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Africa's inland aquatic ecosystems: how they can increase food security and nutrition

Nature & Faune journal, Volume 32, Issue no.2.











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    Ecosystem restoration and inland food fisheries in developing countries
    Opportunities for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030)
    2023
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    The review presents the strong business case for inland food fisheries in developing countries to be either a co-benefit, or very often the main benefit, of ecosystem restoration. In view of the current state of inland water aquatic habitats the potential for restoration is high. Realizing this potential requires concerted action to overcome current challenges, foremost of which is the invisibility of inland fisheries in many policy arenas as well as technical and scientific fora. The drivers of ecosystem degradation, ecosystem services valuation frameworks and the main technical tools for implementing interventions are presented. Experiences in developed countries dominate the literature but are not necessarily applicable to developing country inland food fisheries. Local communities that have high dependency on inland fisheries and live in close association with inland water fisheries habitats not only provide much higher fisheries values but a management asset that is unavailable in developed countries and the mainstay of many successful restoration programmes. Ten case studies, representing effective restoration of food fisheries from local to basin scale are used to illustrate what can be achieved. The prospects of inland fisheries benefiting from, or contributing to, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) are good but upscaling the existing progress will require increased and sustained efforts to mainstream the values of inland fisheries including their co-benefits for biodiversity conservation.
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    The role of aquatic food value chains in food security and nutrition
    Exploring the contribution of aquatic food value chains to global food systems transformation
    2025
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    This paper considers the important role of the aquatic food value chain in food security and nutrition. In the context of food security, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors are sources of aquatic foods for human consumption and key means to sustain livelihoods and generate income to purchase foods. While in terms of nutrition, aquatic foods provide macro- and micronutrients for a healthy diet, depending on the species and parts consumed, including omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, and vitamins A, B12 and D. Small-scale fisheries have been evidenced for being particularly important contributors to food security, and small pelagic species, which are often consumed whole, are particularly nutritious. This paper highlights the contribution of small-scale fisheries and small pelagic species to food security and nutrition, as well as the role of women in this. It also focuses on how aquatic foods can more broadly play a central part in food security and nutrition strategies.
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