Displacement, disempowerment and corruption: challenges at the interface of fisheries, management and conservation in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau

Small-scale fishers in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau, face significant challenges due to displacement and disempowerment following the establishment of Orango National Park. The study reveals that migrant fishers, often living in isolated camps, lost access to key fishing grounds, leading to violent evictions and a shift to less-observed waters within the marine protected area. This non-compliance highlights weak resource management and complex power dynamics between migrant fishers, indigenous Bijagós islanders, and fisheries authorities. The research uses an anthropological case study to explore these tensions, emphasizing the human rights implications of fishing restrictions in the region.

Cross, H. (2015). Displacement, disempowerment and corruption: challenges at the interface of fisheries, management and conservation in the Bijagós Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. Oryx, 50(4), 693–701. https://doi.org/10.1017/s003060531500040x