Fishing for a living : the ecology and economics of fishponds in Central Europe

Fishponds represent a rich natural and cultural heritage of tremendous importance and are of great economic value to the regions in which they are found. This is particularly true of the fishponds found in Central and Eastern Europe, some of which were established 5 and 600 years ago. However, the social, cultural, economic and political upheaval that has characterised the recent history of the region has brought in its wake serious implications for their survival. This report, the results of a project entitled “Environmental/economic appraisal of commercial fish pond operations in four Central European countries” draws on the experiences of four participating countries: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to assess the natural and economic values of their fishponds and proposes a series of recommendations for their future conservation.

Download Visit page

Publication

1997

Related content

Strengthening Women's Voice and Leadership in Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) Fisheries Management

Women fishers and wives of Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) fishermen in Indonesia play important roles in the BSC fishery, yet their contributions and concerns are often overlooked in fisheries management. Limited communication skills and opportunities to express aspirations remain major barriers. Since 2021, Coral Triangle Center (CTC), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), and Photovoices International (PVI) have supported women in Lampung and Central Java through training on BSC ecology, trade chains, and business canvas development; strengthening public speaking through photography and Training of Trainers; and creating spaces for women to speak and share through photo exhibitions and learning exchanges. By combining knowledge, confidence-building, and structured dialogue spaces, the approach strengthened women’s capacity to engage with decision-makers. As a result, women gained confidence, stronger family support, and government recognition. In 2024, women in Lampung were formally included in the provincial BSC Management Team.

Scaling Nature-based Water Security through Green Public Finance in Manabí, Ecuador

The solution addresses water security and climate resilience in Ecuador by integrating Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into public planning, governance, and finance. Led by the Banco de Desarrollo del Ecuador (BDE) with the GIZ Programme Scaling-up EbA Measures in rural Latin America, the initiative made BDE a pioneer in water security through public banking. The BDE is currently incorporating EbA criteria into its budget lines, credit instruments, and project evaluation processes.

A key output, the Sustainable Watershed Management Guide, equips local governments with tools to design bankable, low-emission projects combining infrastructure and nature-based solutions. These approaches are institutionalized in local development plans (PDOTs) and coordinated through watershed councils, fostering multi-level governance and community participation.

Together, these innovations form a replicable model connecting finance, planning, and governance to deliver, climate-resilient investments for Ecuador’s most vulnerable territories.

Ecosystem based Restoration of Floodplain and Scattered Forests in Mongolia

This solution restores floodplain forests and scattered forest ecosystems in Dornod, Zavkhan, Khovd and Sukhbaatar provinces of Mongolia. Between 2022 and 2024, restoration activities were implemented across 1,604 ha using ecosystem based approaches, including assisted natural regeneration, planting of locally adapted tree and shrub species, soil moisture conservation measures, and protection of young seedlings. The solution addresses land and forest degradation, desertification, soil erosion, biodiversity loss and declining water resources. Ecological assessments and GIS based site selection were used to identify suitable restoration areas.

Local governments, communities, researchers and project partners participated in planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance. Early results show improved ecosystem recovery, strengthened local capacity and participation, enhanced climate resilience and support for long-term landscape sustainability.

Protecting Spring Sources and Improving Pasture Water Access through Ecosystem based Adaptation in Mongolia

This Solution focuses on spring source protection and pasture water access in Mongolia’s dryland pastoral ecosystems, implemented through the ADAPT Project with support from the Government of Mongolia, the Green Climate Fund, and UNDP. It addresses growing water scarcity, spring degradation, pasture deterioration, and climate-related drought affecting herder communities and livestock.

The approach combines ecosystem-based adaptation measures, including fencing and protecting spring sources, regulating water flow, restoring surrounding vegetation, and establishing community based management systems. By preventing livestock trampling and reducing contamination, the Solution supports natural spring recovery and improves water quantity and quality.

Between 2022 and 2025, 88 spring sources were protected across Khovd, Zavkhan, Dornod, and Sukhbaatar provinces. In Dariganga soum of Sukhbaatar province alone, restored springs improved water access for more than 30 herder households and over 30,000 livestock.

Reforesting Ghanaian savannahs through data-driven behaviour change

Northern Ghana’s savannah woodlands are being degraded by illegal logging, charcoal production and other unsustainable land uses, while many planted seedlings fail to survive. The ABBAT project combined community-based restoration with the RANAS approach to systematic behaviour change. Mixed-methods research identified the factors influencing tree planting, nurturing and protection; these findings shaped campaigns using hands-on demonstrations, public commitments, positive emotions, role models, peer support and barrier planning. Across three districts around Mole National Park, 1,544 farmers planted more than 62,000 seedlings. RANAS campaign communities achieved observed seedling survival rates of 72-74%, compared with 54% under standard training, despite prolonged drought. A community-led RANAS model performed as well as organisation-led delivery, showing that the approach can strengthen local ownership while offering a scalable model for restoration and climate resilience

From shared risk to shared action: Mekong River Commission facilitates Transboundary Ecosystem-based Flood and Drought Management

Climate change and rapid land-use change intensify floods and droughts in the Lower Mekong Basin. Vulnerability is particularly high in transboundary areas, where upstream-downstream interdependencies limit purely national adaptation. In the 9C-9T sub-basin shared by Cambodia (9C) and Thailand (9T) nearly 1.8 million people are affected. Facilitated by Mekong River Commission (MRC) and supported by GIZ, both countries established a Joint Governance Mechanism for Transboundary Assessment, Planning and Action. With a shared vision, the endorsed 9C-9T Flood and Drought Master Plan guides investments towards Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Economic analysis strengthened the case and enabled German funding for two pilots: (1) a constructed wetland in Thailand reducing wastewater flowing to Cambodia, and (2) rural retention ponds in Cambodia for water security and reduced flooding. Local Climate Risk Assessments (CRA) translate basin-scale concepts into site-specific Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) measures now being implemented.

