Em Ubatuba (SP), a pesca apresenta grande importância sócio-econômica e requer, como em outros locais, um manejo adequado. Estudos sobre o conhecimento ecológico local dos pescadores (FEK) vêm sendo considerados promissores para o manejo pesqueiro, porém poucos são delineados especificamente com esse fim. Este estudo objetivou investigar o conhecimento ecológico dos pescadores locais visando fornecer indicadores detalhados sobre a ocorrência espacial e sazonal dos recursos e da pesca, além de propor uma nova metodologia. Para tal, a partir de uma adaptação do método Delphi, caracterizado pela busca de consenso, foram efetuadas 3 rodadas de entrevistas a um total de 109 pescadores locais, em 12 comunidades pesqueiras e 3 pontos de desembarques. O FEK revelou-se sólido e detalhado, visto que permitiu identificar informações relevantes para o manejo pesqueiro com enfoque ecossistêmico. Foi possível encontrar consenso em questões-chave, tais como: (1) a localização dos principais \"pesqueiros\" por arte de pesca, (2) a distribuição espacial e sazonal dos principais recursos, (3) a identificação potencial de habitats essenciais e (4) sugestões para o ordenamento pesqueiro. A metodologia proposta se mostrou de grande valia para a investigação do conhecimento dos pescadores e sua aplicação prática em questões de manejo. Espera-se contribuir para planos de manejo pesqueiro que considerem a \"saúde\" do ecossistema e as necessidades dos pescadores locais. / In Ubatuba (SP), fishing shows a great socio-economic importance, and, just like elsewhere, requires an effective management. Studies on fisher\'s ecological knowledge (FEK) have been considered a promissory field for fisheries management but few efforts have been specifically delineated with such a goal. This study aimed to investigate local FEK in order to provide detailed indicators about the spatial and seasonal occurrence of fishing and its fishery resources. It also proposes a new methodology, adapted from Delphi\'s which is characterized by the search of consensus. Overall, a total of 109 local fishers were interviewed along 12 local communities and 3 landing sites in 3 sequential rounds. FEK proved to be consistent and detailed, allowing to identify important information for ecosystem-based fisheries management and find consensus on key-issues such as: (1) the locations of major fishing grounds per the different fishing gears, (2) the spatial distribution and seasonal occurrence of major fishery resources, (3) identification of potential essential fish habitats (EFH), and (4) fishers\' suggestions for local fishery management. The new methodology proved to be useful for FEK studies and its practical application for management. Thus, it is expected to contribute in local fisheries management plans that consider both the health of the ecosystem and the needs of local fishers.

Depuis les années 90, les Projets Intégrés de Conservation et Développement ont été présentés comme des modèles fonctionnels de développement durable pour un site spécifique dans une perspective de réalisation. Le but est d’intégrer les objectifs biologiques de la conservation aux objectifs sociaux et économiques du développement. Ces projets, qui répondent à de multiples dénominations et stratégies, sont implantés dans des contextes naturellement hétérogènes et dynamiques, où l’aménagement du territoire ne doit pas être un outil de planification étatique, désigné et imposé dans une logique conservationniste. Les aires protégées représentent une certaine vision du rapport entre l’être humain et la nature, apparue dans le contexte nord-américain avec la création des premiers grands parcs nationaux en 1870. Aujourd'hui, la forte volonté d'impliquer la population se heurte avec la difficulté de concilier la gestion de ces espaces avec les pratiques, les nécessités et les intérêts locaux. Le parc naturel Obô, qui occupe 30% du territoire de São Tomé et Principe, doit affronter la difficile intégration entre les représentations de la nature et les usages locaux avec les objectifs globaux des politiques conservationnistes, ainsi qu’avec les intérêts touristiques et économiques des investisseurs locaux et étrangers. Les représentations sociales de la nature, établissant une forme de connaissance pratique, déterminent la vision du monde et la relation qu'un certain groupe social peut avoir avec le territoire. Ainsi, chaque communauté possède ses propres mécanismes d'adaptation au milieu basés sur ce système représentationnel. Dans le cas des communautés sãotoméennes, la nature présente un caractère spirituel (associé à des croyances, des rites et des pratiques médicales traditionnelles) et utilitaire (la nature, à travers l'agriculture, la récolte ou la chasse, répond au besoin de subsistance). L’objectif de ce projet de thèse est donc de mieux comprendre la synergie existante entre savoir endogène et gestion de la biodiversité pour adapter l’aménagement du territoire à la réalité des populations qui y vivent. / Since the beginning of the 1990s, Integrated Conservation and Development Projects have offered a functional model of sustainable development for specific sites within the perspective of particular projects. Their goal has been to integrate biological aspects of conservation to the social and economic aspects of development. Protected areas represent a particular vision of the relationship between man and nature, appeared in the American context with the creation of the first national parks. Currently, the wish to involve the population in the creation of protected areas faces the challenge of reconciling the management of these spaces with the local practices, needs and interests. Obô Natural Park, which occupies 30% of the territory of Sao Tome and Principe, follows the difficult process of integrating both local uses and representations of nature to the global objectives of conservationist policies while considering the touristic and economic interests of local and foreign investors. Social representations of nature, understood as a form of practical knowledge, determine the vision of the world and the relationship that a particular social group may have with its territory. Thus, based on this system, each community has its own mechanisms of environmental adaptation. In the case of the Saotomean communities, nature presents a strong spiritual (associated with beliefs, rituals and traditional medical practices) and utilitarian character (nature provides, through farming, collecting or hunting, all you need to live). The aim of this thesis is to understand the synergies between endogenous knowledge and management of biodiversity to adapt the land management process to the reality of the people who live in the particular territory of Sao Tome and Principe.

