Assessing the spatial management of mangroves and small-scale fisheries in protected areas on the Brazilian Amazon coast

Abstract

Mangroves are important providers of ecosystem services. Despite their relevance for conservation, they have been impacted by dynamic drivers that are causing loss of mangrove area worldwide. In Brazil, mangrove conservation strategies, such as spatial planning and protected areas, have not been fully implemented due to data deficiency on various social-ecological aspects of mangroves, including the spatial dynamics of small-scale fisheries. This thesis aims to investigate how multiple knowledge systems and assessment methods, including the ecosystem-based approach, participatory mapping, and GPS tracking can be combined for integrated management of mangrove protected areas, having as focus study areas two extractive reserves (RESEXs) in northeastern Para, Brazil. In order to achieve an ecosystem-based management approach, mangrove ecosystems need to be managed as an integrated system, and interconnections with other coastal ecosystems must be assessed and taken into account. Regarding the spatial management of small-scale fisheries that take place in mangroves, this research shows that a combination of participatory mapping and GPS tracking can help identify fishing areas and the origin of the crab demand for each area. These findings can be applied to the spatial management of the crab fisheries, including integrated zoning strategies for protected areas. This thesis also proposes a framework to establish the starting geographic level for integrated spatial planning. In northeastern Para, the spatial management of the four existing protected areas needs to be done in an integrated manner.