Marine Protected Dramas: The Flaws of the Brazilian National System of Marine Protected Areas

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Environmental Management (2011) 47:630–643 DOI 10.1007/s00267-010-9554-7

Marine Protected Dramas: The Flaws of the Brazilian National System of Marine Protected Areas Leopoldo C. Gerhardinger • Eduardo A. S. Godoy • Peter J. S. Jones • Gilberto Sales • Beatrice P. Ferreira

Received: 16 November 2009 / Accepted: 12 August 2010 / Published online: 24 September 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010

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

L. C. Gerhardinger (&) Associac¸a˜o de Estudos Costeiros e Marinhos—ECOMAR NGO, Rua Dr. Jose´ Andre´ da Cruz, 539, 45900-000 Caravelas, BA, Brazil e-mail: leocavaleri@gmail.com L. C. Gerhardinger CTTMar, Laborato´rio de Educac¸a˜o Ambiental, Universidade do Vale do Itajaı´, Rua Uruguai, 458, Caixa Postal 360, 88302-202 Itajaı´, SC, Brazil E. A. S. Godoy Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservac¸a˜o da Biodiversidade, SCEN, Trecho 2, Ed. Sede do IBAMA, CEP 70.818-900 Brası´lia, Brazil P. J. S. Jones Department of Geography, University College London (UCL), Pearson Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK G. Sales Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservac¸a˜o da Biodiversidade, Centro Tamar, Rua Andre´ia n. 1—Volta do Robalo, CEP 42.835-000 Arembepe, Camac¸ari, BA, Brazil B. P. Ferreira Centro de Tecnologia, Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Arquitetura, s/n, Cidade Universita´ria, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil

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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. Keywords Coastal management Marine conservation Marine reserves Convention on biological diversity Marine spatial management Ocean governance

Introduction Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have recently become widely proclaimed as a powerful tool for marine biodiversity conservation and fisheries management by scientists


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