Shrimps, bananas and mangroves: A dispute resolved

Abstract

Ecuadorian shrimp farmers suddenly found themselves in a contentious triangle with environmentalists and banana growers in a conflict that was crippling the Ecuadorian economy. The controversy concerned the “Taura Syndrome,” a disease allegedly caused by banana pesticides which was killing shrimp in the Gulf of Guayaquil. The shrimp farmers had responded by venturing into new areas to get out of the way of the pesticide runoff. The new areas happened to be populated by sensitive mangrove trees, which enraged the environmentalists. The dispute intensified when the parties lobbied other governments to ban one another's products. An innovative Ecuadorian dispute resolution organization intervened to help the parties think of the problem in a new way. They worked with the parties to pool their resources, so that they were working toward the same ends, rather than fighting against one another. The intervention succeeded in institutionalizing a new relationship between the shrimp farmers, banana growers, and environmentalists that has allowed the parties to resolve their conflict and to handle others over the long-term.