Eelgrass, Zostera marina L. (Zosteraceae), is a flowering marine plant in coastal regions in the Northern hemisphere. Apart from its significance as habitat for a diversity of marine organisms, it has been a direct resource in European and American economies, and once was a food source for people along the Pacific Coast of North America. This interdisciplinary study documented protocols and specifics of the Kwakwaka’wakw ts’áts’ayem (eelgrass) harvesting tradition in British Columbia, and how their methods of harvesting affected the remaining plants’ growth. Through interviewing 18 traditional eelgrass harvesters and participating in six harvesting sampling events, I documented the detailed protocols of the Kwakwaka’wakw eelgrass harvesting tradition. Based on the protocols of traditional ts’áts’ayem harvesting, I developed harvesting removal experiments in a dense Z. marina populations on Quadra Island (2005) and at Tsawwassen (2006) to examine the effects that traditional harvesting of eelgrass would have had on a shoot production and rhizome internode volume, within a growing season. At the Quadra site, a June treatment of between approximately 15 and 56% shoot removal corresponded with shoot regeneration above original numbers. An approximate 60% removal corresponded with the highest new shoot production after treatment, indicating the strong capacity of eelgrass meadows to promote new shoots after removal disturbance. Based on fieldwork with traditional knowledge holders, I estimate that traditionally harvesting would have been between 10-30% removal within areas the size of the experimental plots. Shoot regeneration, net shoot production and rhizome production results at the Quadra site supported the theory that a light amount of harvesting removal such that was conducted by Kwakwaka’wakw harvesters would have been within a level for full regeneration, and possibly even enhanced shoot population and rhizome production (measured by internode volume). Tsawwassen experiment treatment was applied too late in the season to show an effect of harvest, but the design provided efficient methodology for future experiments. Ecology literature substantiated many of the traditional eelgrass protocols documented in this study, strongly supporting the theory that eelgrass harvesting was a sustainable practice. Scientific literature about pollution also corroborated and explained the observations of elders on the state of today’s eelgrass: few locations yielded ts’áts’ayem fit to eat, as specimens were small, had heavy epiphytic growth and dark rhizomes that Kwakwaka’wakw consultants had not seen in their youth. The combination of traditional ecological knowledge and scientific inquiry holds much potential for providing a better understanding of eelgrass ecology and dynamics, and for defining concepts of sustainability and conservation of this important resource.

In this Master of Arts Thesis in Anthropology I examine the controversy in the Okanagan Valley over the introduction of GM seed technologies into local agricultural processes. I explore via a multi-sited ethnography how local fruit farmers in this region view GM seed technologies and their perception of how these technologies will impact their farming practices. I argue that (a) the use of GM seeds as currently regulated in Canada threatens to erode farmers' local knowledge of plant breeding and that (b) this erosion is of consequence not only to local farmers but to society generally because the environmental knowledge and skills possessed by local farmers is crucial to the protection of biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and food security.

