No result found
2012-01-01
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP);
The artisanal fishers of the community of Tárcoles, located in the Gulf of Nicoya on the Pacific coast of North America (Central America)-Costa Rica; faced declining fish stocks due to a combination of overharvesting by commercial shrimp boats and unsustainable local fishing practices. At the same time, development of the tourism sector along the coast threatened to restrict access to the shore and to marginalize their work. The local fishing cooperative Coope Tárcoles R.L. was founded in 1985 to confront these twin threats. At the forefront of these efforts has been the development of fishing bylaws that stress sustainable practices, enshrined in the community's 'Code of Responsible Fishing'. In partnership with CoopeSolidar R.L., the initiative launched a sustainable and community-based ecotourism venture in 2007 to provide an alternative source of income for local residents. In 2009, meanwhile, the group was successful in gaining approval of a community-managed marine area.
2013-01-01
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED);
Costa Rica's Payments for Ecosystems Services (PES) programme has become something of an icon in the world of conservation. Its innovative blend of economic and regulatory instruments - and its hitches and successes - provide a valuable source of inspiration for other countries that are looking for effective ways to conserve and regenerate ecosystems. Since 1997, nearly one million hectares of forest in Costa Rica have been part of the PES programme at one time or another, and forest cover has now returned to over 50 per cent of the country's land area, from a low of just 20 per cent in the 1980s. What lessons can be learnt from the 20 years since it was founded? Also published in Spanish, this paper is for local practitioners, international researchers and donors who are interested in the Costa Rican experience.
1994-01-01
IIFET/ORSTOM;
This is one case study of 32 in the volume: Case studies in fisheries self-governance which was published as a FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. In this chapter: Over the past several decades, scholars have argued over governance strategies for management for commons and common-pool resources (CPRs). In fact, the theory of the commons has undergone major transformations, moving from the "tragedy of the commons" model, to dealing with small-scale, community-based systems as ways of promoting self-organization and self-governance (Ostrom, 1990; Berkes, 2006). Within the fisheries sector, the use of rights based management strategies to re-establish sustainability in open-access fisheries is becoming increasingly popular. The experience with TURFS in Chile, which was implemented as a way to avoid the collapse of the loco fishery, has been successful in terms of managing some benthic artisanal fisheries in a sustainable way and generating basic incentives for fishers' empowerment. However, if the policy is going to succeed in the future, scientists and practitioners must respond to important challenges. Most published studies on the human dimensions of MEABRs stress the need for fishers to have more liberty managing MEABRs as a way to adapt these to local realities and create incentives for developing institutions of self-governance (Castilla and Defeo, 2001; Meltzoff et al., 2002; Castilla et al., 2007; Gelcich et al., 2005a,b, 2006, 2007; World Bank, 2006), i.e. to shift from the current co-management approach used in Chile (= collaborative co-management; Sen and Nielsen, 1996) towards an adaptive co-management approach. Folke et al. (2002), defined adaptive co-management as "the process by which institutional arrangements and ecological knowledge are revised in a dynamic, ongoing process of learning by doing". Adaptive co-management combines the 'dynamic learning' characteristic of adaptive management (Holling, 2001) with the 'linkage' characteristic of cooperative management (Jentoft, 2000), and collaborative management (Olsson, Folke and Berkes, 2004). The adaptive co-management approach treats policies as hypotheses and management as experiments from which managers can learn (Gunderson, 2000). Most importantly, adaptive co-management theory implies that management practices should be adjusted by the monitoring of feedback signals of social-ecological change (Berkes, Colding and Folke, 2003). This shift towards adaptive co-management would imply the need for participatory research. Small-scale coastal artisanal fisheries with well-demarcated fishing grounds provide ideal situations for experimental management research (Castilla, 2000; Johannes, 2002; World Bank, 2006). In addition, if MEABRs are going to successfully adapt, managers should encourage local communities (associations) to experiment and continuously adapt to changes (social or ecological). These are factors we feel are an essential part of the so-called Ecosystem-Based Management Approach (FAO, 2003; Arkema, Abramson and Dewsbury, 2006; Christie et al., 2007). At present the MEABR policy has left few legal alternatives for community experiments and subsequent governance adaptations. This is unfortunate as participatory research in support of adaptive management is becoming almost commonplace in many developing countries (Edwards-Jones, 2001) under the premise that the participation of resource users and other stakeholders is important not only in the management of resources, but also in research orientated toward the generation of information and innovations that shape how resources are understood and exploited (Johnson et al., 2004). In addition it forms a basic building block for self-governance of MEABR resources.
