Abstract
This study explores the management of inland fisheries on common lands (ejidos) within the Mayan Zone of Quintana Roo, Mexico. Qualitative survey data are used to examine whether there are (a) ongoing fishery conservation activities; (b) local caretakers of fishing sites; (c) restrictions on where fishing can take place; and (d) particular groups of individuals who lack the right to fish within the ejidos. Results indicate that in contrast to other local resources, fisheries in the ejidos have less defined use rights, being viewed as largely “open access”. In particular, most feel that outsiders can fish in an ejido if they abide by local rules (notably not damaging the local water bodies, asking consent to fish, and having a friend or relative in the community). However, there are within-community differences in views concerning management and conservation, with those more dependent on fishing being more likely to support exclusion of outsiders.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank the authorities and people of the Mayan Zone for the support given to this research. This project benefited from the assistance of Marcelo Jiménez Santos, Mario Collí Colí and Andrés Reyna Martínez of CONACULTA, and also of Aristeo Hernández Sánchez, Arsenio Xool Ek and Holger Weissenberger. This manuscript benefited from the constructive criticism and comments of an anonymous reviewer. This study is part of the PhD program of the first author which was funded by scholarships from CONACyT (55572/179364), SEP, 204-4-19383; SEyC-Quintana Roo; COQCYT Quintana Roo, and by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to A. Charles. The research was partially funded by CONABIO (project BJ002) and by Fondos Mixtos of CONACyT and the Government of Quintana Roo state (project 13047).
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Arce-Ibarra, A.M., Charles, A. Non-management of Natural Resources: The Case of Inland Fisheries in the Mayan Zone, Quintana Roo, México. Hum Ecol 36, 853–860 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-008-9201-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-008-9201-6