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Beyond the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: Tenure Rights and Informed Consent in Indigenous Fisheries of Nicaragua

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The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines

Part of the book series: MARE Publication Series ((MARE,volume 14))

Abstract

This contribution seeks to provide an overview of policy actions taken by the government of Nicaragua in relation to critical aspects of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure (FAO 2012) as well as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines) (FAO 2015), which are concerned with the governance of Indigenous peoples’ customary tenure systems, including the rights to aquatic resources. The chapter devotes attention to the relationship between provisions to land and aquatic rights, assesses the impact of recent programs of land titling on Indigenous collective property rights and access to fisheries, and identifies gaps in the process of implementation in the Rama-Kriol territory. It also explores the implications for the human rights of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples emerging from the prospective construction of an Interoceanic Canal, a large-scale infrastructure project vigorously endorsed by the Nicaraguan government. This chapter suggests that, in this context, the SSF Guidelines alone hold little practical value in shifting the balance towards protecting the rights of Indigenous fisheries. Therefore, the implementation of the Guidelines should consider their potential synergies in tandem with other instruments in national and international law.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    According to the most recent census the population of the Coast is comprised by 79% mestizo, 17% Miskitu, 1.06% Mayangna, 0.02% Ulwa, 0.22% Rama; 2.8% Kriol and 0.2% Garifuna. See Williamson and Fonseca (2007).

  2. 2.

    Translation by the author.

  3. 3.

    Emphasis added by author.

  4. 4.

    Marina Clair is a member of the Sumu Kaat community assembly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Miguel González

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  1. Miguel González
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Correspondence to Miguel González .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian College of Fishery Science, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Svein Jentoft

  2. Department of Geography, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

    Ratana Chuenpagdee

  3. Development and Knowledge Sociology Working Group, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research – ZMT, Bremen, Germany

    María José Barragán-Paladines

  4. Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

    Nicole Franz

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González, M. (2017). Beyond the Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines: Tenure Rights and Informed Consent in Indigenous Fisheries of Nicaragua. In: Jentoft, S., Chuenpagdee, R., Barragán-Paladines, M., Franz, N. (eds) The Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines. MARE Publication Series, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55074-9_10

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