Local Development and Conservation & Development of Coastal Zones on the Eastern Coast of South America

Watershed management requires knowledgeof the resources, knowledge of ecosystem func-tioning, conservation practices, sustainable produc-tion. These four principles are missing in most ofthe tropical watersheds. Usually government poli-cies define type of production and traditional instru-ments, organisation and management are applied.Today, population has increased, land has de-graded, water is scarce and contaminated. Whatused to work does not necessarily give today thebest results. A forum where watershed inhabitantscan discuss and create a common goal, where tech-nicians can help develop adequate practices andwhere politicians put together a particular policy forthe watershed is needed. In four small watersheds in the Mexican Gulfcoast we are trying to apply these four principles towatershed management. I will use two examples ofproductive projects: a fisheries enclosure in part ofa river and a fishermen group developing ecotourism.They have a sustainable productive project, whichnowadays represents a complementary income. TheWatershed management: creating a structure basedon production, conservation and environmental education Patricia Moreno-Casasola Institute of Ecology A.C.Apdo. Postal 63, Xalapa 91000, [email protected] development of the project has allowed them to learnand practice how to organise themselves into agroup, how to solve their conflicts and how to worktogether to make it produce. At the same time wehave been analysing with them their environment(the ecosystem they work in), taking measurementsand discussing what is needed to conserve it orrestore it. We have developed material to help themunderstand their ecosystem and how it works. Weare discussing how their project impacts the envi-ronment and what ecological practices should beapplied. We are setting up conservation/restorationprojects in which they play an active role. We aresetting up a monitoring system which they canmanage. We believe through this type of integrated approach,we can develop a long term perspective of our re-sources and our environment which allows for pro-ductivity and conservation. This is the only way tomaintain our diversity. South-South Perspectives 26No. 8, December 2001, Unesco, Montevideo (Uruguay)Abstract The speed of relative degradation of Amazonian coastal ecosystems during the last few decadescomes out of mistaken public policies that opened the way for large projects having considerable environ-mental impact. The public sector’s persistent incapacity to deal with those complex sources of imbalanceis behind the recent transfer of the responsibility for managing different components of conflicts regardinguse of natural resources to local communities. As this trend seems irreversible, since it is based on thestructural reform of State, we argue that the effectiveness of such a process will depend on the strengthen-ing of local capacities for organisation and advocacy. Instrumental to this success will be the implementa-tion by academic research of realistic processes of knowledge transfer to the local level, geared to increas-ing local understanding of long term social costs of inappropriate exploitation of natural resources.Participatory management of coastal ecosystems in the Amazon:prospects in the search for a new Society-Nature relationship