Project Detail

Project of Promoting the Sustainable Development of Coastal Livelihood of Fishing Communities in Rudong Area of Jiangsu Province

Baseline
1. environmental and socio-economic conditions
Rudong's vast sea area and beaches provide abundant natural resources and ample space for the development of Marine fisheries and mariculture in Rudong. After opening to the outside world in 1988, Rudong County's social and economic development has been sustained, and it has entered the top 100 counties in the country, ranking 31st in the Top 100 Counties in the National Economy list released by the Central County Research Institute in 2022. According to the data of 2020, the per capita net income of farmers in Yangkou Town of Rudong County reached 27,000 yuan/year; According to the data in 2011, the per capita net income of farmers in Changsha Town, Rudong County is 10,000 yuan/year. Through the rapid development in recent years, the net income of farmers has increased. In 2022, represented by Binhai Village, Changsha Town, the per capita net income of village residents will reach 42,000 yuan/year.
The rich fishery resources of

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Rudong County support the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. At present, the fishery in Rudong County is mainly based on natural sea area fishing and coastal aquaculture. Rudong County has a total of more than 600 fishing boats, of which only Dongling Township has more than 1,000 fishermen, there are about 200 people working on the sea, the rest of the beach fishing and aquaculture activities, mainly the age of 55 years old and less young people. Jiangsu Province is also the province with the largest production of Japanese eel larvae in China, and Rudong County is also on the migration route of eel larvae into freshwater rivers, so eel larvae fishing is also an important local fishery activity. The natural fishing of clams on mudflat in Rudong has a long history, and the export volume has reached about 80,000 tons in recent years. In addition, mud snails, four-horn clams, green clams, razor clam and other economic shellfish are also produced on the beach. The coastal culture is mainly composed of porphyra, white shrimp and Philippine clam.
The vast beach area in Jiangsu Province not only provides rich food sources for coastal communities, but also becomes a stopping place and transit station for many migratory birds because of its high productivity. In recent years, continuous surveys by bird protection agencies in China have shown that Lianyungang, Pinni, Yangkou-Fengli and Dongling are four important transit points for migratory birds in Jiangsu Province from north to south. Large numbers of migratory waterbirds take advantage of the coastal wetlands and surrounding high tides in these areas to feed and rest. Therefore, these four migratory bird transfer stations in Jiangsu Province have high ecological protection value. According to the List of National Key Protected Wild Animals issued by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in February 2021, a total of 13 species of national key protected wild birds were recorded in Jiangsu Rudongdongling Wetland during the investigation in 2022, of which 4 species of national Class I protected wild birds are Chinese crested tern, spoon-billed Snipes, little greenfooted Snipes and black-billed gulls; There are 9 species of wild birds under national second-class protection, namely cygnet, Curlew, Curlew, tilting stone, half-web, Great Sandpiper, broad-billed Sandpiper, black-necked Grebe and white Spoonbill. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of species assessment, a total of seven threatened bird species such as Dongdongling wetland, including Critically Endangered (CR) Chinese crested tern, spoon-billed snipers, Endangered (EN) little greenshank, Great Curlew and great Sandpiper, and Vulnerable (VU) black-billed gull and red-headed duck. It is worth mentioning that another bird that is highly dependent on wetlands such as Dongdongling but currently has no protection level is the East Asian oystercatcher. The current global population of East Asian oystercatcher is about 7,000 individuals. In February 2023, the Chinese agency recorded 2,287 East Asian cocklesterks in Dongling, representing 32.7% of the bird's global population and well above the 1% criteria used by the Ramsar Convention to assess wetlands of international importance.