Cette thèse présente les mutations d’une pratique sociale qui repose sur l’interaction directe avec l’environnement – la pêche, dans l’espace du delta du Danube, territoire doté d’une remarquable richesse écologique et engagé, après 1990, dans une double transition socio-économique et écologique qui implique une redéfinition radicale des pratiques d’appropriation des ressources naturelles. Caractérisée par une multiplication des acteurs, des savoirs et des actions, la création d’une Réserve de Biosphère du Delta du Danube met à l’épreuve l’existence même de la pratique de pêche et l’interaction des habitants avec les ressources désormais « naturelles » du delta. A travers une analyse des dispositifs de réglementation des droits de pêche expérimentés dans la Réserve au cours des 20 dernières années, cette thèse présente la dégradation de la pêche comme un espace d'incertitude où les « êtres de la pêche » : acteurs sociaux et poissons, sont redéfinis, expliqués, apprivoisés, mobilisés dans la définition de nouvelles formes d'interaction entre les acteurs sociaux et des ressources naturelles. Dans un contexte de persistance des pratiques de pêche illégales, les indicateurs utilisés dans la formulation des droits de pêche ont une faible capacité à faire évoluer les pratiques. L'approche développée dans cette thèse est clairement confrontée à la manière dominante de penser et de faire dans les politiques de conservation, orientées vers une plus grande rationalisation et la formulation de chaînes logiques entre des indicateurs, des droits et des résultats attendus. Nous montrons les limites de cette approche, qui devrait avoir comme préoccupation première de dépasser la distinction entre « ceux qui savent » et « ceux qui pêchent », en facilitant l’émergence des accords collectifs sur la définition des acteurs, des ressources et de leur état écologique. Nous montrons que dans le monde de la pêche artisanale, la réussite des dispositifs de gestion de la pêche dépend de leur capacité à prendre en considération les savoirs, les pratiques et les capacités critiques des acteurs locaux, développés au cours d’une longue appropriation des ressources. / In the last two decades, different fishing rights systems have been experimented in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve fisheries in order to orient natural resources exploitation practices towards the conservation of biodiversity. Overfishing is considered as one of the main threats to conservation in this ecologically fragile area, since 1989, when the communist productivist model was replaced by conservationist policies. Characterized by the multiplication of actors and knowledge production, the creation of the Biosphere Reserve of Danube Delta is challenging the continuity of fishing practices. Based on an analysis of the fishing rights systems experienced in the reserve, this work presents the degradation of fisheries as an area of uncertainty where social actors and fishing resources are redefined, explained, tamed and mobilized in the definition of new forms of ecological interactions between actors and resources. Indicators and proofs of sustainable fisheries are built on the ground, while experimenting different fishing rights systems. In a context of persisting illegal fishing practices and persistent controversies, fishing rights do not legitimate the introduction of more restrictive measures, and have a week capacity of changing practices. The approach developed in this thesis tries to go beyond the classical distinction between knowledge producers and nature users, by considering knowledge production, rights definition and social practices over nature as interconnected elements of the same process of nature appropriation. The perspective developed in this work is clearly confronted to the dominant way of thinking and doing in conservation policies, oriented towards a greater rationalization and the pre-formulation of a logical chain between measures, effects and outcomes. We show the limits of this approach, which should be primarily concerned by overcoming the distinction between "those who know" and "those who fish", facilitating the emergence of collective agreements on the definition of resources and their ecological status. We show that in the world of artisanal fisheries, the success of fisheries management incentives depends on their ability to take into account the diversity of knowledge, practices and critical capacities that local actors developed through resources appropriation practices.

No description available.

