The Darwin initiative and the whitefish Chirostoma estor estor: a link between aquaculture, biodiversity and rural livelihoods.

World aquaculture is undergoing a massive expansion , both in quantity and quality of products and this is set to increase over the next few decades especially if aquaculture is to satisfy the world demand for fish products in the face of dwindling fisheries (FAO, 2002). Clearly, the industry needs to be sustainable in the medium to long term and considerable efforts are being made into understanding growing systems so as to achieve this. One aspect of sustainable use of resources is the use of such resources while maintaining biodiversity and a number of concerns have been voiced regarding the effects of aquaculture on aquatic diversity. While there are examples of the negative impact that aquaculture could have on biodiversity, there are fewer examples of its positive effects. This project seeks to link aquaculture development with maintenance of livelihoods and biodiversity. The Darwin Initiative is a programme financed by the British Government designed to assist conservation work and maintain biodiversity in countries which do not have sufficient resources of their own to support this type of programme. The Darwin Initiative is a flexible programme based on the principles of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) which is an international agreement intended to avoid loss of species of plant and animal and to protect biodiversity. The objectives of the CBD and of the Darwin Initiative are wide and include inventory of species, development of systems of conservation , training in biodiversity management, establishment of reserves, etc. The most important overarching feature of these initiatives is to contribute to the management and use of resources in a responsible and sustainable manner, involving communities with managing their own flora and fauna so as to improve exploitation and at the same time ensure conservation of biotic resources. In México the national biodiversity strategy is the responsibility of the National Commission for the understanding and use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) which was established in 1997 specif ically to implement national strategy. CONABIO has identified and prioritised four themes: a) Protection and Conservation b) Evaluation of Biodiversity, c) Planning and management of information and d) Diversification of use of resources. The components of the latter are: a) Diversification of production, b) Criteria and Indicators for use of re