Shrimp Farming and the Environment - Library

CHAPTER 6: PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT FORSUSTAINABLE SHRIMP AQUACULTUREAn examination of all the issues related to the sustainability of shrimp aquaculture has highlighted theneed for better planning and management of the industry as a whole. Planning for any land-use activityis notoriously difficult; from impressive policy documents that cannot be effectively implemented toexcessively top-down and centralized control. This chapter discusses various needs and approaches tomeeting them, and presents some preliminary guidance for planning shrimp culture.Legal frameworksExamination of existing literature about the negative impact of shrimp farming has repeatedly broughtto light the general lack of, or inadequacy of, legal frameworks and regulatory instruments in shrimpfarming countries. Aquaculture commonly falls between legislation relating to land use, water use andfisheries management.Inadequacy of existing frameworksOwnership, use, and access rightsLand/water ownership and access or use rights in coastal areas are notoriously ambiguous in manycountries. Such ambiguity has been identified as contributing to many of the social problems stemmingfrom shrimp-farm development (Chapter 4). The legal aspects of resource rights are often not fullyunderstood and legislation may be lacking or confusing. Traditional rights have broken down or beenrevoked by national governments in most shrimp farming countries, but governments often lack thecapacity, or the will, to enforce new property rights or implement a new system of equitable resourceallocation. Government-designated conservation zones are often subject to continuing illegaldevelopment or exploitation by landless, migrant, and minority groups on the one hand, and “officiallysanctioned” development from more powerful commercial interests on the other. Shrimp farming,along with many other activities, has developed rapidly in high-priority conservation areas throughboth of these routes, and traditional users of these resources have sometimes suffered as a result. Lackof enforcement instruments and personnel makes it impossible for authorities to control use. However,more and more countries are now focusing on this problem and seeking to gain control over areas thatshould be protected.Claridge (1996) has identified a number of legal factors that may contribute to the negative impacts ofshrimp farming. Although his work is based on the case of Thailand, his observations can begeneralized to other locations.Inappropriate, ambiguous, or lacking legislationIn many shrimp-farming countries, there has been no comprehensive review of natural resourcemanagement legislation in order to improve its effectiveness for sustainable coastal and marineresource management. When such a review is undertaken, it should consider not only legal aspects butalso implementation and monitoring of any newly proposed controls.Inappropriate or lacking environmental standardsAlthough regulations or laws may contain general standards, or at the very least indicate the need forsuch criteria, few provide the specific standards needed. This is not surprising, as the specification ofstandards may vary over time, and is therefore often left to administrative institutions to provide andmodify. Often, however, the intentions noted in the law or in the regulations enacted by the legislatureare not translated into measurable, specific standards or criteria with which the industry can comply, orto which enforcement authorities (if any are identified or in existence) can refer.Lack of effective land use and resource allocation controlsLand (or coast) use controls are often nonexistent or ineffective. The problems associated with shrimpfarming, particularly those related to land use, siting, and resource access, imply the need for integratedcoastal management plans, which would provide an appropriate planning and administrative55