Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
colonial plantations and factories in the rural north. The Portuguese were
strict enforcers of i sheries regulations such as mesh size regulations and in
colonial times there were regular incinerations of illegal nets on Quirimba
(J. Gessner pers. comm.). In 1975 Mozambique gained independence and
the 17-year civil war started. The civil war was fought predominantly in the
ordinary villages of rural Mozambique and the ordinary people of Cabo
Delgado province suf ered brutal guerrilla warfare. Tens of thousands of
people became
deslocados
, refugees within their own country, l eeing vil-
lages that were being destroyed. Many of the
deslocados
l ed to the coast,
and in particular the islands, because the guerrillas would not cross water
and so would not pursue refugees to the islands. This inl ux of people from
the mainland led to an increase in population on the coast (Massinga and
Hatton, 1997) and on the islands (J. Gessner pers. comm.) and a greater
mix of ethnic groups. Many of the refugees were Makuas and some were
Makondes from the northern Mozambican interior.
In the years following the end of the civil war in 1992, Mozambique
gained a level of stability with the government rebuilding the politi-
cal and economic structure (Macia and Hernroth, 1995). The Human
Development Index of the country as determined by UNDP has risen
over recent years, but Mozambique is still the world's tenth poorest
country (UNDP, 2006). Development is now happening very quickly in
all sectors of Mozambican life, from tourism to heavy industry. However,
the Quirimbas have been somewhat neglected. They are over 2000km
from the national capital Maputo and dii cult to reach and are therefore
rarely visited by politicians and other decision-makers. Infrastructure is
poor and there are few opportunities for the people of the Quirimbas to be
represented or heard at a national level.
Methods
Socioeconomic data were collected on Quirimba using several methods:
informal interviews with i shers on i shing trips, at landing sites and
●
in the village;
formal interviews with boat owners;
●
accompanying i shers on i shing trips that employed all major
●
methods;
Visiting i shers' households, talking to families and observing daily
●
routines;
informal workshops in the village with i shers.
●
A number of Quirimba i shers and other residents were key advisers
for this study. They were interviewed at length on numerous occasions,
