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Common Property Resource System in a Fishery of the São Francisco River, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Studies of local natural resource management institutions have contributed to many co-management agreements around the world and also have demonstrated how communities interact with their environment through their culture and social organization. Common Property Systems (CPS), which define duties and rights in the use of natural resources, are examples of these interactions. But as Ostrom (1990, 14) notes: “getting institutions right . . . is a process that requires reliable information about time and place variables, as well as a broad repertoire of culturally acceptable rules.” One of the potential benefits of co-management institutions is the inclusion of a variety of information systems and knowledge bases. For example, local users have intensive knowledge and understanding about day to day local uses and conditions, whereas national governments and international NGOs have more global knowledge and financial and administrative resources to tackle large-scale scientific research. In this paper, we examine the role of local ecological knowledge in the management of a common pool resource, the artisanal fishery at Buritizeiro in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The research was carried out between 1999 and 2001 with seven field trips of 15 days each. Open and structured interviews were conducted, complemented by direct observation of the fishing activity. During three field trips, the fishery yield was recorded for 175 fishery shifts. Approximately 30 fishermen share the rights to access and use of four principal fishing spots in the rapids. In addition to operational rules, decision-making rules related to management, and exclusion and alienation rights have been developed. Local ecological knowledge has helped the fishermen identify most productive fishing spots, has been instrumental in determining the limits of the CPS area, has maintained fishery yield (average: 7.29kg/fisherman/day), and has provided the basis for institutional rules regulating the spatial and temporal limitations for each user. As the number of resource users has increased over the years due to the lack of other job opportunities in the region, this CPS has demonstrated flexibility in the rights to access and use, avoiding conflicts among the users and ensuring its longevity. The success of this CPS can help in the development of appropriate policy for fishery co-management plans in this area.