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L.D. de Lacerda . B. Kjerfve
Brazil, the Pacific coast mangroves of northern Colombia, the Pacific coast mangroves
of Chiquiri and the Gulf of Panama, and the extensive mangrove forests on the south
coast of Cuba.
Mangrove Fisheries Reserves (MFiRs) is a category, which include those mangroves
associated with extensive waterways, with high production and utilization of fish
and shellfish species that at least spend part of their life cycle in mangrove areas.
We consider two sub-categories of MFiRs. The first includes those systems where catches
mostly consist of mangrove species proper, and which do not necessary involve
the restriction of activities in adjacent coastal waterways. Examples, are the mangrove
crab fisheries in Piaui and other sites along the coast of northeastern Brazil, where
over 30000 people depend on crab harvesting; and oyster collecting along the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela. A second sub-category includes those areas
where large catches of mangrove-dependent estuarine species are harvested, and
protection and restriction of activities in waterways and adjacent coastal waters are
necessary. Examples, are the Panama Gulf shrimp fishing areas and the extensive mangrove waterways along the coast of Para and Maranhao along the northern coast of
Brazil, where there exist direct, well-established relationship between catch and mangroves areas.
A fourth category consists of Damaged Mangrove Areas (DMAs), those which have
been converted to non-sustainable uses of mangroves or subjected to ecologically unsound management practices at the expenses of mangroves, and those areas submitted to anthropogenic impacts with negative impacts on mangrove ecosystem functioning. Examples include the abandoned shrimp farms along the coast of the Gulf of
Guayaquil, Ecuador, the abandoned large-scale silviculture sites on the San Juan river,
Venezuela, the non-productive salt ponds in converted mangrove wetlands along the
northeastern Brazilian coast, and the bankrupted tourism projects which caused deforestation of mangrove forests along Ilha Grande Bay in southeastern Brazil. Mangroves which have been impacted by oil spills include mangroves of the Caribbean coast
of Panama, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, and the Santos-Bertioga coast in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. Also included are the chronically impacted mangroves of Cartagena Bay, Colombia and the industrialized southern Brazilian coast, where a soup of pollutants is
constantly been released into local mangroves.
In conclusion, a detailed inventory of mangrove areas of Latin America and the
Caribbean is still far from complete. With high probability, it will be necessary to designate new and different management categories, as more data are synthesized, due to
the high diversity of mangrove habitats on the continent. Therefore, in implementing
plans, it is always necessary to consider the limitations of our present understanding
both of how mangrove systems function and how well management strategies will work.
Acknowledgements
In writing this paper, we used liberally information in articles published by the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems. These include Lacerda (1993), Lacerda and
Field (1993), and Kjerfve et al. (1997). In preparing this paper, we would like to acknowledge the resources and support of Funda<;:ao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do
Rio de Janeiro-FAPERJ, and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e
Tecnologico-CNPq.
L.D. de Lacerda . B. Kjerfve
Brazil, the Pacific coast mangroves of northern Colombia, the Pacific coast mangroves
of Chiquiri and the Gulf of Panama, and the extensive mangrove forests on the south
coast of Cuba.
Mangrove Fisheries Reserves (MFiRs) is a category, which include those mangroves
associated with extensive waterways, with high production and utilization of fish
and shellfish species that at least spend part of their life cycle in mangrove areas.
We consider two sub-categories of MFiRs. The first includes those systems where catches
mostly consist of mangrove species proper, and which do not necessary involve
the restriction of activities in adjacent coastal waterways. Examples, are the mangrove
crab fisheries in Piaui and other sites along the coast of northeastern Brazil, where
over 30000 people depend on crab harvesting; and oyster collecting along the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela. A second sub-category includes those areas
where large catches of mangrove-dependent estuarine species are harvested, and
protection and restriction of activities in waterways and adjacent coastal waters are
necessary. Examples, are the Panama Gulf shrimp fishing areas and the extensive mangrove waterways along the coast of Para and Maranhao along the northern coast of
Brazil, where there exist direct, well-established relationship between catch and mangroves areas.
A fourth category consists of Damaged Mangrove Areas (DMAs), those which have
been converted to non-sustainable uses of mangroves or subjected to ecologically unsound management practices at the expenses of mangroves, and those areas submitted to anthropogenic impacts with negative impacts on mangrove ecosystem functioning. Examples include the abandoned shrimp farms along the coast of the Gulf of
Guayaquil, Ecuador, the abandoned large-scale silviculture sites on the San Juan river,
Venezuela, the non-productive salt ponds in converted mangrove wetlands along the
northeastern Brazilian coast, and the bankrupted tourism projects which caused deforestation of mangrove forests along Ilha Grande Bay in southeastern Brazil. Mangroves which have been impacted by oil spills include mangroves of the Caribbean coast
of Panama, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, and the Santos-Bertioga coast in Sao Paulo,
Brazil. Also included are the chronically impacted mangroves of Cartagena Bay, Colombia and the industrialized southern Brazilian coast, where a soup of pollutants is
constantly been released into local mangroves.
In conclusion, a detailed inventory of mangrove areas of Latin America and the
Caribbean is still far from complete. With high probability, it will be necessary to designate new and different management categories, as more data are synthesized, due to
the high diversity of mangrove habitats on the continent. Therefore, in implementing
plans, it is always necessary to consider the limitations of our present understanding
both of how mangrove systems function and how well management strategies will work.
Acknowledgements
In writing this paper, we used liberally information in articles published by the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems. These include Lacerda (1993), Lacerda and
Field (1993), and Kjerfve et al. (1997). In preparing this paper, we would like to acknowledge the resources and support of Funda<;:ao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do
Rio de Janeiro-FAPERJ, and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e
Tecnologico-CNPq.