Freshwater habitats are not just rivers, and conserving freshwater species can be done hand-in-hand with local fisheries, says Merlin Veron, Research Analyst at Synchronicity Earth and its Freshwater partner Shoal.
As you carefully step across the forest floor, it erupts with life, thousands of insects crashing between the dry leaves on this magic carpet of life. In the background the slow-running river pervades a sense of calm yet in a few weeks’ time, as the rains begin to fall, its mood will change. As the river gathers pace and begins to swell, it spills over into this low-lying forest and transforms it into a rich aquatic habitat, a nursery for many of the Mekong’s fishes.
The community who live adjacent to this forest in North-Eastern Thailand know the importance of this natural cycle: across the Mekong-basin, inland fisheries continue to support the subsistence and livelihoods of approximately 60 million people. They are one of the most productive natural systems on Earth.
The flooded forests of the Mekong Basin provide an important habitat for fish to spawn, with the vegetation providing shelter for young fish.
Fishing communities for freshwater
To protect these fisheries, the habitats of the fishes need to be protected. The people best placed and most committed to conserving these habitats are the people who not only live alongside the river but who also rely on the fishery. In marine conservation, local management of coastal fisheries can act as a powerful mechanism for raising peoples’ wellbeing and income while conserving natural habitats and healthy populations. But what if a similar approach could be used in freshwater conservation? Living River Association (LRA), a partner in our Freshwater programme, has pioneered this approach for freshwater ecosystems with communities in North-Eastern Thailand. Their work with local communities in wetlands and along rivers in the Mekong Basin demonstrates just what can be done to conserve and restore freshwater habitats.
The work LRA does with local people is mainly focused around two models of community-led conservation: Community Wetlands Forests and Fish Conservation Zones. Community Wetland Forests are typically areas of forest along the banks of the river which are flooded during the monsoon season. These forests are located near to villages, providing a diverse array of resources as well as playing important ecological functions, such as acting as fish nurseries during the wet season. They are also home to several threatened species such as the elusive Fishing cat. Fish Conservation Zones are areas where the community agrees either not to fish at all, or only to fish on a specific day of the year. The idea of the zone is that it acts as a nursery for this section of the river, allowing fish to breed and for populations to grow with spill over benefits for areas outside the zone where fishing activity is still permitted.