Medidas de Gestao das Pescarias Marinhas e Aquicultura 2019 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 | Page 129

THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 2018 as recommended in the SSF Guidelines (FAO, 2015a, p. 6). However, effective strategies for achieving this outcome are few so far. Funge- Smith (2018) summarizes these contributions and progress being made across a range of SDGs. n species useful for local communities (Halwart and Gupta, 2004). When managed for this biodiversit y, for example through integrated pest management, farmers use lower amounts of pesticides and herbicides in addition to receiving additional food and income. This biodiversit y is threatened primarily due to habitat loss and degradation (Dudgeon et al., 2006) and changing agricultural practices. FISH FOR FOOD SECURITY AND HUMAN NUTRITION Inland fish are one of the important provisioning ser vices of freshwater ecosystems, but to sustain their benefits it is crucial to conser ve the aquatic ecosystem. Inland fisheries are v ulnerable to activities in the water sector and changes in land use that result in substantial changes to water f low and qualit y. Inland fisheries can provide a justification for protecting and/or rehabilitating habitats. Indeed one of the criteria for designating a wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance is the presence of important fisheries or aquatic species (Ramsar Convention, 2005). However, the inland fisher y sector has limited negotiating power and usually obtains concessions from other sectors only as part of reg ulator y requirements or environmental trade-offs. The fisheries and aquaculture sector is crucial to improving food securit y and human nutrition and has an increasingly important role in the fight against hunger, as articulated in the 2030 Agenda. People have never consumed as much fish as they do today, with per capita global fish consumption having doubled since the 1960s. Trade in fish products is also rising, particularly from and among developing countries (Thompson and Amoroso, 2014), and the demand is likely to continue to grow. The United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition for 2016 –2025, led by FAO and the World Health Organization ( W HO), provides a critical opportunit y to raise awareness about the role of fish and to ensure its mainstream incorporation into food securit y and nutrition policy. Moving forward: securing the contribution of inland fisheries Food securit y exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietar y needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Progress towards food securit y differs markedly within countries as well as across regions. It is estimated that in the period 2014–2016 more than one in nine people in the world suffered from hunger, while 13 percent of developing region populations were undernourished (FAO, IFAD and W FP, 2015). In addition to providing nutrients, fish also contributes to the food and nutritional securit y of poor households in developing countries through livelihood diversification and income generation (Thompson and Amoroso, 2014; Béné et al., 2015). Inland capture fisheries are important stakeholders that both contribute directly to the achievement of the SDGs and are indirectly affected by the efforts of others. They will particularly benefit from those efforts aimed at improving protection of freshwater habitats and environments and at more effective integrated resource management in watershed areas, which in turn will enhance the resource base. The productivit y of some inland waters can potentially be enhanced through culture-based fisheries, habitat enhancement and more effective management of water. A key to ensuring the contribution of inland fisheries is to focus on greater appreciation of their role in nutrition and livelihood resilience and securing this role in v ulnerable countries. It is also important to recognize the efficiency and value of current inland fisher y production as an asset that should not be traded off lightly against competing demands from other sectors, especially for water, Fish: a treasure store of nutrients Fish is an important, consistently affordable dietar y component worldwide, albeit with large geographic variance. It provides more than 20 | 113 |