This TCP/PAK/3005 "Support to Fishery Sector Policy and Strategy Formulation in Pakistan" was signed during the visit of FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf to Pakistan in April 2005, in a meeting with H.E. Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL). It started its implementation through a two-day Inception Workshop, jointly organized by MINFAL, FAO and hosted by the Government of Punjab.
The Inception Workshop, held in Lahore, Pakistan on 9-10 June 2005, fine-tuned the organisation and coordination of activities, with sharper definition of responsibilities, roles, and time-frame. Recent events related to agreements made at the time of the signature of the project between the Government of Pakistan and the FAO DG, as well as inputs from workshop participants on the current situation of fisheries policy in Pakistan and their most pressing needs in terms of a strategy for policy implementation and linkages with potential UTF projects (see article on page 38), led to the reorientation of project goal, purpose, activities, as requested and agreed by the Government. Thus, the logical framework, developed by the participants of the workshop, took into account the current agricultural policy environment in Pakistan and the need of the government to adjust to on-going processes affecting the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
The goal of the TCP is to create an enabling environment conducive to the sustainable development and management of the fisheries sector, with emphasis on its contribution to economic growth, poverty alleviation, food security and environmental conservation; and the purpose is to support the on-going fisheries policy development process and facilitate its implementation. Provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and North West Frontier are targeted by the project to reflect the country’s on-going decentralisation. Five main activities have been identified in order to achieve the project goal and purpose and emphasise bottom-up and participatory processes in policy formulation and implementation: (1) inception workshop; (2) technical and consultative evaluation of draft national policy and strategy; (3) development of a manual/guidelines on reaching policy consensus and implementation of policy; (4) consultation and capacity building on implementation of policy; and (5) specification of follow-up activities. Activity 2 will involve the technical evaluation of the policy document elaborated by the GOP (by international and national consultants and FAO staff) along with community consultations scheduled to be undertaken between August 2005 and February 2006 and the compilation of relevant legislation and legislative processes by a national specialist in legal fisheries matters. Activity 3 will produce guidelines that will address conflict resolution, trade offs, and present the use of Delphi technique in policy formation and implementation, for the Government. The guidelines will also highlight the importance of legislative issues related to the implementation process. Activity 4 will involve three levels of consultation on approaches to adopt for implementation of fisheries and aquaculture development policy and strategy: at community, provincial and federal levels, with outcomes from community consultations feeding in provincial workshops, and provincial workshop outputs feeding in the national consultation, thereby ensuring awareness of district and provincial priorities at higher levels. Activity 5, taking immediately after the national workshop, will bring all project partners together and focus on the development of umbrella project concept notes to attract funding for activities related to the implementation of the fisheries and aquaculture strategy document. It will also include the finalisation of project outputs and their translation in Urdu prior to dissemination to stakeholders of the sector.
Participants to the Inception Workshop of TCP/PAK/3005 held in Lahore, Pakistan on 9-10 June 2005, consisting of official representatives from MINFAL, Governments of Baluchistan, NWFP, Punjab and Sindh, as well as private sector representatives from Punjab and Sindh provinces; FAO PK Representative and Assistant Representative, FAO HQ officers (FIPP, FIRI), and International Consultants from STREAM-NACA and Poseidon
FAO, Pakistan
FIPP is the Lead Technical Unit for this project, supported by FIRI, LEGN, and FAORAP. More detailed information about the project can be obtained from Ms Cecile Brugere, Fishery Planning Analyst at FAO ([email protected]) or Mr Mohammad Ali, FAO Assistant Representative in Pakistan (Mohammed.Ali@ fao.org).
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Draft environmental principles on rehabilitation of brackishwater aquaculture ponds (tambaks) in Aceh Province. 1. Tambak (ponds) for rehabilitation should be located in areas that are environmentally suitable for fish and shrimp farming. The rehabilitation should not impact on biodiversity, ecologically sensitive habitats and ecosystem functions. Particular attention should be given to avoiding any negative impacts on mangrove forests. 2. The ownership or title to the tambak should be clearly designated, and the pond for rehabilitation should not be located in any existing or proposed green belt. 3. Tambak pond and water supply reconstruction should be done in ways that do not cause ecological damage, including risks from acid sulphate or disruption of water supplies. Aquaculture designs should as far as possible incorporate buffer areas between ponds and natural habitats such as mangroves. Techniques and engineering practices should be used that minimize erosion, leaching of acid sulphate soils and salinization during rehabilitation and subsequent operation. 4. Water supply systems should be rehabilitated in ways that ensure sufficient water supply and drainage. Care should be exercised to avoid salinization where tambak ponds are located near agriculture areas. Off-site impacts associated with discharge of effluent and solid wastes should be minimized during farming through good water management practices. 5. Wild broodstock collection and hatchery rearing of shrimp post-larvae and milkfish should not use destructive fishing techniques. Hatchery practices that promote quality and healthy shrimp and fish should be encouraged. No exotic species (P. vannamei) should be introduced during rehabilitation, due to the risk of impacting wild shrimp stocks in the Province. 6. Feeds and feed management practices should make efficient use of feed resources. Feed and fertilisers should be used efficiently in ways that maintain pond fertility and do not cause degradation of water quality or affect the health or food safety of farmed shrimp and fish. 7. Disease risks for farmed and wild fish and shrimp should be minimised through stocking of ponds with healthy shrimp and fish. Hatchery operators and farmers should be trained in reducing risks of shrimp and fish diseases through adopting simple risk reduction measures, emphasizing maintaining environmental quality. 8. Use of chemicals that may lead to residues or environmental risks should not be used. While antibiotics are not used in traditional farming, some chemicals used for pond preparation are a concern, and alternatives should be found and promoted. 9. Rehabilitation and operation of tambak farms should be done in a way that benefits local communities and the province. The rehabilitation of tambak farms is important for the livelihoods of many people in coastal areas and the priority should be to maximize employment and social benefits to communities. Careful consultation and planning is necessary involving communities to maximize benefits and not create social conflicts. 10. Planning for tambak rehabilitation should also consider the cumulative effects of individual ponds, and seek to ensure that developments are within the carrying capacity of the local are to sustain farming. 11. As many brackishwater ponds were not ideally located or designed, the overall concept of "Build back better" should be adhered to in rehabilitation of brackishwater pond. |
| [24] Cecile Brugere Fishery Development Planning Service FAO Fisheries Department e - mail: [email protected] |