2. Problems
First, there are some unsustainable uses in some beach fishery activities. For example, some villages contract out the beach for a short period of time, and the local villagers spontaneously organize fishing. Such a production mode lacks the concept of community self-governance according to law, scientific guidance and sustainable production, so there is overfishing of fishery resources in production. In some farming activities, we have found the use of prohibited chemicals and so on. These fishing and farming methods will cause long-term damage to the biodiversity (especially the benthic organisms) and fishery resources of the tidal wetlands, and also endanger the sustainable development of the local fisheries themselves. Taking the local iconic species Wenli as an example, Rudong used to be the largest natural producing area of Wenli seedlings in China, with an annual output of about 10,000 to 20,000 tons. However, in recent years, according to farmers' responses, the production of Wenli seedlings has shown a significant decline, with an annual output of only a few thousand tons, and the number of marketable varieties has also decreased significantly. As a result, the scale of Rudong clam industry has shrunk, and there are even cases of buying seedlings from Shandong and spreading them on the beaches. Based on the interviews, we speculated that over-harvesting, pollution from aquaculture activities, reclamation projects in history and pollution from land sources were the main reasons for the decline in the yield of the clam seedlings. At present, reclamation projects have been strictly controlled by the government and land-based pollution control efforts are increasing, and the environmentally responsible performance of fisheries and aquaculture activities needs to be improved.
Secondly, there is a lack of awareness among local communities about the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture activities, the conservation of shorebird biodiversity and the linkages between the two. Through investigation, we learned that the open space in the jellyfish breeding pond in the south of Dongling can provide a high tide resting place for a large number of waterbirds, and can also be used by other waterbirds such as geese, ducks and gulls during the drying period. It also provides an important roost and feeding ground for geese, ducks and gulls when full of water. At the same time, about 4.8 square kilometers of wetland in the Yangkou area has become a coastal pond for the development of new energy sources such as photovoltaic. The inner pond, which was originally used as a breeding area for shrimp, crab and fish fry, can provide habitat for water birds, but it has become an engineering site that cannot be used by birds. In fact, the resting and feeding of a large number of endangered and protected waterfowl can indicate that the tidal plains are performing important ecological services, as well as the health of the local fishing and breeding environment. The rich productivity and fishery resources of wetlands, as well as the eco-friendly farming activities carried out by humans, can provide sufficient food supplies for transit waterbirds. Therefore, waterbirds can be used as an indicator of the health of beach wetlands. Understanding the relationship between waterbirds and aquaculture and fishery activities can help fishing communities and farmers better understand this beach, and then better manage and protect this beach to serve the long-term production and livelihood of the community.
Third, local communities generally lack awareness of sustainable community development and self-governance. Local fishermen and farmers generally do not know enough about the ecological value of the tidal flat wetlands that sustain their livelihood, and they do not have a strong awareness of sustainable development and utilization of surrounding natural resources. Secondly, the local youth and people in Rudong are relatively lacking in understanding of the fishery and aquaculture activities and the biodiversity characterized by waterbirds in their hometown. At the same time, we also found that women in the community also play an important role in fishing and farming activities, but their important role in the community is often overlooked. Therefore, in order to assist communities to strengthen their legal self-governance, especially women's participation in community legal self-governance and fishery production, and raise the awareness of local communities and people on sustainable use of resources and ecological protection of coastal wetlands, it is very necessary to empower livelihood fishing communities and local people in the project area.