A pesca artesanal de pequena escala (ou subsistência) tem sido historicamente pouco estudada. Poucos estudos buscam compreender os fatores que influenciam a pesca nessa escala. Populações humanas que dependem dos recursos naturais apresentam bom conhecimento sobre o ambiente e os recursos explorados. Barramentos de rios são uns dos principais impactos na pesca de águas interiores, e pouco se sabe sobre esses impactos ao longo do tempo. Portanto, informações das populações locais e da pesca de subsistência podem melhorar e complementar o conhecimento científico sobre a pesca e os impactos causados por barramentos. O objetivo desse estudo é analisar as características da dinâmica da pesca artesanal de subsistência no Baixo Rio Tocantins (Amazônia brasileira) através de entrevistas e desembarques pesqueiros. Testamos a eficiência do conhecimento ecológico local de pescadores através de entrevistas no diagnóstico da dinâmica da pesca e de mudanças ambientais decorrentes de barragens em grandes rios (1º capítulo). Também analisamos o rendimento pesqueiro e as variáveis que influenciam na captura de peixes em cinco comunidades de pescadores artesanais do Baixo Rio Tocantins (2º capítulo). Foram realizadas 300 entrevistas com pescadores de nove comunidades ribeirinhas e registrados 606 desembarques pesqueiros em cinco destas comunidades, em 67 dias de amostragem. Através das entrevistas é possível identificar os peixes mais capturados, as artes de pesca e tamanhos de malhas de redes mais utilizadas pelos pescadores, além da sazonalidade da abundância dos peixes. Houve mudança na composição dos desembarques pesqueiros, 22 anos após o barramento. Através das entrevistas com os pescadores, foi possível identificar também quais espécies de pescado aumentaram (Plagioscion squamosissimus), quais diminuíram (Characidae, várias espécies de pacu), bem como quais desapareceram (Semaprochilodus brama) após o barramento. A produção anual e o rendimento financeiro da pesca foram reduzidos em cerca de 55% após o barramento do rio. A maior parte da variação da biomassa de peixes capturada é explicada pelas variáveis ligadas ao esforço e comportamento do pescador: tempo de pesca (35%), número de pescadores (30%) e a distância até local de pesca (20%). Entrevistas demonstraram ser um método rápido, confiável e de baixo custo para obter importantes informações sobre a pesca e os impactos à jusante de uma hidrelétrica em um grande rio amazônico. O conhecimento ecológico local pode complementar pesquisas ecológicas de longa duração de uma maneira rápida e eficiente. Considerar os pescadores, seu conhecimento e seu comportamento na elaboração de planos de manejo pesqueiro adequados com a realidade local, parece ser a maneira mais promissora de garantir a manutenção da biodiversidade, conservação dos recursos pesqueiros e manutenção da pesca artesanal como atividade econômica. / Small-scale artisanal (or subsistence) fisheries have been little studied. Few studies have attempted to understand the factors that influence the fisheries on this scale. Human populations that depend upon natural resources show good knowledge about the environment and the exploited resources. Dams are among the main impacts affecting inland fisheries and there is little knowledge about the impacts of dams on fisheries over time. Information from local populations and subsistence fishing may improve and complement the scientific knowledge on fisheries and dam’s impacts. The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of subsistence fishing in the Lower Tocantins River (Brazilian Amazon) through interviews and fish landings. We tested the efficiency of recording fishermen’s local ecological knowledge through interviews for assessment of the fisheries dynamics and environmental changes caused by dams in large rivers (1st chapter). We also analyzed the fishing income and the variables that influence the biomass of fish caught in five fishing communities of the Lower Tocantins River (2nd chapter). We conducted 300 interviews with fishermen in nine riverine communities and recorded 606 fish landings in five of these communities in 67 sampling days. Through interviews it is possible to identify the most caught fish species, the fishing gear and gillnet mesh sizes used by most of the fishermen, and the seasonal fish abundance patterns. The composition of fish landings changed 22 years after the dam’s closure. Through interviews with fishermen, also it was possible to identify the species of fish that increased (Plagioscion squamosissimus), decreased (Characidae, several species of pacu) and even disappeared (Semaprochilodus brama) after the dam’s closure. The annual production and financial income of fishing have been reduced by about 55% after the dam’s closure. Most of the variation in the biomass of fish caught is explained by variables related to the fishing effort and to the fisherman’s behavior , such as fishing time (35%), number of fishermen (30%) and distance to fishing grounds (20%). Interviews with fishermen showed to be fast, reliable and inexpensive methods to obtain important information about the fisheries and the impacts downstream from a dam in a large Amazonian river. The local ecological knowledge of resource users can complement long-term ecological research efficiently. The fishermen, their knowledge and their behavior should be considered when developing fisheries management plans appropriate to local realities. This seems to be the most promising way to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity, conservation of fishing resources, and maintenance of artisanal fisheries as an economic activity.

