Mambucaba

Top environmental challenge faced by the community (currently or in the past 10 years):

Mambucaba is located around a Marine Reserve called Ecological Station (ESEC) of Tamoios, being also affected by other protected areas. Ecological Stations enables scientific research and do not need public consultation to be designated (Law nº 6.902/81 and SNUC, 2000). These Marine Reserves were designated to monitor the biophysical environmental quality of Ilha Grande Bay, due the existence of Angra I and II Nuclear Plant. The discovery of oil and gas reserves in the Pre-salt in 2007, and the construction of Angra 3 Nuclear Plant in 2008, opened a new cycle of industrial activities in Angra dos Reis. The Protected Areas became beneficiaries of the environmental licensing conditions that allowed their effective implementation. Since 2008, ESEC Tamoios has started its implementation and, with support from IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources), started to enforce the rules.

How the environmental challenge has affected local livelihoods:

The compliance with ESEC Tamoios rules generated an abandonment of fishing practices due to fear of surveillance. The reactions of fishermen to inspection included cases of depression, caused by the loss of equipment and inability to work, and health problems in the elderly. The main complaints and claims were related to the process of implementation of biodiversity conservation policies in the region since 2006. Among them it is worth mentioning: (a) fishers´ perceptions of the disrespectful attitude of surveillance agents; (b) the criticism of unfair penalties, according to fishers; (c) lack of enforcement for large fishing vessels, while focusing on small-scale artisanal fishing only; and (d) specific criticism about Tamoios Marine Reserve related to unequal treatment of different users (fishers, industry, tourists, etc.) regarding rule compliance and the lack of physical boundaries surrounding the islands. Artisanal and amateur fishers argue that they are more inspected because they stay a longer time in the sea than industrial boats which fish more frequently during night-time when surveillance operations rarely occur.

Community response to the challenge, through environmental stewardship (conservation) initiatives that improve environmental well-being and support sustainable livelihoods:

The Professional and Amateur Fishers Associations of the Angra dos Reis Forth District (APEPAD) was created in 2008. Motivated by complaints from fishers, the Municipality Council of Paraty, with the support of Fishers Association of Paraty and APEPAD, formally demanded to ICMBio (Process number 02070-003813/2009-08) to allow artisanal and amateur fishing within ESEC Tamoios. In April 2012, the Term of Agreement was announced in the ESEC Tamoios Advisory Council as an alternative to resuming the conflict in the Mambucaba communities. The Term of Agreement is a legal instrument that established some rules, usually based on local rules to allow traditional populations affected by restrictive Protected Areas to access and use resources within such areas. The Terms of Agreement must be periodically reviewed, after evaluation of its performance, based on the results of environmental monitoring.

Extent to which governmental policy (at local, regional or national levels, as relevant) has supported, or been contrary to, the community's responses to the environmental challenge:

A Working Group was established involving government representatives and fishers’ organizations. At this point, Mambucaba was excluded from the discussion process and the neighbor community (Tarituba) was prioritized due to: (i) high support from the Paraty fishing sector; (ii) internal conflicts in Mambucaba that implies different rhythms of negotiations and; (iii) the lack of reference about how to apply the Term of Agreement in environments of high social complexities as Mambucaba. In the Vila Histórica, for example, the traditional criteria excluded most of the dwellers that were not born in the place, but have lived here for a long time. Still now, the Terms of Agreement in Tarituba was not signed by the Environmental Agency central office in Brasília. Meanwhile, artisanal fishers continue illegally fishing on the reserve area, and the reserve staff and the Environmental Agency have concentrated enforcement effort on trawlers and other medium-sized engine boats, avoiding approaching artisanal fishers.

Keywords: Ecosystem

Marine

Keywords: Resources

Fish

Keywords: Big Issues

Environmental law

Keywords: Solutions

User-rights

Contributed by: Rodrigo Rodrigues de Freitas, University of Southern Santa Catarina

The information provided and opinions expressed above are the responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views and analysis of the Community Conservation Research Network (CCRN), nor those of all members of the community described.

For any questions or comments on Communities in Action, please contact us here.