Coastal areas are very susceptible to environmental problems such as sea-level rise, coastal flooding, increased frequency and intensity of extreme events, and changes in marine ecosystems that are arising from global climate change and variability. In the South African context, the Agulhas Current is important for its crucial role in regional climate and weather as well as the fishing livelihood of the coastal communities along the east coast of South Africa. Despite the efforts made to understand the Agulhas Current and the impacts of climate and environmental change, the shelf region remains poorly understood mostly due to the difficulties associated with observing and modelling such strong currents. The marine resource users in the fishing communities along the east coast of South Africa show long term dependence on the neighbouring ocean going back at least three generations. These communities provide long term, rich, detailed, and contextualized environmental knowledge from their daily interactions with the sea. This study seeks to investigate the local climate and environmental change knowledge of the fishers based on their own observations, perceptions, and experiences. The convergence/divergence of the marine resource user’s knowledge with the traditional scientific findings is explored using a broad, participatory methodology including desktop literature analysis, interviews and an adopted version of the Rapid Vulnerability Assessment (RVA). Results show that fishers in Tshani-Mankosi have observed changes in the rainfall, sea surface temperature and wind patterns in their community. According to the fishers, sea surface temperature and annual rainfall seem to have decreased while winds and rainfall related extreme events have increased. Similar observations were noticed in the scientific research at a larger spatial and temporal scale. Key differences and similarities between the two types of knowledge come from factors such as knowledge construction processes, scales, type of data output and parameters of interest. Finally, the study reveals opportunities and challenges of research collaboration between the community and scientific researchers.

This dissertation work presents a novel method for addressing system uncertainty to improve management of a small-scale fishery in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Using fishers' ecological knowledge (FEK), this research examines existing perspectives and biases through the Q-Method to identify regulatory inefficiencies in the management framework and strengthen the rationale for including fishers into the management process, develops a coupled behavior-economics model to predict the likelihood of fishing the preferred grounds under a range of physical and regulatory conditions, establishes a baseline assessment of a spawning aggregation of mutton snapper following sixteen years of protection through a no-take marine protected area, and conducts a discrete choice method test to examine likely public support for FEK-based proposed regulatory alternatives. This work contributes to an under-studied and much-needed area of fisheries management, that of incorporating socioeconomic motivations within an ecosystem-based framework. As fisheries management efforts begin to embrace ecosystem-based approaches, the need for understanding and incorporating the knowledge and behavior of fishers into management has never been greater. Ecological goals of fishery sustainability and continued habitat function cannot be achieved without first understanding how fishers view and respond to any regulatory environment and then developing a framework that achieves the greatest support for those regulations. The time has come for incorporating FEK into ecosystem-based fisheries management.

This research explored the role of science and civil society environmental organizations in conservation planning, using a case study of Ontario’s Long Point region. Science is a dynamic field that is constantly adapting and evolving and is increasingly relied on as a basis for decision-making in conservation planning, policy and management. The role of civil society in conservation planning has also grown and organizations that operate outside of government now play an important role in acquiring land, conducting monitoring activities, and promoting local stewardship. Considering the activities of these organizations, and the underlying science that informs them, is essential given the increasing prevalence of this type of work and the increasing ability of civil society organizations to affect conservation planning outcomes. Through a literature review, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, this research considered how characterizations of science, applications of science, and recent trends in science have influenced conservation plans, policies, and actions in the Long Point region. The results illustrate how different forms of information were considered and applied when prioritizing, justifying, and implementing