This study engages in an ethical examination of contemporary socio-ecological and economic issues which takes seriously the plight of Africa, African communities, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity. It studies the impact of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights regimes on the protection, use, access to, and conservation of biodiversity and indigenous knowledge in Africa. The study also examines the ways in which northern multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and their agents prospect and convert African resources (biological commons and indigenous knowledge) into their intellectual property as well as private property. It argues that the transfer of African biological commons and indigenous knowledge is exacerbated by economic globalisation and the neo-colonial mentality of conquest concealed under the guise of commerce. The study demonstrates through concrete case studies the tactics used by northern multinational corporations to claim these resources as their intellectual property rights and private property. It observes that the privatisation of biological commons and indigenous knowledge only brings about nominal or no benefits to African communities who have nurtured and continue to nurture them. It also observes that this privatisation results in fewer benefits for biodiversity as they lead to the promotion of monoculture, i.e. commercialisation of all things. To address the injustice and exploitative implications of bioprospecting, biopiracy and intellectual property rights, the study recommends the adoption and implementation of the African model law, the establishment of defensive intellectual property rights mechanisms, and the strategy of resistance and advocacy. It suggests that these measures ought to be grounded on the African normative principle of botho and the Christian ethical principle of justice. / Systematic Theology and Theological Ethics / D.Th.(Theological Ethics)

A pesca artesanal de pequena escala (ou subsistência) tem sido historicamente pouco estudada. Poucos estudos buscam compreender os fatores que influenciam a pesca nessa escala. Populações humanas que dependem dos recursos naturais apresentam bom conhecimento sobre o ambiente e os recursos explorados. Barramentos de rios são uns dos principais impactos na pesca de águas interiores, e pouco se sabe sobre esses impactos ao longo do tempo. Portanto, informações das populações locais e da pesca de subsistência podem melhorar e complementar o conhecimento científico sobre a pesca e os impactos causados por barramentos. O objetivo desse estudo é analisar as características da dinâmica da pesca artesanal de subsistência no Baixo Rio Tocantins (Amazônia brasileira) através de entrevistas e desembarques pesqueiros. Testamos a eficiência do conhecimento ecológico local de pescadores através de entrevistas no diagnóstico da dinâmica da pesca e de mudanças ambientais decorrentes de barragens em grandes rios (1º capítulo). Também analisamos o rendimento pesqueiro e as variáveis que influenciam na captura de peixes em cinco comunidades de pescadores artesanais do Baixo Rio Tocantins (2º capítulo). Foram realizadas 300 entrevistas com pescadores de nove comunidades ribeirinhas e registrados 606 desembarques pesqueiros em cinco destas comunidades, em 67 dias de amostragem. Através das entrevistas é possível identificar os peixes mais capturados, as artes de pesca e tamanhos de malhas de redes mais utilizadas pelos pescadores, além da sazonalidade da abundância dos peixes. Houve mudança na composição dos desembarques pesqueiros, 22 anos após o barramento. Através das entrevistas com os pescadores, foi possível identificar também quais espécies de pescado aumentaram (Plagioscion squamosissimus), quais diminuíram (Characidae, várias espécies de pacu), bem como quais desapareceram (Semaprochilodus brama) após o barramento. A produção anual e o rendimento financeiro da pesca foram reduzidos em cerca de 55% após o barramento do rio. A maior parte da variação da biomassa de peixes capturada é explicada pelas variáveis ligadas ao esforço e comportamento do pescador: tempo de pesca (35%), número de pescadores (30%) e a distância até local de pesca (20%). Entrevistas demonstraram ser um método rápido, confiável e de baixo custo para obter importantes informações sobre a pesca e os impactos à jusante de uma hidrelétrica em um grande rio amazônico. O conhecimento ecológico local pode complementar pesquisas ecológicas de longa duração de uma maneira rápida e eficiente. Considerar os pescadores, seu conhecimento e seu comportamento na elaboração de planos de manejo pesqueiro adequados com a realidade local, parece ser a maneira mais promissora de garantir a manutenção da biodiversidade, conservação dos recursos pesqueiros e manutenção da pesca artesanal como atividade econômica. / Small-scale artisanal (or subsistence) fisheries have been little studied. Few studies have attempted to understand the factors that influence the fisheries on this scale. Human populations that depend upon natural resources show good knowledge about the environment and the exploited resources. Dams are among the main impacts affecting inland fisheries and there is little knowledge about the impacts of dams on fisheries over time. Information from local populations and subsistence fishing may improve and complement the scientific knowledge on fisheries and dam’s impacts. The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of subsistence fishing in the Lower Tocantins River (Brazilian Amazon) through interviews and fish landings. We tested the efficiency of recording fishermen’s local ecological knowledge through interviews for assessment of the fisheries dynamics and environmental changes caused by dams in large rivers (1st chapter). We also analyzed the fishing income and the variables that influence the biomass of fish caught in five fishing communities of the Lower Tocantins River (2nd chapter). We