Marine Protected Dramas: The Flaws of the Brazilian National System of Marine Protected Areas |
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Authors: | Leopoldo C Gerhardinger Eduardo A S Godoy Peter J S Jones Gilberto Sales Beatrice P Ferreira |
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Institution: | 1.Associa??o de Estudos Costeiros e Marinhos—ECOMAR NGO,Caravelas,Brazil;2.CTTMar, Laboratório de Educa??o Ambiental,Universidade do Vale do Itajaí,Itajaí,Brazil;3.Instituto Chico Mendes de Conserva??o da Biodiversidade, SCEN,Brasília,Brazil;4.Department of Geography,University College London (UCL),London,UK;5.Instituto Chico Mendes de Conserva??o da Biodiversidade, Centro Tamar,Arembepe, Cama?ari,Brazil;6.Centro de Tecnologia, Departamento de Oceanografia,Universidade Federal de Pernambuco,Recife,Brazil |
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Abstract: | This article discusses the current problems and issues associated with the implementation of a National System of Marine Protected
Areas in Brazil. MPA managers and higher governmental level authorities were interviewed about their perceptions of the implementation
of a national MPA strategy and the recent changes in the institutional arrangement of government marine conservation agencies.
Interviewees’ narratives were generally pessimistic and the National System was perceived as weak, with few recognizable marine
conservation outcomes on the ground. The following major flaws were identified: poor inter-institutional coordination of coastal
and ocean governance; institutional crisis faced by the national government marine conservation agency; poor management within
individual MPAs; problems with regional networks of marine protected areas; an overly bureaucratic management and administrative
system; financial shortages creating structural problems and a disconnect between MPA policy and its delivery. Furthermore,
a lack of professional motivation and a pessimistic atmosphere was encountered during many interviews, a malaise which we
believe affects how the entire system is able to respond to crises. Our findings highlight the need for a better understanding
of the role of ‘leadership’ in the performance of socio-ecological systems (such as MPA networks), more effective official
evaluation mechanisms, more localized audits of (and reforms if necessary to) Brazil’s federal biodiversity conservation agency
(ICMBio), and the need for political measures to promote state leadership and support. Continuing to focus on the designation
of more MPAs whilst not fully addressing these issues will achieve little beyond fulfilling, on paper, Brazil’s international
marine biodiversity commitments. |
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