Regenerative shellfish aquaculture in community-managed marine protected areas of Senegal

This Solution documents how regenerative shellfish aquaculture has been developed and tested within the Community Marine Protected Area (AMCP) of Joal-Fadiouth, Senegal, as part of a broader transition towards a Regenerative Blue Economy. Faced with declining shellfish stocks, livelihood insecurity for women harvesters, and pressures on mangrove ecosystems, local actors piloted a community-led reseeding approach for ark clams (Senilia senilis), complemented by sustainable oyster farming and mangrove restoration. Anchored in shared governance of the AMCP, the approach combines traditional ecological knowledge, scientific monitoring, and precautionary management rules to regenerate natural stocks while improving food security and incomes. A large-scale reseeding operation demonstrated strong ecological recovery and socio-economic returns, benefiting over 500 women. The experience shows how locally managed MPAs can serve as laboratories for regenerative aquaculture that restores ecosystems, strengthens community resilience.

Participatory Soum Level Pasture Co-Management in Mongolia

In Mongolia’s rural administrative system, an aimag is a province, a soum is its district, and a bagh is the smallest unit within a soum, covering households and herder communities. Across 13 soums in Uvurkhangai, Dornogovi, Sukhbaatar and Tuv aimags, open grazing, weak coordination and limited land-use information contributed to pasture degradation. The Sustainable Land Management for Combating Desertification Project formed herder groups and co-management committees, introducing participatory planning, GIS mapping, rotational grazing, field monitoring and locally managed funds. Herders submitted pasture-use proposals at bagh meetings and helped implement annual soum plans. Seasonal grazing restrictions covered over 900,000 ha, while three plots in each target soum compared grazed and ungrazed vegetation. It established 109 herder groups, linked community knowledge with local government decisions, and created a replicable model for restoring and sustainably managing dry rangelands while supporting pastoral livelihoods.

Gender-Responsive Capacity Building and Mentoring for Climate-Resilient, Value-Added Livelihoods in Mongolia

Developed through a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) climate-adaptation project, this solution strengthens livelihoods for women, young herders and people with disabilities in Khovd and Zavkhan Provinces. It combines online instruction, two-day hands-on training, gender sessions, manuals, videos and post-training mentoring. Participants learn to sew standard covers for Mongolian gers (round dwellings) and make value-added leather and rawhide products from local livestock materials. The solution responds to limited skills, equipment, finance and market access while supporting traditional knowledge and income diversification. Two classroom tracks recorded 96 participations. After two months, 25 sewing trainees had made ger covers, seven had sold them and 11 reported earning income. In leathercraft, 23 were applying skills, 14 had made products, five had completed orders and two reported earning income. Follow-up mentoring helped solve production problems and improve confidence.

Back from Extinction in the Wild: Restoring the Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx) across its historical range in Saudi Arabia

The Arabian oryx became extinct in the wild in 1972 after decades of overhunting and habitat destruction. Its recovery required a long-term, multidimensional approach rather than a one-off, single release programme. Key measures included conservation-breeding; legal protection and enforcement; effective management of protected sites; phased reintroductions; and post-release monitoring. In Saudi Arabia reintroductions began in 1989 starting with Imam Saud Bin Abdul Aziz Reserve (Mahazat as Sayd PA) followed by Uruq Bani Marid in 1995 and several other Reserves later on. Recent estimates indicate that around 3,064 Arabian oryx live under wild and lightly managed conditions across 11 sites forming a coordinated network of populations across its historical range in Saudi Arabia, with the population showing an increasing trend (NCW 2026).This recovery demonstrates that extinction in the wild can be reversed when conservation-breeding, translocation and coordination amongst partners are integrated and sustained over the long-term.

Blending Local Finance and Community Stewardship to Restore Khovd’s Riparian Forests, Mongolia

Riparian forests woody vegetation along rivers and streams in Khovd Province have been degraded by grazing pressure, wood cutting, climate change and weak natural regeneration. From 2022 to 2025, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-supported ADAPT project and local governments restored about 700 hectares across 13 districts (soums) and planted more than 560,000 trees. The solution paired restoration and community participation with a sustainable financing model: 70% of the Mongolian tugrik (MNT) 7 billion investment came from ADAPT and 30% from local budgets. UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) helped local authorities improve the planning, collection and allocation of Natural Resource Use Fee revenues so restoration could continue beyond external project funding. The approach strengthens riverbanks, biodiversity, local governance and shared responsibility. Its blend of local revenue, international co-financing and multi-stakeholder delivery can be adapted by other Mongolian provinces.

Using KAP and Livelihood Evidence to Guide Adaptive SLM and Landscape Restoration in Mongolia

The ENSURE Project combined Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) assessments with household livelihood surveys to strengthen evidence-based SLM and landscape restoration in four Mongolian aimags. A 2019 baseline and 2022 follow-up assessed environmental knowledge, conservation practices, training participation, income and livelihood conditions; the 2022 livelihood assessment covered 376 households. Results refined awareness activities, capacity development, livelihood support and natural-resource management. By 2022, the combined knowledge score had risen from 3.09% to 7.0%, conservation practices by 12.8 percentage points, and training participation 2.7-fold. The approach complements biophysical land-degradation-neutrality monitoring by explaining social and livelihood factors that influence land-use decisions. It shows how repeated socio-economic evidence can support adaptive management, although surveys do not themselves measure ecological restoration.