2000-11-30
Ford Foundation;
Summarizes January 2000 discussions on building capacity in the field of youth service. Explores connections with social capital, economic productivity, adolescent development, marginalized youth, civic engagement, and policy. Includes country summaries.
2013-03-01
CoopeSoliDar RL;
This research focuses on the social dimensions of marine conservation, and makes an assessment of the experiences of coastal and fishing communities with regard to the governance of MPAs in North America (Central America); based on case studies from Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and North America (Central America)-Panama;. It examines the national contexts of the above countries in relation to the governance of MPAs. Furthermore, it analyzes the social impacts of MPAs on coastal communities by gathering the experiences and the voices of the communities and institutions involved, and reflects on how to build bridges in the search for forms and models of conservation that respect human rights and which are able to successfully integrate into local development efforts without affecting cultural and/or social patterns. To this end, this monograph looks at nine case studies across the region: in Honduras, the Islas de la Bahia-Guanaja Marine National Park, the Cayos Cochinos Marine Archipelago Natural Monument, and the Cuero and Salado Wildlife Refuge; in Nicaragua, the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge; in North America (Central America)-Costa Rica; the Guanacaste Conservation Area, the Ballena Marine National Park and the Golfo Dulce Responsible Fishing Area; and, in North America (Central America)-North America (Central America)-Panama; the Nargana Protected Area, in the Comarca de la Biosfera Guna-Yala, the Bastimentos Island Marine National Park, and Bocas del Toro.
2010-04-01
Wildaid;
The main objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the critical factors required for effective law enforcement in each MPA of the Seascape.The specific objectives are:1. To determine the main strengths and weaknesses of the law enforcement chain in each MPA.2. To prioritize a series of recommendations to improve the enforcement chain in each MPA.3. To identify regional initiatives to strengthen cooperation between member states; in particular regarding the conservation of migratory species.
2010-01-01
Conservation International;
The main objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the critical factors required for effective law enforcement in each MPA of the Seascape. The specific objectives are:1. To determine the main strengths and weaknesses of the law enforcement chain in each MPA.2. To prioritize a series of recommendations to improve the enforcement chain in each MPA.3. To identify regional initiatives to strengthen cooperation between member states; in partcular regarding the conservation of migratory species.
2015-09-25
UN Women;
This paper examines government policies that aim to balance work and family life, focusing on employment based leaves and early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Latin America. The paper charts the policy reforms across the region in both maternity, paternity and parental leaves and ECEC services, focusing especially on services for 0-3-year-old children. To illuminate regional trends and best practices, it provides more detailed case studies of policy reforms in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay, with regard to both policy design and implementation. Drawing from these case studies, the paper finds that Latin America is moving in an equity-enhancing direction, particularly in terms of social equity, both in employment-based leaves and in care services. Care policies have a window of opportunity to become equity-enhancing policies both in terms of socio-economics and gender. Because these policies are being defined and implemented against the backdrop of deep familialism and high degrees of social inequality, equity enhancement is a challenging policy goal. The paper concludes with identifying the key factors in that are important in designing equity-enhancing change in work-family policies. This paper was produced for UN Women's flagship report Progress of the World's Women 2015-2016 to be released as part of the UN Women discussion paper series.
2013-04-24
Instituto de Estudios Y Divulgacion Sobre Migracion, A.C. (INEDIM);
Different regions and countries of the world face a serious need to design and make use of necessary policies and resources to better manage worker migration, thus ensuring the welfare and human rights of these people who, in the end, are of benefit to their society of origin, as well as the receiving society. Although international labor migration may turn out to be productive for many people, many of these migrant workers have unsatisfactory living and working conditions.While it is likely that their labor conditions are better than in their own country, in many cases they are inferior to the working conditions of nationals in their receiving country. Despite international standards to protect migrant workers, their labor rights are frequently abused, especially if they have immigrated in an irregular fashion.In this context, INEDIM took on the task of developing an integral and comprehensive document regarding different migrant worker and visa systems in Central and North America.The work presented here holds enormous value for delving in-depth to the forms of management of temporary migrant workers, as well as their access and guarantees to social and labor protection in North and Central America. This report addresses the problem of management of labor migrant flows among countries in our region.This study is based on an ordered and scrupulous methodology in which different migration systems and visa schemes for the hiring of temporary migrant workers are analyzed from the perspective of protection, respect for, guarantees and promotion of human rights. The study analyzes six systems that seek to regulate temporary migration in the region along the Central and North American corridor. The countries involved in these six systems are El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, the United States, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The authors carry out a thorough and well-structured study based on two focuses of analysis: first, the processes for recruiting and contracting migrant workers and secondly, access to social protection for temporary migrant workers by means of the right to social security. From these two focuses, the authors are able to identify and demonstrate structural insufficiencies and gaps in the analyzed systems, which should guarantee labor security and social security for these workers.
