STARGO: Aquatic resource governance for conflict prevention

Being a vital source of food and income for millions of people, fisheries and aquaculture are of critical importance for many developing countries. adelphi and WorldFish will use case studies worldwide to analyse, how conflicts can be prevented through responsible aquatic ressource management.

While the role of mineral oil and diamonds in catalysing, or extending the length of, conflicts has been comprehensively explored, resources such as arable land, wood, and fishery, which are mainly important for rural areas, are attracting less interest. Research is still at its beginning especially concerning the constructive role of resource governance in conflict prevention.

The project "Strengthening Aquatic Resource Governance" (STARGO) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) will thus explore this aspect in more detail, using the example of aquatic resources like water and fish, and emphasising the importance of collective action. The focus is on the development of innovative mechanisms to improve cooperation between civil society groups, private sector and public authorities in order to identify potential conflicts early and as possible avoid these. To achieve this goal, adelphi will develop, together with the WorldFish Centre, methods and training modules that will be further tailored in cooperation with various stakeholder groups. Theses trainings will subsequently be applied in three regions, including Lake Victoria in East Africa, Lake Kariba on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia.