adaptive institutionalization into ongoing
efforts ofestablishingrules andinstitutions
aiming (sometimes exclusively) at
environmental conservation.
There are guidelines available, e.g.,
on the development of inland fisheries and
aquaculture in the context of multiple use
of resources (Bernacsek 1984; Alabaster
1985;Petr1985; Scudder and Conelly 1985;
Vanderpuye 1985; Welcornme 1985;
Baluyut 1986; Sreenivasan 1986; Dunn
1989), on land use planning (FA0 19891,
and on rural area development planning
(Bendavid-Val 1990). However, it is
stressed that solutions and approaches
will be required that are country- and
basin area-specific and, in particular, also
site-specific when it comes to aquaculture
development, depending on the environ-
mental and socioeconomic circumstances
encountered.
Last not least, it is recalled that often
it is the discrepancy in distribution of
economic power among the various social
groups in a country which leads to envi-
ronmentally degrading practices. On one
side, it is poverty and marginalization
which forces subsistence farmers to
unsustainable land use (see also Lundqvist
et al. 1985). On the other side, it is con-
siderable short-term gains from tradingin
international markets which make na-
tional and foreign entrepreneurs embark
on environmentally unacceptable land and
water usage. Relevant national policies
need to be adjusted accordingly.
Conclusions
Freshwater aquaculture development
in Latin America, Africa and Asia needs
the benefit of internal and external expe-
rience for preventing environmental dam-
age and for avoiding harmful effects of
aquatic pollution and physical degrada-
tion on aquaculture resources. Environ-
mental compatibility, both in socioeco-nomic/sociocultural and biophysical terms,
needs to be emphasized in aquaculture
development efforts by public and private
initiatives.
Institutional, economic, social and
political factors in the aquaculture plan-
ning process are as important or more
important than biotechnical factors, par-
ticularly in developing countries. This is
especially true for those types of
aquaculture that have a social orientation
and therefore a strong governmental
intervention. Sustainability is also of
particular importance for socially oriented
aquaculture development projects, and
increased efforts have to be made to
improve efficiency in the implementation
of such projects and to reduce successfully
their negative impacts on humans and the
environment.
Small-scale aquaculture practices need
to be better integrated with other rural
activities in agriculture, forestry and
capture fisheries. Integrated ag-riculture-
aquaculture farming systems show a good
potential in this respect. However, these
systems still have to be studied in greater
depth in terms of financial and economic
viability, diversity and site-specificity.
Similarly, it is important to guarantee
the success of culture-based fisheries
development in lakes and reservoirs.
Strategies to compensate for the loss of
aquatic fauna due to physical obstructions
of rivers are directly linked to important
environmental issues, such as the intro-
duction of exotic species, the spread of
diseases and the loss of genetic diversity.
Furthermore, catchment area man-
agement approaches should also be con-
sidered, if not promoted, where appropri-
ate, when formulating policy recommen-
dations covering institutional and regu-
latory frameworks for both inland fisher-
ies and aquaculture development as well
as for environmental conservation and
rehabilitation of freshwater ecosystems.
Only few developing countries are