2013-04-09
Instituto de Estudios Y Divulgacion Sobre Migracion, A.C. (INEDIM);
Different regions and countries of the world face a serious need to design and make use of necessary policies and resources to better manage worker migration, thus ensuring the welfare and human rights of these people who, in the end, are of benefit to their society of origin, as well as the receiving society. Although international labor migration may turn out to be productive for many people, many of these migrant workers have unsatisfactory living and working conditions.While it is likely that their labor conditions are better than in their own country, in many cases they are inferior to the working conditions of nationals in their receiving country. Despite international standards to protect migrant workers, their labor rights are frequently abused, especially if they have immigrated in an irregular fashion.In this context, INEDIM took on the task of developing an integral and comprehensive document regarding different migrant worker and visa systems in Central and North America.The work presented here holds enormous value for delving in-depth to the forms of management of temporary migrant workers, as well as their access and guarantees to social and labor protection in North and Central America. This report addresses the problem of management of labor migrant flows among countries in our region.This study is based on an ordered and scrupulous methodology in which different migration systems and visa schemes for the hiring of temporary migrant workers are analyzed from the perspective of protection, respect for, guarantees and promotion of human rights. The study analyzes six systems that seek to regulate temporary migration in the region along the Central and North American corridor. The countries involved in these six systems are El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, the United States, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The authors carry out a thorough and well-structured study based on two focuses of analysis: first, the processes for recruiting and contracting migrant workers and secondly, access to social protection for temporary migrant workers by means of the right to social security. From these two focuses, the authors are able to identify and demonstrate structural insufficiencies and gaps in the analyzed systems, which should guarantee labor security and social security for these workers.
2011-01-01
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
The importance of fisheries for coastal communities and livelihoods in South America-Latin America; and the Caribbean (LAC) is well documented. This is particularly the case for 'coastal fisheries', including subsistence, traditional (artisanal) and advanced artisanal (or semi-industrial) varieties. There are, however, major gaps in knowledge about these fisheries, and major challenges in their assessment and management. Therein lies the key theme of this document, which seeks to contribute to a better understanding of coastal fisheries in the LAC region, as well as to generate discussion about ways to move towards sustainable fisheries. The document includes three main components. First, an introductory chapter provides an overview of general trends in the fisheries of the LAC countries, as well as some of the key challenges they are facing in terms of sustainability. Second, a set of twelve chapters each reporting on the coastal fisheries of one country in South America-Latin America; and the North America (Caribbean); collectively covering fisheries of each main subregion: the Caribbean islands (North America (Caribbean)-North America (Caribbean)-Barbados; Cuba, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago), North and Central America (North America (Central America)-Costa Rica; Mexico) and South America (Argentina, South America (Northeastern)-Brazil; South America (Northwestern)-South America (Northwestern)-Colombia; Uruguay). All these country-specific chapters follow an integrated approach, to the extent possible, covering aspects ranging from the biological to the socio-economic. Third, the final component of the document contains a synthesis of information from the countries examined, an analysis of the main issues and challenges faced by the various fisheries, an outline of policy directions to improve fisheries management systems in the LAC region, identification of routes toward more integrated approaches for coastal fisheries management, and recommendations for 'ways forward' in dealing with fishery assessment and governance issues in the region.
2006-08-15
Innovations in Civic Participation;
This paper presents findings from an exploratory study of government policies that involve youth in community service in 19 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The research, which was performed in 2004, provides descriptive information and explores the context within which national youth service policies can emerge and thrive. While it is assumed that well-designed national youth service policies provide a framework for engaging youth in pro-social activities that benefit themselves and their communities, relatively little research is available on the subject. Findings indicate that 13 of 19 countries in the study have a national youth service policy, and that the policies vary in forms and configuration. Facilitators and obstacles of these policies are discussed. The paper concludes by providing recommendations to policy makers.
