Contributions of social science research to conservation conflict management: The case of the eel fishing in Southern Spain

This presentation examines the contribution of social research for understanding and managing conservation conflicts and fostering negotiated solutions in which the demands of all parties are met, at least in part. To this... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation examines the contribution of social research for understanding and managing conservation conflicts and fostering negotiated solutions in which the demands of all parties are met, at least in part. To this end, the results of a study on the opinions and attitudes of stakeholders and the community of the areas affected by the moratorium on eel (Anguilla anguilla) fishing in the Guadalquivir marshlands declared by the Regional Government of Andalusia in 2010 are presented. The article defends the utility of social research using qualitative methods to gain deeper insight into social perceptions and views in a more contextualized manner, which enables exploring the reasons and logic in which they are framed. Qualitative sociological studies can be especially relevant when the positions of the stakeholders involved are especially distant or radicalized. Indeed, this methodology become essential when many of the members of one of the groups involved, the fishermen, continued fishing illegally, losing the legitimacy necessary to be recognized as interlocutors by the Administration responsible for fisheries management.Our results show that qualitative Social research can contribute to the dynamics or processes of negotiated management of conservation conflicts by bringing to light conflicting positions and promoting dialogue between the parties. Additionally, it can also be useful under certain conditions as an alternative mechanism to achieve the intermediate solutions characteristic of negotiation processes given the difficulty in undertaking such processes. In this way social research contributes to apply more effective measures to solve these conflicts and promote a more positive attitude towards the measures adopted.