conservation projects and provide a location-specific example of how the modern features of conservation planning and management are influencing environmental outcomes. Specifically, the results suggest how place-based knowledge can potentially be disseminated through policy and planning initiatives and also suggest how different forms of information may interact to influence overall project credibility. These findings have implications for both planning theory and practice by contributing to our understanding of the role of science in shaping conservation practices, the role of civil society in driving conservation innovation, and the importance of local knowledge in supporting effective conservation actions. / Thesis (Master, Urban & Regional Planning) -- Queen's University, 2010-07-05 20:55:39.924

This thesis is concerned with understanding how the distinct “knowledges” articulated by environmental activists address the places that activists relate to. Through an engagement with the theoretical work of Edward Casey and Doreen Massey, it is argued that humans engage with specific places through an embodied encounter that takes place on the basis of particular evolving cultural traditions. These cultural traditions are influenced by the relations that are encountered in specific places through the course of inhabitation, creating local ecological and social knowledges in the process. Based on this understanding, it is argued that framings of environmental politics by environmental activists in relation to culturally specific scientific understandings of nature are often unable to address the particularity of local social and ecological relations that are contested in specific places. The danger is that contesting environmental politics in terms of the language of nature will de-emphasize the importance of local political relations and the knowledges that are generated in relation to these scales of political engagement. This theoretical argument is developed in connection to a case study of the Perry Ridge blockade, an anti-logging demonstration that took place in the Slocan Valley during 1997. It will be argued that there are important aspects of the politics of environmental activists involved in the Perry Ridge blockade that are based on the knowledge generated through inhabitation of the Slocan Valley. The presence of local ecological knowledge in the Perry Ridge blockade indicates that elements of local activist traditions are subjugated when analyses of environmental politics are understood in terms of abstract cultural discourses such as nature. This conclusion indicates that rural environmental activists are not only engaged in a politics of nature but often also in the messier political processes encountered through inhabitation in places. Given that discourses of nature that are scientifically generated are able to jump scales and impact local political processes, the danger is that the use of such discourses will restrict attempts by local activists to engage in a more thorough way with the complex politics of specific rural places. / Graduate

Orientador: Alpina Begossi / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T12:27:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Souza_ShirleyPachecode_D.pdf: 6019504 bytes, checksum: 1683e02bf091f17c595677e61a8c27ee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Este estudo registra e analisa o conhecimento ecológico dos pescadores artesanais da costa brasileira. O conhecimento dos pescadores é empírico, prático e contém registros em longo prazo sobre espécies e eventos ambientais, incluindo informações biológicas, ecológicas e culturais. Tendo a Ecologia Humana e a Etnobiologia como bases conceituais e metodológicas caracterizamos o conhecimento dos pescadores sobre a classificação, a nomenclatura e a ecologia dos cetáceos. Entrevistamos 171 pescadores artesanais de comunidades localizadas em Soure (Ilha do Marajó) na região norte, em Ponta Negra (Natal) na região nordeste, em São Sebastião (São Paulo) na região sudeste e em Pântano do Sul (Florianópolis) na região sul do Brasil. Os cetáceos fazem parte da megafauna impactada pela captura acidental na pesca. Cerca de metade das espécies existentes no Brasil está classificada pela Lista Vermelha da IUCN como espécies com dados insuficientes, devido à falta de informação sobre elas. Conforme os resultados desta pesquisa, os pescadores reconheceram 17 espécies de cetáceos e as agruparam em quatro etnogêneros e 37 etnoespécies. O conhecimento dos pescadores sobre as áreas de ocorrência, habitats preferenciais, sazonalidade, tamanhos de grupo e reprodução dos cetáceos forneceu informações para 16 espécies. O boto-cinza (Sotalia guianensis) e o golfinho-nariz-de-garrafa (Tursiops truncatus) foram as espécies mais citadas nas quatro áreas. Os tópicos mais conhecidos foram áreas de ocorrência e tamanhos de grupo, e o menos conhecido foi reprodução. Em relação às interações entre cetáceos e atividades pesqueiras, as informações obtidas indicaram