacts of fish stock enhancement and biodiversity conservation actions on the livelihoods of small‐scale fishers on the Beijiang River, China

作者：Yiming Liu, Stuart W. Bunting, Shiming Luo, Kunzheng Cai, Qiangqiang Yang · 发表于：Natural Resource Modeling · 年份：2018 · DOI：10.1111/nrm.12195 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Fish Ecology and Management Studies、Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management、Land Use and Ecosystem Services

Abstract Inappropriate development and overexploitation have seriously degraded aquatic resources in China. Stakeholders identified three fish stock enhancement and biodiversity conservation scenarios for the Beijiang River: S1, increased fish restocking; S2, no fishing season and habitat conservation; and S3, strict pollution control. Potential impacts of these actions on the livelihoods of fishers were evaluated using applied economic modeling. Baseline costs and benefits came from logbooks from 30 fishers and a survey of 90 households in three villages. The financial net benefit for a household was US$1583 (￥11,160) annually, representing a 142% and 387% return on capital and operating costs, respectively. Larger catches associated with S1 and S2 generated a net benefit of US$1651 and US$1822, respectively. Strict pollution control resulting in higher catches (+20%) and lower operating costs (−20%) would increase the net benefit by 15.9% to US$1835 annually. Pollution control would benefit other resource users and is a prerequisite for ecological restoration. Recommendations for Resource Managers Stringent pollution control measures are essential to conserve aquatic biodiversity and enhance the livelihoods of fishers but will require considerable public and private sector investment. Enhanced fish stocks in the Beijiang River could benefit poor livelihoods but may not be sufficient to lift households out of poverty, aged fishers require government assistance to diversify t...