conducted 300 interviews with fishermen in nine riverine communities and recorded 606 fish landings in five of these communities in 67 sampling days. Through interviews it is possible to identify the most caught fish species, the fishing gear and gillnet mesh sizes used by most of the fishermen, and the seasonal fish abundance patterns. The composition of fish landings changed 22 years after the dam’s closure. Through interviews with fishermen, also it was possible to identify the species of fish that increased (Plagioscion squamosissimus), decreased (Characidae, several species of pacu) and even disappeared (Semaprochilodus brama) after the dam’s closure. The annual production and financial income of fishing have been reduced by about 55% after the dam’s closure. Most of the variation in the biomass of fish caught is explained by variables related to the fishing effort and to the fisherman’s behavior , such as fishing time (35%), number of fishermen (30%) and distance to fishing grounds (20%). Interviews with fishermen showed to be fast, reliable and inexpensive methods to obtain important information about the fisheries and the impacts downstream from a dam in a large Amazonian river. The local ecological knowledge of resource users can complement long-term ecological research efficiently. The fishermen, their knowledge and their behavior should be considered when developing fisheries management plans appropriate to local realities. This seems to be the most promising way to ensure the maintenance of biodiversity, conservation of fishing resources, and maintenance of artisanal fisheries as an economic activity.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:29:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseAPGT.pdf: 1749745 bytes, checksum: 8a0e420266544c989b89c5c488b41648 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-10-09 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The use of nature by local communities is based in a set of knowledge, practices and believes, developed through human culture and historical experience with the environment. Small-scale commercial fishermen from Upper-Medium São Francisco River, object of this study, are influenced by the dynamics of the environment cycle and by the ecology and biology of fishery resources, maintaining a very close relationship with them, for developing new knowledge and understandings which can provide better conditions of survive. More than that, the small-scale fishermen have self-organized for planning and practicing local management of fishery resources, which include local rules or institutions which define the rights and duties in the access and use of resources. The study of local ecological knowledge and common property systems developed by these communities are the mainly goal of ethnoecology science and of researches in common property systems, which support them as alternatives to the traditional scientific ecology and management of natural resources. This research was carried out between 1999 and 2001 with 7 field trips of 15 days each. Open and structured interviews were carried out, complemented by direct observation of the fishing activity, and the collect of fishery yield. The small-scale fishermen of Upper-Medium São Francisco River have demonstrated to pursue a detailed comprehension about the ecology and biology of the aquatic system and its fishery resources, on which they have based their fishery practices and common property systems, expecting to guarantee efficiency with sustainability. These local ecological knowledge and practices can contribute to develop a new interdisciplinary scientific view about ecology and management, putting together scientific and local experiences to produce a better use of natural resources, for these and the next generations. / A exploração da natureza por comunidades locais se fundamenta num conjunto de conhecimentos, práticas e crenças humanas para o uso dos recursos naturais, fundado nas tradições culturais e na experimentação empírica do ambiente próximo. Pescadores artesanais comerciais do trecho mineiro do Alto-Médio São Francisco, alvos deste estudo, dependem diretamente das variações dos ciclos ambientais e da biologia e ecologia dos recursos pescados. Mantêm uma associação íntima com o sistema aquático e com os peixes, desenvolvendo conhecimentos e compreensões imprescindíveis para a sua sobrevivência através da pesca. Além disso, os pescadores artesanais têm se auto-organizado para o exercício de manejos locais dos recursos pesqueiros, que abrangem regras ou instituições locais definidoras de direitos de acesso e uso dos recursos pesqueiros, assim como, deveres e formas de monitoramento do uso dos recursos estabelecidos pelas próprias comunidades. O levantamento deste saber e manejo local é função da ciência etnoecologia e da teoria da propriedade comum, que defendem o aproveitamento de ambos, conhecimento e manejo local, como práticas alternativas ao manejo convencional dos recursos naturais. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido em quatro comunidades de pescadores do Rio São Francisco, situadas nos municípios de Três Marias, Pirapora, Buritizeiro e Januária, no estado de Minas Gerias. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas livres e semi-estruturadas, aplicadas a um número mínimo de 16 e a um número máximo de 30 pescadores em cada comunidade, em visitas quadrimestrais com duração média de 15 dias, entre os meses de fevereiro de 1999 a fevereiro de 2001. Os pescadores do Rio São Francisco em Minas Gerais partilham um modelo percebido de seu ambiente de pesca que contempla os comportamentos biológicos e ecológicos dos peixes e do rio, e que determinam diferentes práticas de pesca e sistemas de propriedade comum dos recursos pesqueiros. Tais compreensões e práticas locais são essenciais para um enfoque interdisciplinar da ecologia, necessário para a implementação de ações de manejo verdaderiamente eficazes e participativas.