The practical application of livelihoods approaches is still relatively new in development work and guidance is much sought by field teams. The concept aims to build a comprehensive picture of how people within communities live, rather than approaching development planning from a sectoral perspective such as agriculture, forestry or fisheries, to assist in planning interventions that will benefit present and future generations. This document discusses the concepts of livelihoods and sustainable livelihoods analyses with these objectives in mind.

This reports describes the status of mangrove ecosystems and associated communities in the Mahakam Delta, Indonesia. It describes historical degradation of the mangrove ecosystems for shrimp farming and land speculation. The report describes the livelihoods of the local communities, their usage and connections with the mangrove forests and farming activities, and socio-economic factors impeding the restoration of mangrove habitats, which are in large part related to poverty. Attempts to replant areas are described.

Shrimp farming is one of the fastest growing aquaculture sectors in many parts of the world and also one of the most controversial. Rapid expansion of this sector generated income fo many countries, but has been accompanied by rising concerns over environmental and social impacts. The International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming provide the basis upon which stakeholders can collaborate for a more sustainable development of shrimp farming.

Shrimp farming is one of the fastest growing aquaculture sectors in many parts of the world and also one of the most controversial. Rapid expansion of this sector generated income fo many countries, but has been accompanied by rising concerns over environmental and social impacts. The International Principles for Responsible Shrimp Farming provide the basis upon which stakeholders can collaborate for a more sustainable development of shrimp farming.

In this issue:

MPEDA-NACA sustainable shrimp village demonstration programme. Inter-calibration of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) PCR laboratories in India. Shrimp health management training. Rotary International/NACA meeting facility up at Koh Yao Noi. Tsunami-affected farmers train in marine cage aquaculture. Marine finfish aquaculture network at the APAN meeting in Singapore. Aquatic animal health policy workshops build consensus in ASEAN nations. Aquaculture Compendium released. Developments in establishing a conservation plan for the Mekong giant catfish. ROUNDTABLE: Exploring south-south cooperation opportunities in sustainable shrimp farming in West Africa, Conakry (Guinea). Technical missions to Cambodia and Lao PDR.

This report examines the role mariculture could play in reducing poverty and providing alternative livelihood opportunities for people living in coastal areas. This includes a review of the current status of coastal poverty, coastal livelihoods and vulnerabilities within the Asia-Pacific region and the experiences and examples of sustainable economic development through mariculture. This review then identifies key follow-up actions and recommends strategies for future pro-poor mariculture development.

In this issue:

High-health postlarvae a prerequisite for sustainability of the Indian shrimp industry. Broodstock and all-female scampi grow out ponds in south India. Genetically modified fish and potential applications. Rainbow trout farming in hill terraces of Nepal. Sugar industry by-products as plankton boosters and yield enhancers in carp culture. Growth and production of Penaeus monodon in low saline culture systems. Poor households raise prawns for export. Marine fish marketing in Bangladesh.

Our better-practice guidelines are an attempt to share lessons that are learnt from local practice or from research, with many more people within Asia-Pacific and to enable people, institutions and policy-makers to use new tools and mechanisms which support aquatic resources management in ways that benefit the livelihoods of people who are poor. This publication is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Hindi, Ilonggo, Khmer, Myanmar, Nepali, Oriya, Sinhala, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Self-help groups are a way to start working that helps to build up the social connections which people find useful in support of their livelihoods objectives, helping people to agree on things and to speak together, giving people a stronger voice in decision-making and in negotiating with more powerful forces. This publication is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Hindi, Ilonggo, Khmer, Myanmar, Nepali, Oriya, Sinhala, Urdu and Vietnamese.

An information access survey is a tool that identifies key issues about people and what information needs they have, what media sources are available, what strategies people use to get information and how cost effective they are. It also provides guidance on methods of communication that are useful for poor rural communities that use aquatic resources to improve their livelihoods. This document is also available in Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali, Hindi, Ilonggo, Khmer, Myanmar, Nepal, Oriya, Sinhala, Urdu and Vietnamese.