Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
actors re-established their control of the commodity chain and traded volumes
returned to pre-conflict levels. This indicates that commodity chains can be
resilient to severe disruption.
Consumer characteristics—consumer preferences in Equatorial Guinea
East
et al
. (2005) looked at consumption of and preferences for the main food
groups in the city of Bata, Equatorial Guinea (Fig. 6.2). They found that the
distinction between bushmeat, domestic meat and fish was much less significant
than that between fresh and frozen produce. Frozen fish and chicken was cheap
and widely eaten despite not being liked by consumers. Preferred foods included
fresh fish and bushmeat. These were disproportionately eaten by wealthier
consumers. As Bata's population and income increases due to its oil boom, it
might be expected that consumption of these preferred foods would increase,
with potentially severe consequences for sustainability.
Institutional framework—forest ownership in the Indian Himalayas
A case study from the Himalayas of Western India serves to illustrate the
complexity of ownership and use rights that fall under the general heading of com-
mon-property resources (Berkes
et al
. 1998). The villagers recognised three kinds
of private property agricultural land, four kinds of common-property grazing land
and three kinds of forest land. The use of these land types by villagers varied with
caste, gender and ethnicity. Use rights had been defined in 1878 under the colonial
regime, based on traditional practices. However, new local resource management
40
35
Frozen mackerel
30
Frozen chicken
25
20
15
Frozen pork
Red snapper
10
Blue duiker
Porcupine
5
0
0
10
20
30
40
Preference score
Fig. 6.2
The mismatch between consumption of foodstuffs and preferences
for them, as expressed by consumers in the city of Bata. Fresh fish and
bushmeat are much preferred, but frozen foods are overwhelmingly
consumed, due to their low price and availability.