os seguintes tipos de interações: competição (com os peixes e os pescadores), cooperação (com os pescadores) e predação (sobre as espécies-alvo da pesca ou como presa para outros predadores de topo). As espécies mais comuns em cada área (S. guianensis, T. truncatus, Inia geoffrensis, Stenella clymene, Pontoporia blainvillei e Eubalaena australis) são as mais conhecidas e as mais mencionadas como principais competidores ou cooperadores. A captura acidental de cetáceos foi a interação mais citada. Os pescadores conhecem detalhes sobre os hábitos alimentares de alguns cetáceos, descrevendo 28 tipos diferentes de comportamentos alimentares e listando 48 espécies de peixes, moluscos e crustáceos como presas preferenciais. Fatores culturais e ambientais, tais como variações oceanográficas nas áreas de estudo e variações no uso de recursos influenciaram o conhecimento dos pescadores. Comparando as informações dos pescadores sobre as espécies mais comuns de cetáceos com aquelas contidas na literatura científica encontramos grande concordância em relação aos aspectos ecológicos e às interações com a pesca. Apenas para duas espécies (Stenella clymene e Inia geoffrensis) o conhecimento dos pescadores foi discordante da literatura. Estes casos de inconsistência entre os dois tipos de conhecimento podem refletir alguma falta de conhecimento dos pescadores sobre estas espécies ou, por outro lado, podem sugerir novas linhas de pesquisa. O conhecimento dos pescadores sobre as interações envolvendo cetáceos são úteis ao manejo das capturas acidentais, fornecendo informações sobre áreas críticas de captura e sugerindo locais e designs alternativos para as redes de espera. Sugerimos que este conhecimento seja considerado nas estratégias de manejo pesqueiro, já que pode contribuir para minimizar as interações negativas entre os cetáceos e a pesca / Abstract: This study records and analyzes fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) on cetaceans in the Brazilian coast. Fishers' (LEK) is empirical, practical-oriented, embedded with long-term records on local species or environmental events, and includes important biological, ecological and cultural information. Choosing Human Ecology and Ethnobiology as methodological base and considering cultural and oceanographic variations in the studied areas, we present fishers' knowledge through Folk Taxonomy and Ethnoecology. We interviewed 171 fishers from communities situated in four areas in Brazil: Soure (at Marajó Island, northern coast), Ponta Negra (at Natal, northeastern coast), São Sebastião (at southeastern coast) and Pântano do Sul (at Florianópolis, southern coast). Cetaceans are among the megafauna impacted by bycatch in fisheries. Nearly half of the cetacean species occurring in Brazil are classified by the IUCN Red List as "data deficient" due to lack of information about them. We studied fishers' LEK on cetaceans' classification and nomenclature. Fishers recognized 17 cetacean species and included them in four folk genera and 37 folk species. We recorded fishers' knowledge on cetaceans' ecology. Fishers reported 112 occurrence areas, providing information on preferential habitats, seasonality patterns, group sizes and reproduction for cetacean species. The topics most known by the fishers are occurrence areas and group sizes, and the least known is reproduction. The Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) are the most cited species. Fishers' LEK on cetaceans' interactions with fisheries indicated the following kinds of interactions: competition (with local fish and fishers), cooperation (to the fishers), and predation (on fisheries' target species or as prey for other top predators). The most common species in each place (Sotalia guianensis, Tursiops truncatus, Inia geoffrensis, Stenella clymene, Pontoporia blainvillei and Eubalaena australis) are the most known by the fishers, and those mentioned as the main cooperators or competitors. As a result of these interactions some cetaceans are accidentally caught by gillnets used near the coast. Fishers know details about the feeding habits of some species, describing 28 different feeding behaviors and listing 48 species of fishes, mollusks and crustaceans as preferential prey. There were variations among fishers' LEK in the study areas, probably influenced by the level of communities' dependence on natural resources and by variations in oceanographic parameters. We compare fishers' knowledge on the most common species with the information in the scientific literature and we found great concordance in relation to cetaceans' occurrence areas, seasonality, group sizes, prey items and their interactions with fisheries except for two species (Stenella clymene and Inia geoffrensis), to which fishers' information was discordant. These cases of inconsistency between LEK and scientific literature could reflect the fishers' lack of knowledge on these species or, conversely, could suggest new lines of investigation. Fishers' knowledge on the cetaceans' feeding behavior and their interactions to fisheries can be helpful, through the indication of bycatch critical areas and alternative location for setting gillnets, as well as possible alterations in gillnets' designs. We suggest that fishers' knowledge should be considered in fisheries management plans, helping to minimize the negative interactions between cetaceans and fisheries / Doutorado / Ecologia / Doutor em Ecologia

