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Aquaculture development. 4. Ecosystem approach to aquaculture









FAO. Aquaculture development. 4. Ecosystem approach to aquaculture. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 5, Suppl. 4. Rome, FAO. 2010. 53p.



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    Book (series)
    Building an ecosystem approach to aquaculture. FAO/Universitat de les Illes Balears Expert Workshop. 7 - 11 May 2007, Palma de Mallorca, Spain. 2008
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    Aquaculture growth worldwide involves the expansion of cultivated areas, a higher density of aquaculture installations and farmed individuals, and greater use of feed resources produced outside the immediate culture area. To ensure that such development of the sector does not carry negative impacts on the environment and on parts of society due to weak regulation or poor management, an ecosystem approach for aquaculture (EAA) is encouraged. “An ecosystem approach for aquaculture is a strategy for the integration of the activity within the wider ecosystem in such a way that it promotes sustainable development, equity, and resilience of interlinked social and ecological systems”. This strategy should be guided by three main principles that should ensure the contribution of aquaculture to sustainable development: i) aquaculture should be developed in the context of ecosystem functions and services with no degradation of these beyond their resilience capacity; ii) aquaculture should improve human well-being and equity for all relevant stakeholders; and iii) aquaculture should be developed in the context of (and integrated to) other relevant sectors. The strategy must be implemented at least at three scales: the farm, the aquaculture waterbody/watershed or aquaculture zone and the global market. These proceedings present the output of a workshop and include contributed papers on: definitions, principles, scales and management measures, human dimensions, economic implications and legal implications that are relevant for an ecosystem-based management in aquaculture. The document also includes two comprehensive reviews covering the status of brackish, marine and freshwater aquaculture within an ecosystem approach perspective.
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    Environmental management and environmental impact assessment in aquaculture: Training Workshop for aquaculture managers. Entebbe, Uganda
    GCP/RAF/466/EC SmartFish Project
    2013
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    The overall objective of the SmartFish programme is to contribute to an increased level of social, economic and environmental development and deeper regional integration in the Eastern-Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Region (ESA-IO), through the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources. The programme is funded by the European Union under the 10th European Development Fund and is implemented under the overall responsibility of the Indian Ocean Commission. Within the framework of SmartFish Result 5, Output 5M3.1, improved Environmental Management and Environmental Impact Assessment in Aquaculture (EIAA) was identified as a means by which sustainable benefits from aquaculture can be ensured. The regional training workshop was organized for SmartFish beneficiary countries with the objective of enabling them to improve country application and compliance of environmental impact assessment and environmental management of aquaculture, which would in turn help them foster sustainable de velopment. All SmartFish member countries participated in the organization of the workshop, from the assessment of training needs, to the design of the training programme, through to the training itself. Based on the findings from the initial needs assessment exercise, the workshop targeted national aquaculture managers. Findings from the needs assessment suggested focusing on improving practical knowledge and skills to address the following topics:  Aquaculture inputs and resources;  Aquacult ure outputs and impacts;  Why undertake environmental management;  Site selection and estimating capacity;  Modeling aquaculture impact;  Environmental regulations and their application;  EIAA components and process;  Environmental Management planning;  Environmental monitoring;  Strategic Environmental Assessment. The training sessions involved active discussions and practical exercises, which included field tours and case studies. In the case studies, participants evaluated pond and ca ge based aquaculture investments within the context of EIAA. They took into account the technical aspects, as well as the socio-economic and ecosystem requirements and impacts likely to arise from aquaculture. The evaluation of case studies followed steps based on recommended best practices from EIAA and Environmental Management Procedures (EMP). 5 The steps below show how participants undertook the review of their case studies:  Evaluation of the business plan;  EIAA screening process;  Ide ntification of main issues likely to arise, including identification of key stakeholders, stakeholder consultation exercises (done during field visit) and risk analysis of the main issues;  Identification of data requirements for analysis, evaluation and monitoring;  Identification of mitigation measures;  Presentation of findings that were outlined as EIAA and EMP to the departments of Environment and Aquaculture1 for final evaluation, approval and licensing. At the end of the workshop, part icipants expressed the value of working together with all relevant stakeholders. Aquaculture as an enterprise is cross-cutting and EIAA and EMPs cannot be implemented effectively by primary departments alone. Moreover, participants were able to identify the key issues in their respective countries, and the appropriate practical steps needed to be put in place, which would enable them to become more effective in EIAA considering both their national and local conditions. The following were identif ied by participants as being the gaps for which additional support would be required in order to improve levels of effective implementation of EIAA in the region:  Specialized training that targets managers (both in aquaculture and environmental institutions), practitioners and the general public, focusing on building skills and improving levels of public awareness.  Building the capacity of the various public institutions and the private sector, through building Public-Private-Partnerships, i n order to implement EIAA and better manage the general environmental issues of aquaculture. The following proposals were put forward: the development and production of user manuals for the different audiences; the provision of field and laboratory equipment; undertaking Strategic Environmental Assessments; setting up specialized EIAA units within departments; and, establishing effective functional linkages between key departments, notably the National Environmental Management Agencies and Fishe ries aquaculture institutions. Information management systems should also be looked at.  Development and/or improvement of general and specific national policies, regulations, strategies and guidelines, including their implementation.  Adoption of environmentally friendly systems and practices at all times.
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    Valuing Coastal Ecosystems as Economic Assets 2016
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    The ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) is a “strategy for the integration of the activity within the wider ecosystem such that it promotes sustainable development, equity and resilience of interlinked social-ecological systems”. The EAA provides a planning and management framework whereby parts of the aquaculture sector can be effectively integrated into local planning and affords clear mechanisms for engaging with producers, government and other users of coastal resources for the effective sustainable management of aquaculture operations by taking into account the environmental the socioeconomic and the governance aspects and explicitly including concepts of carrying capacity and risk. Mangrove cover in Kenya is currently estimated at somewhere between 55,000 and 60,000 hectares. The provisioning services or mangrove products support food security and livelihoods in a number of ways. They may be consumed directly (for example fish, honey and plant-based medicines), used as an i nput into other production processes (such as boats and traps for fishing, fodder for livestock production, or woodfuel for cooking), or sold to generate cash that can then be used to purchase food supplies and other items. Mangrove-based tourism also serves as an important source of income and employment for coastal communities, and was identified as a key service by 95 per cent of survey respondents at the Mida Creek study site and 93 per cent in the Tana Delta.

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