CNH-Ex: Conflict and Fisheries in the Lake Victoria Basin

CNH-Ex：维多利亚湖盆地的冲突和渔业

• 批准号: 1358861
• 负责人: Sarah Glaser
• 金额: $ 20.86万
• 依托单位: University of Denver
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-06-26 至 2015-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1358861&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CNH; Ex; Conflict; Fisheries; Lake

This project will investigate the links between fisheries, armed conflict, and food security in the Lake Victoria Basin in eastern Africa. Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, is home to fisheries that contribute to the food and livelihood security of over 40 million people. The introduction of two species of fish, Nile perch and tilapia, has greatly changed the ecology of the lake. While introduced fishes provide income for fishers, they have apparently caused dramatic declines in the abundance of many native species in the lake. One exception is the sardine-like mukene, which supports the largest fishery in the lake and serves as a critical link between the ecology of the lake and the human populations that depend on the lake for food and income. Food security is inherently tied to civil unrest and eastern Africa has been one of the most war-torn regions of the world since the mid-1990s. Martial conflict significantly suppresses fish catch, which harms food security via decreased food availability and loss of livelihood among fishers. Food insecurity can in turn accelerate political violence. This project will investigate how changes in the ecology of Lake Victoria affect food security, and how conflict affects fishing in the Lake. In collaboration with regional fisheries organizations in Kenya and Uganda, the project aims to a) develop understanding of the relationships between fish abundance, fishery catch and effort, conflict processes, and food security; b) generate estimates of fish abundance using statistical analyses; and c) identify the important links in the system through dynamic structural equation modeling. Researchers will employ geographic information systems to relate fish catch and effort to food commodity prices in regional markets, and use existing data on the occurrence of conflict to relate prices, conflict, and catch.These efforts will contribute significantly to understanding the role of natural resources in conflict and conflict effects on local food security. There is an urgent need to improve understanding of the links between human and natural systems in the Lake Victoria basin. The human population is growing rapidly on the shore of the lake, accelerating impacts on ecosystem services such as water for drinking and irrigation and fishes for food. This study will contribute to understanding of natural resources and conflict, fisheries ecology, and dynamic modeling of coupled natural and human systems. The project will develop partnerships between U.S. and eastern African scientists and develop the scientific skills of two undergraduate researchers. Moreover, the project will inform sustainable resource management decisions and policies for fisheries that provide food and livelihood security for millions.

该项目将调查东非维多利亚湖流域渔业、武装冲突和粮食安全之间的联系。维多利亚湖是非洲最大的淡水湖，这里的渔业为4000多万人的粮食和生计安全做出了贡献。尼罗河鲈鱼和罗非鱼这两种鱼类的引进极大地改变了湖泊的生态。虽然引进的鱼类为渔民提供了收入，但它们显然造成了湖中许多本地物种丰度的急剧下降。一个例外是像沙丁鱼一样的mukene，它支持着湖中最大的渔业，并作为湖泊生态与依赖湖泊获取食物和收入的人口之间的关键纽带。粮食安全与内乱有着内在的联系，自上世纪90年代中期以来，东非一直是世界上战乱最严重的地区之一。军事冲突严重抑制了鱼类捕捞，从而通过减少粮食供应和渔民失去生计而危害粮食安全。粮食不安全反过来又会加速政治暴力。该项目将调查维多利亚湖的生态变化如何影响粮食安全，以及冲突如何影响该湖的渔业。该项目与肯尼亚和乌干达的区域渔业组织合作，旨在a)加深对鱼类丰度、渔业捕捞量和努力量、冲突进程和粮食安全之间关系的理解；B)利用统计分析产生鱼类丰度的估计值；c)通过动态结构方程建模识别系统中的重要环节。研究人员将利用地理信息系统将渔获量和努力量与区域市场上的粮食商品价格联系起来，并利用有关冲突发生的现有数据将价格、冲突和渔获量联系起来。这些努力将大大有助于了解自然资源在冲突中的作用以及冲突对当地粮食安全的影响。迫切需要提高对维多利亚湖流域人类与自然系统之间联系的认识。湖岸的人口正在迅速增长，加速了对生态系统服务的影响，如饮用水和灌溉用水以及食用鱼类。该研究将有助于理解自然资源与冲突、渔业生态学以及自然与人类耦合系统的动态建模。该项目将发展美国和东非科学家之间的伙伴关系，并培养两名本科研究人员的科学技能。此外，该项目将为渔业的可持续资源管理决策和政策提供信息，为数百万人提供粮食和生计安全。