Systematic Planning and Ecosystem-Based Management as Strategies to Reconcile Mangrove Conservation with Resource Use

Abstract

About 120 million people worldwide live within 10 km of large mangrove forests, and many of them directly depend on the goods and services provided by these ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how to synchronize ecological definitions and legal conservation strategies regarding mangroves, especially in developing countries, such as Brazil. The influence of human populations' socio-economic context in mangrove conservation policies, as well associated challenges in incorporating this influence, are underestimated or, often, largely ignored. Considering the recent threats emerging from changes in legislation and the lack of spatial and social-ecological integrated data to plan mangrove conservation in Brazil, this paper aims to answer the following questions: (1) What suitable measures could managers and other decision makers adopt for efficient mangrove conservation planning?; (2) What are the site-specific, social-ecological aspects that need to be taken into account when deciding on conservation and management strategies?; and (3) How could science contribute to the development of these measures? In order to achieve an ecosystem-based management approach, mangrove ecosystems should not be divided into sub-systems, but instead treated as an integrated system. Furthermore, interconnections with other coastal ecosystems must be assessed and taken into account. This is crucial for effective systematic conservation planning. Also, most of the particular social-ecological aspects in the different types of mangrove ecosystems along the Brazilian coast, and how those differences might be considered while planning for conservation, remain poorly understood. Based on similar drivers of change, geological features, and likely impacts of climate change, a macro-unit approach is proposed to group mangrove systems along the Brazilian coast and guide national policies. This paper draws parallels with management approaches worldwide to find common points and hence lessons to be applied in other regional realms. It considers the issues of legal vulnerability and needs for social-ecological data on mangroves, contributing toward systematic conservation planning and ecosystem-based management for these ecosystems.

Neotropical mangroves: Conservation and sustainable use in a scenario of global climate change

“…An emblematic example is the new Forest Code in Brazil. Although it did not remove protection for mangrove forests, the new law excluded salt flats—which are integral parts of mangrove ecosystems—from this protected status (Borges, Ferreira, & Lacerda, ). This change greatly decreases mangrove resilience to rising sea levels by reducing the area available for inland migration (Ferreira & Lacerda, ; Oliveira‐Filho et al, ).…”

“…However, a significant limitation in the recovery of degraded mangrove areas and sustainable practices is the lack of inclusion of the Although several recovery attempts have been made in specific local stands to reduce physical or chemical impacts, the increase in awareness and discussion in the society of mangrove forest conservation issues is significant and hence extremely positive when the community is engaged (Datta et al, 2012;Kairo et al, 2001;Walters, 1997;Sánchez-Cuervo et al, 2012;Walters et al, 2008). To rehabilitate specific or representative coastal areas and improve mangrove stands, connecting them (the so-called corridors) would be a form of promoting and organizing such dispersed planting efforts, but this needs extensive information gathering about areas already restored and coordinated efforts among stakeholders from different social groups, including scientists (Borges et al, 2017).…”

Co-management in mangrove rehabilitation at langkat regency

“…Community participation as program implementers needs to be monitored in the implementation process, this is because the level of education, length of stay, type of work, and gender contribute to the factor of community participation in a regional program [18]. Many cases in various countries explain their findings that co-management is one way to solve a social problem by involving many parties, but in some countries such as India and Brazil, the form of a rehabilitation activity is centered on the community, this is because a system monitoring carried out by the government about a program has been determined by default and the government as a decision-maker recognizes the characteristics of the area it leads, when a region has a good level of participation, the form of the delegation that can be done in a program.…”

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“…This suggests that these "apicum" wetlands are really part of the mangrove ecosystem and offer suitable mangrove refuges in the face of sea level rise. This also adds to the increased concern regarding recent Brazilian legislation, which puts at risk thousands of "apicum" areas by allowing their conversion to "productive" spaces such as shrimp ponds (Ferreira and Lacerda, 2016;Borges et al, 2017).…”