| dc.description.abstract | San Felipe is a small fishing village on the Caraquez estuary on the coast of Ecuador. Only twenty years ago, this community was able to sustain itself on clam collecting, but due to poor management and mangrove destruction, it can no longer sustain itself on this industry alone. This project examines the possible involvement of community stakeholders in future management practices that empower local changes based on issues in legal limits, local management, and land use change. It was found that municipal management does not foster the sustainable use of the resource. The community regularly harvests clams of all sizes with impunity in violation of the legal limits put in place by the local municipality. Fortunately, the release of waste water containing chemicals by commercial shrimp pools does not seem to be negatively impacting the clam population. The land use change in the past 20 years has drastically altered the estuary where community members live and work, mainly through the conversion of mangrove forests to shrimp pools. Although these results may look bleak, after interviews with community members the attitude and motivation appears to exist to attempt some alternative mode of action. | en |
