Brazilian Coastal and Marine Protected Areas Importance, Current Status and Recommendations
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Brazilian Coastal and Marine Protected Areas Importance, Current Status and Recommendations Carina Tostes Abreu United Nations – Nippon Foundation of Japan Fellowship Programme DIVISION FOR OCEAN AFFAIRS AND THE LAW OF THE SEA OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS THE UNITED NATIONS NEW YORK December 2015 DISCLAIMER The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily re- flect the views of the Government of Brazil, the United Nations, the Nippon Foundation of Japan, or University of Rhode Island. © 2015 Carina T. Abreu. All rights reserved. ii ABSTRACT Brazil's maritime region holds an extraordinary biodiversity with more than 7,400 km of coastline and 3.6 million km² of exclusive economic zone. This area includes 3,000 km of coral reefs and 12% of the world's mangroves. These areas and their natural resources are extremely important for the economy of the country. Around 18 % of Brazilian population lives on the coast and economic activities in this areas account for about 70% of the country’s GDP, resulting in pressures on coastal resources and negative impacts on the biodiversity. The main Brazilian strategy for biodiversity conservation in situ is the establishment and the maintenance of the National System of Protected Areas. Despite efforts to create Protected Areas, the Marine Biome has the smallest percentage of area under protection in Brazil, with about 1.5%. Moreover, the few designated marine protected areas have not been well implemented and managed. Historically, public and political ignores economic benefits of ecosystem services and non-utilitarian benefits, instead considering only the immediate values obtained from direct exploration. Currently, the politics and social context in Brazil are unfavorable to the establishment of new Protected Areas and the fuller implementation and better management of the existing ones. This paper provides an overview of the Brazilian legal framework for protected areas and current governmental plans and actions. The MPAs’ current situation was analyzed, in terms of number, area, and ecosystems representativeness. Procedures, challenges, and difficulties to the establishment and implementation of MPAs are presented. The paper argues that early stakeholder engagement in planning and enhanced public awareness about MPAs benefits are necessary if more MPAs are to be established and well managed. Concluding, coastal and marine spatial planning and other related strategies that include meaningful public participation, increased financial resources for planning and implementation, and the subsequent increased political support are essential to ensure environmental protection for costal and marine biomes in Brazil. iii SUPERVISORS Professor Robert Thompson Department of Marine Affairs, Chair University of Rhode Island (URI) United States Ms. Valentina Germani Legal Officer (Programme Advisor) Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea Office of Legal Affairs United Nations iv ACRONYMS APP Permanent Preservation Area CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CCC Convention on Climate Change CIRM Inter-ministerial Commission for Marine Resources CLCS Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf CNUC Brazilian National Protected Areas Register CONABIO Brazilian National Biodiversity Commission COP CBD Conference of the Parties DETER Real Time Deforestation Detection EBSMA Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area EEA European Environment Agency EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FUNAI National Indian Foundation GCRMN Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network GDP Gross Domestic Product GEF Global Environmental Fund GIS Geographic Information Systems IBAMA Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources IBGE Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ICMBio Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity Conservation IL Indigenous Land ISA Socio-Environmental Institute IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature KFW German Financial Cooperation MMA Brazilian Ministry of Environment MPA Marine Protected Area MSP Marine Spatial Planning NEAFC Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission NGO Non-governmental Organization OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic v PA Protected Area PNAP National Strategic Plan on Protected Areas PNGC National Coastal Management Plan PNMA National Environmental Policy PNRM National Policy for Marine Resources PRODES Brazilian Amazon Forest Satellite Monitoring PSRM Brazilian Sector Plan for the Resources of the Sea RAPPAM Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Areas Management REMPLAC Mineral Potential Assessment of the Brazilian Continental Shelf RFT Rain Forest Trust Fund SAMGe Management Monitoring and Evaluation System SBSTTA CBD Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice SISNAMA National Environmental System SNUC Brazilian National System of Protected Areas TNC The Nature Conservancy UNCLOS United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea UNDP United Nations Development Programme US United States VAT Value-Added Tax (ICMS, in Brazil) WDPA World Database on Protected Areas WWF World Wildlife Fund vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Nippon Foundation of Japan and the United Nations through the Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (DOALOS) for giving me this opportunity of learning and improving my awareness in ocean affairs field. I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation to Valentina Germani, for the guidance, support and encouragement during the whole period of my study. This research paper would not be possible without her patience and dedication. My sincerely thank to Ms. Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Mr. François Bailet, and all DOALOS staff members for sharing they knowledge and for their warm welcome in the office. This appreciation would not be complete if I did not mention my thanks to Simone Dempsey, for her help, readiness, willingness, and kindness. I am very grateful to my supervisor, Professor Robert Thompson, for the guidance during the six months of the University of Rhode Island, the countless recommendations in this paper, and for the opportunity to participate in some courses of the University. My thanks to the Graduate students of the Department of Marine Affairs, especially Emily, Melvin, Andrea, and Alexa for their kind support, patience, and friendship. My profound appreciation to Alexa Sterling for advising and grammar checking during a busy semester. Her assistance was priceless. I would like to register my enormous gratitude to Jacinta Jewett, John Jewett, and Camila Meireles for help with the English language, assistance in US, and friendship. Without their support this dream would not be possible. To my 2015 UN fellows Alex, Francisco, Fides, Ahlem, Mutindi, Taimur, Tamara, Malin, Ayo, Eric, and Lester for your wonderful friendship and all moments in UN Headquarter. I am luck to meet you and hope to meet you again soon. Special thanks to Abbas Finally, I would like to express my sincerely appreciation to my husband, Diogo Rocha, for understanding and taking care of the family for the whole period of my study, without his support and encouragement it wouldn’t be easy for me to complete this paper. And to my children, Ludmila and Tiago, for being brave and following me on this adventure. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract..............................................................................................................iii Supervisors.........................................................................................................iv Acronyms.............................................................................................................v Acknowledgements...........................................................................................vii Table of Contents..............................................................................................viii Introduction.........................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 – Biodiversity, Human Activities, and Impacts on Coastal and Marine Biomes........10 1.1. The Importance Of Coastal And Marine Biodiversity.............................................................10 1.2. Brazilian Coastal And Marine Biodiversity .............................................................................15 1.3. Human Activities And Impacts On Coastal Ecosystems .........................................................19 1.4. Human Activities And Impacts On Marine Ecosystems..........................................................23 Chapter 2 – Classification and Current Status of Protected Areas in Brazil, Priority Areas for Conservation, Legal Framework, and Government Programs.................................................30 2.1. The Importance Of Protected Areas, Identification Of Ecologically Or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSMA) Process, And Brazilian Priority Areas For Conservation...........................30 2.2. Brazilian Federal Legal Framework And Governmental Plans And Actions...........................36 2.3. The National System Of Protected Areas................................................................................42 2.4. Current Status Of Coastal And Marine Protected Areas In Brazil...........................................48 Chapter 3 – Challenges of Establishing and Implementing Coastal and Marine Protected Areas ..............................................................................................................................................54