Participatory assessment of conflicts in Brazil
The Brazilian case-study has published the report Small-scale fisheries and coastal-marine conflicts in São Paulo, that presents the results of a broad participatory assessment of conflicts involving small-scale fishing communities of the São Paulo coastline, southeastern Brazil. The conflicts were assessed through an online survey and participatory workshops engaging stakeholders.
The online survey had the goal of assessing the cases of conflicts and the workshops aimed to validate and complement the conflicts surveyed, as well as to establish a ranking of the most important conflicts by different stakeholders. A total of 132 conflicts were systematized into 12 categories and the most relevant were: legislation and surveillance; large-scale enterprises in coastal areas, pollution, fishing regulation and fisheries management and planning. The prioritization of conflicts was important to guide the definition of the Brazilian case study based on local demands, but also to highlight the main conflicts faced by the small-scale fishing sector and to provide information to subsidize the discussions and actions around these conflicts. More than one hundred people were involved in the process, including fishers, community leaders, government representatives, researchers and other civil society organizations.
The report was published in Portuguese, as it aims to engage and disseminate the results of the assessment to the stakeholders. The Brazilian team will also communicate the results in different spaces and formats, presenting this report in marine protected areas councils, in local media, community-based organizations and building policy briefs for decision-makers.