Ethnoecology: perception and resilience regarding the use of fisheries resources and fishing technologies in Paraty, RJ

• Grant number: 11/15629-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Alpina Begossi
• Grantee: Fernanda Pereira de Mesquita
• Host Institution: Pró-Reitoria Acadêmica. Universidade Santa Cecília (UNISANTA). Santos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/11154-3 - Ecology of artisanal fishing in Paraty: optimal foraging and ethnoecology, AP.TEM

Abstract

The concept of sustainable development, although widespread on the world stage, it is just as successful with regard to their deployment in practical action, having, in most cases, a large distance from decision makers than those who directly depend on the natural resources, which has extensive knowledge of these. Managing natural resources, aiming at the continuity and sustainability of these, is the need of entering and valorization of knowledge of traditional communities, which are often related to the quality of the environment in which they operate and of high biodiversity. The artisanal fishing, an activity of great social and economic importance in Brazil, has faced different pressures to its continuity, as the fishing industry, real estate speculation, which generates a departure from the place of origin of the fishermen, and the restrictions imposed by government. Within this context, participatory management of artisanal fisheries can contribute to both the maintenance of fish stocks and for sustaining their activity. Although the potential sustainability of fishing practices may be questioned, these are comparatively less aggressive than those of industrial scale. The fact that coastal communities are inherently different areas, allowing multiple social and economic niches can occur, contributing to management measures that explore aspects of local resilience. The objective of this study is to assess the impacts of fishing gear used in the community of Praia Grande, Paraty, confronting them with indicators of resilience, in order to expand the knowledge base necessary for rational use of natural resources. (AU)