Social dimensions of marine protected area implementation in India: do fishing communities benefit? - workshop statement
Conscious of the importance of fisheries and of the high dependence of millions of fisherpeople on fisheries, and of the fact that the marine and coastal ecosystems are rich spawning and breeding grounds, and provide vital coastal protection benefits. Being concerned about the livelihood problems encountered by at least ten per cent of the active marine fisher population of India from unfair restrictions on their fishing operations in the course of implementing marine and coastal protected areas, such as the Gulf of Mannar National Park, Tamil Nadu; the Gahirmatha (marine) Wildlife Sanctuary, Orissa; the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park and Sanctuary, Gujarat; the Sundarban Tiger Reserve, West Bengal; and the Malvan (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.