Recreational angling markets to advance the conservation of a reach of the Western Ramganga River, India

摘要

1. Mahseer fishes of the genus Tor are ‘iconic species’ in Indian rivers, representing ‘flagship’ species forudconservation purposes but with additional exploitable, cultural and economic values. Conservation action isudrequired to address their vulnerability to numerous pressures on multiple habitats, and connections betweenudthem, across the extended aquatic ecosystems supporting different life stages.ud2. Recreational angling for mahseer, along with associated wildlife and cultural tourism, is a growth industry dependent upon healthy river ecosystems.ud3. A cyclic, ecosystem-based model in which local people can benefit economically from sustainable mahseerudexploitation through catch-and-release fisheries can form a basis for conservation of both mahseer and the widerudriver ecosystem.ud4. Experience on the Western Ramganga River in the vicinity of the town of Bikhyasen, Uttarakhand Stateud(in the Himalayas in northern India), demonstrates the importance of involving local people in the benefitsudassociated with angling, wildlife and cultural tourism. This creates local incentives for river protection, and may be the most effective means for preventing destructive over-exploitation in poor rural communities.ud5. Recognition of this value and its recirculation to local people can form the basis for a ‘paying forudecosystems services’ (PES) market. This will benefit river ecosystems, local people, tour operators and visiting anglers, provided that local people benefit to a greater extent than through the killing of fish for non-renewable consumption or sale.ud6. This is the basis for a potentially transferable model which may support regional development throughudinvolving local people in markets for iconic species.