3. Solutions
In the first year of the project, science-based field research will be carried out in Yangkou Town, Changsha Town and Dongling Village, Dayu Town, Rudong County, to identify the problems existing in environmental sustainability, wetland and waterbird-friendly development of current farming and fishery activities, and to collect practical cases and experiences of community participation in sustainable fishery management, wetland and waterbird biodiversity friendly fishery. And connect with and enlist the support of key stakeholders. The project team will conduct a survey of fishery and aquaculture activities in the project area through a combination of field research and visits by fishermen and farmers, focusing on key issues such as illegal and unsustainable harvesting of aquaculture drugs found in the project area in the early stage, and identifying the corresponding threats of fishery and aquaculture activities to the sustainable utilization of fishery resources and the protection of beaches. At the same time, with the support of Nantong Environmental Monitoring Center, the project team, together with the project partner team in China, will select oystercatcher and Chinese crested Tern, two key fishery and ecological health indicator birds in the project area, to carry out field research, collect basic indicators such as their population size, ecological habits and habitat distribution, and focus on the investigation of food types of oystercatcher. In order to better understand the threat of aquaculture activities to the biodiversity of shorebirds, the correlation between aquaculture activities and the surrounding fishery activities was analyzed. At the same time, it focuses on collecting and combing existing local ecological knowledge and innovative village regulations that contribute to sustainable development, and collecting best practice cases in the integration of female participation, waterbird protection and sustainable fisheries in the community within the project area. In this process, through interviewing and inviting representatives of community aquaculture and fishery production in Yangkou Town, Changsha Town and Dongling Village to participate in research activities, contacts and good trust relationships were established with key stakeholders of local fishing communities. Use the survey results as important data to communicate with community aquaculture and fisheries production representatives and enlist their participation and support for sustainable improvement programmes for fisheries and fisheries. At the same time, timely communicate with local fishery authorities (such as the Fishery and Fishery Administration Department of Dongxian Agriculture and Rural Bureau), wetland management departments (such as Dongxian Natural Resources and Planning Bureau), Yangkou Town, Changsha Town, Dayu town governments, and aquatic products industry associations, share project research results, and understand the priority management plans and needs of management departments. Obtain management's support and suggestions for the project to guide the development of subsequent improvement plans.
In the second year of the project, based on the research results and the experience of community participation in sustainable fisheries management, wetland and waterbird biodiversity friendly fisheries and other practical cases, a feasible improvement plan for responsible fisheries and aquaculture production will be formulated for the project area, and a proposal for the sustainable development of shoal fisheries and aquaculture in Rudong County will be formulated. Based on the research results and local best practices collected in the first year of the project, as well as the visits of relevant departments, and taking into account the background information of the social structure, governance mechanisms and natural resource status of the subsistence fishing communities in the project area, the project team will target key aquaculture and fishery activities. Help the project community to develop a responsible production improvement plan that is friendly to migratory birds based on science and production practice, promote the pilot implementation of the plan in the project area, and write the CPPCC proposal on sustainable development of mudflat-fishery and aquaculture industry in Rudong County, and submit it as a CPPCC member of the local experts of the project, so as to provide management reference for decision-making departments. In order to promote the fishery activities in the project area to achieve sustainable development in the two related aspects of ecology and livelihood.
In the second year of the project, through community empowerment and nature education activities, community autonomy will be strengthened, community awareness of sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation of shoal waterbirds will be raised, and sustainable development of local communities will be promoted. The project team will organize and hold 3 offline multi-stakeholder seminars/workshops in collaboration with the livelihood fishing communities in the project area to empower the residents of the livelihood fishing communities in the project area in terms of waterbird-friendly sustainable fisheries, community self-governance according to law, and women's participation. To raise local fishermen's awareness of equal and sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity conservation, explore appropriate community legal self-governance models, promote best practice cases, and help communities strengthen their legal self-governance capacity and improve community livelihoods. At the same time, the project team also plans to cooperate with local schools to carry out nature education activities, in order to mobilize more different groups in the community, including teenagers, to pay attention to and participate in the exploration of green development model that attaches equal importance to the conservation of waterbird biodiversity and the sustainable development of fisheries.

4. Outcomes
Through field research and stakeholder communication, the types and patterns of fisheries and aquaculture activities in the project area, as well as problems with their environmentally sustainable, waterfowl and biodiversity-friendly performance, are clearly identified, and cases of community involvement in sustainable fisheries management, wetlands and waterfowl biodiversity-friendly fisheries are collected. And gain understanding and support from key stakeholders such as community farming and fishery production representatives, government management departments, and aquatic product industry associations.
Work with stakeholders to explore ways to improve the production of responsible fisheries and aquaculture and develop a CPPCC proposal for sustainable development of shoal fisheries and aquaculture in Rudong County, and pilot the production improvement program in one of its farming plots with the support of at least one community.
Through community empowerment and nature education activities, the residents of the project community, especially women and youth, have raised their awareness of the equal and sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity conservation, and actively pay attention to and participate in the conservation of waterfowl biodiversity and the sustainable development of fisheries. Community awareness and capacity for self-governance have been enhanced, and residents (especially women) are actively involved in the governance of public affairs such as fisheries and aquaculture.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

Qingdao Marine Conservation Society

Country:

China

Area Of Work:

Biodiversity

Operational Phase:

OP7 Y4 (July 23-June 24)

Grant Amount:

US$ 49,250.00

Co-Financing Cash:

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 4,172.46

Project Number:

CPR/SGP/OP7/Y4/STAR/BD/2023/05

Start Date:

5/2024

End Date:

6/2026

Status:

Currently under execution

Project Characteristics and Results

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

1) The project team and partners visited the project area several times to investigate the birds and fishery aquaculture activities in the project area. Combined with the field investigation results and interviews with fishermen in the local fishery community, the project team will produce five important knowledge products, including a map of local fishery aquaculture activities and bird habitats. A related research report on the catcher and Chinese crested Tern, a detailed research report on various types of aquaculture activities in the three project areas, a handbook of best practice cases on the combination of community self-governance by law, waterbird protection and sustainable fisheries, and a CPPCC proposal on the sustainable development of mudland fisheries and aquaculture in Rudong County. On the one hand, the output of these important knowledge-based products can provide an important scientific basis for the sustainable development of local livelihood and fishery communities and the conservation of waterfowl biodiversity, provide knowledge content for the capacity building activities of local livelihood and fishery communities, empower local livelihood and fishery communities and enhance their ability to govern themselves according to law. Promoting sustainable fishing practices in local subsistence fishing communities; On the other hand, the submission of the CPPCC proposal and the dissemination of the best practice manual can lay the foundation at the policy and practical level for the future promotion and replication of good practice cases in other livelihood fishing communities around the country. 2) Combining the results of field research and interviews with fishermen in local fishing communities, the project team will work with local schools and nature education experts to develop a nature education curriculum that includes waterbird conservation and sustainable fisheries, which will be used in nature education classes in local schools. Through nature education activities, the project team will aim to raise awareness among local youth about the conservation of waterbirds and sustainable fisheries in their hometown, leverage the power of biodiversity conservation among different public groups, and better promote sustainable fisheries practices in local livelihood fishing communities. 3) The project team will work with multiple stakeholders through social media, such as wechat public accounts and Weibo, to release progress reports on key biodiversity conservation festivals, such as World Wetlands Day, in order to expand the dissemination and influence of the project and raise public awareness of biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries.

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

By analyzing the existing improvement space of fishery and aquaculture activities in the project area, the project team identified the threats posed by current fishery activities to birds and wetland ecosystems, and proposed sustainable improvement plans for fisheries to better maintain the health and integrity of wetland ecosystems, which would be beneficial to the fishery and aquaculture activities of fishing communities and contribute to the long-term development of community livelihoods. Based on these findings, the project team will organize a multi-stakeholder workshop on waterbird conservation and sustainable fisheries development in each of the three focus areas of the project to build capacity for local livelihood fisheries communities. Such empowerment aims to strengthen the legal self-governance capacity of subsistence fishing communities in the project area, raise the awareness of different local groups on biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries development, and ultimately promote gender equality and sustainable use of natural resources in subsistence fishing communities in the project area, and increase the participation of women in socio-economic activities. Thereby improving the livelihoods of local fishing communities as a whole. Finally, through nature education activities carried out in conjunction with local schools, local youth and the wider public will be able to better understand the waterbirds and fishery farming activities in their hometown, pay more attention to biodiversity conservation and support sustainable fish consumption, and thus better promote local livelihood fishing communities to adopt sustainable fishery farming practices that take into account waterbird conservation. Promote the coordinated and green development of local fishing communities at the three levels of resources, environment and society.

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