To advance conservation in the increasingly fragmented landscape of Madagascar, we must examine the persistence and interactions of species in human-disturbed habitats. I investigated lemur-predator interactions in southeastern Madagascar through a comparison of predator communities and anti-predator behaviors of Milne-Edwards' sifakas (Propithecus edwardsi) in the continuous rainforest of Ranomafana National Park, and the forest fragments of Ialatsara Forest Station. I confirmed the presence of potential aerial predators at each site, but the sifakas' confirmed native mammalian predator, fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox), was absent from the fragmented site. Playbacks of predator vocalizations did not suggest that fragment-living sifakas have weakened anti-predator responses, but that their responses may be less specific than those of conspecifics in the continuous forest. I found that fragment-living sifakas displayed less downward vigilance and more frequently used low canopy heights; these behaviors may increase their vulnerability to recolonizing ground predators. I investigated local ecological knowledge (LEK) of carnivore ecology in communities 0–20 km from continuous forest to explore the potential for such recolonization. My findings from 182 interviews in 17 communities suggest that the fossa is especially sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance; it was only observed in communities ≤ 2.5 km from the continuous forest within the last five years. In contrast, the introduced small Indian civet (Viverricula indica) and wild cat (Felis silvestris) were distributed ubiquitously and displayed an affinity to human-dominated habitats. LEK surveys can provide information on the poorly understood responses of the Malagasy carnivores to the threats they face in a changing landscape. / Master of Science

Externalities caused by human transformations in ecosystems structure and functioning has been threatening environmental quality and social welfare in all socioecological systems, including coastal zones. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an instrument widely used to evaluate the feasibility of developments and projects that can potentially provoke changes in biophysical-human environment. However, EIA generic and fragmented approach has not properly been considering people and environmental particularities, such processes and benefits to society, in decision making. Ecosystem-Based Management recently emerged as a strategy that can qualify EIA, by embracing ecosystem processes and services (ES), human dimensions, social engagement and Local, Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledge. Using a case study of a contested Port expansion in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil, that endangered the sustainability of an adjacent bay (Araçá Bay), we selected analytical categories comprising different stakeholders, ecosystem services and disturbances scenarios to understand the role of EBM in coastal EIA. We presumed that stakeholders with deeper relationships with the place could provide more comprehensive assessments about changes in the availability of main local ES, as a result of greater sense of place, access to different sources of knowledge and opportunities to social participation. Also, an EBM approach would provide a more robust, i.e., a wider and more integrated assessment of impacts in the provision of the ES than the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of the port expansion. We performed in-depth interviews with four different groups of stakeholders and analyzed their speeches with discourse analysis and statistical inquiries to assess ES scores of occurrences in current (Two-way ANOVA) and disturbances scenarios (Repeated measures ANOVA and PERMANOVA), besides their main argumentation patterns. We compared these results with the port expansion EIS to assert to robustness of the method. The groups had different perceptions from each other, which depended on the scenario and ES evaluated. We corroborated the hypotheses: groups\' closer, deeper and more engaged relationships with the place had more comprehensive assessments of changes in the ES; and stakeholders perceptions reflected trade-offs of the local urban conflicts, providing a higher variety and more integrated assessments of impacts than the Environmental Impact Study of the Port expansion. The diversity of forms of knowledge, behaviors and functions, in temporal and spatial scales, proved to be valuable for the groups\' assessments of resource and the territory, and the choice of