Assessing Conflict Potential Between Birds and Small‐Scale Fisheries in Lake Titicaca

Globally, fisheries bycatch constitutes a threat to aquatic birds. However, while the threat is global, the threat from bycatch in inland fisheries, and from artisanal or small‐scale fishing, is particularly understudied. Here, we present the first attempt to map the vulnerability of birds to fisheries bycatch, and the conflict potential between birds and fisheries, in Lake Titicaca. We use field surveys, Bayesian Joint Species Distribution Modelling and a trait‐based weighting approach to prioritise conservation efforts, to map bird vulnerability to fisheries bycatch and conflict potential between birds and fisheries in Lake Titicaca. Fisheries in Lake Titicaca are exclusively smallholder, but fisheries bycatch has been listed as a major threat to biodiversity in the lake in past surveys. We found that the region with the greatest concentration of 1 × 1 km pixels in the uppermost quantile of vulnerability to fisheries was in the Lago Menor, Puno Bay and Ramis River Mouth regions of Lake Titicaca, but that the greatest concentration of 1 × 1 km pixels in the uppermost quantile of conflict occurs in the Lago Menor region. Further work to reduce fisheries bycatch should focus on regions with the greatest existing conflict and the greatest conflict potential but can only plausibly be done with the full consent and collaboration of local fishermen.