the analytical categories was fundamental to consolidate the understanding of local socioecological processes. We concluded that the method tested was efficient and respected the intrinsic variability of coastal zones and its function as a socioecological system to assert that EBM has a great potential to improve the effectiveness of EIA. / As externalidades causadas por transformações humanas na estrutura e funcionamento dos ecossistemas têm ameaçado a qualidade ambiental e o bem-estar social em todos os sistemas socioecológicos, incluindo as zonas costeiras. A Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental (AIA) é um instrumento amplamente utilizado para avaliar a viabilidade de empreendimentos e projetos que podem provocar potenciais mudanças no ambiente biofísico-humano. No entanto, a abordagem genérica e fragmentada da AIA não tem devidamente considerado as pessoas e as particularidades ambientais, como os processos e valores sociais, na tomada de decisões. A Abordagem Baseada em Ecossistemas (ABE) surgiu recentemente como uma estratégia que pode qualificar a AIA, abrangendo processos e serviços ecossistêmicos (SE), dimensões humanas, engajamento social e Conhecimento Ecológico Local, Tradicional e Científico. Utilizando um estudo de caso de uma contestada ampliação portuária em São Sebastião, São Paulo, que ameaçou a sustentabilidade de uma baía adjacente (a Baía de Araçá), selecionamos categorias analíticas que compreendem diferentes stakeholders (ou principais atores), serviços ecossistêmicos e cenários de perturbações para entender o papel da ABE na AIA costeira. Presumimos que os stakeholders com relações mais profundas com o local poderiam fornecer avaliações mais abrangentes sobre mudanças na disponibilidade dos principais SE locais, como resultado de maior senso de pertencimento, acesso a diferentes fontes de conhecimento e oportunidades para participar socialmente. Além disso, assumimos que a ABE proporcionaria uma AIA mais robusta, ou seja, com uma perspectiva mais ampla e mais integrada dos impactos na provisão dos SE do que Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da expansão portuária. Realizamos entrevistas em profundidade com quatro grupos diferentes de stakeholders e analisamos o conteúdo por meio de análise de discurso e testes estatísticos para avaliar as ocorrências dos SE no cenário atual (ANOVA de duas vias) e nos cenários de perturbações (ANOVA de medidas repetidas e PERMANOVA), além dos principais padrões de argumentação dos stakeholders. Comparamos esses resultados com o Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da ampliação do Porto para afirmar a robustez do método. Os grupos apresentaram diferentes percepções uns dos outros, o que dependeu do cenário e do SE avaliado. Nós corroboramos as hipóteses: grupos com relações mais próximas, mais profundas e mais comprometidas com o local tiveram avaliações mais abrangentes das mudanças dos SE; e as percepções dos stakeholders refletiram os trade-offs (ou qualidade, aspecto) dos conflitos urbanos locais, proporcionando avaliações mais variadas e integradas de impactos do que o Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da expansão portuária. A diversidade de formas de conhecimento, comportamentos e funções, em escalas temporais e espaciais, se provaram valiosas para avaliações dos grupos sobre os recursos e o território, e a escolha das categorias analíticas foi fundamental para consolidar a compreensão dos processos socioecológicos locais. Concluímos que o método testado foi eficiente e respeitou a variabilidade intrínseca das zonas costeiras e sua função como um sistema socioecológico, o que afirmou que a ABE tem um grande potencial para melhorar a eficácia da AIA.

Externalities caused by human transformations in ecosystems structure and functioning has been threatening environmental quality and social welfare in all socioecological systems, including coastal zones. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an instrument widely used to evaluate the feasibility of developments and projects that can potentially provoke changes in biophysical-human environment. However, EIA generic and fragmented approach has not properly been considering people and environmental particularities, such processes and benefits to society, in decision making. Ecosystem-Based Management recently emerged as a strategy that can qualify EIA, by embracing ecosystem processes and services (ES), human dimensions, social engagement and Local, Traditional and Scientific Ecological Knowledge. Using a case study of a contested Port expansion in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil, that endangered the sustainability of an adjacent bay (Araçá Bay), we selected analytical categories comprising different stakeholders, ecosystem services and disturbances scenarios to understand the role of EBM in coastal EIA. We presumed that stakeholders with deeper relationships with the place could provide more comprehensive assessments about changes in the availability of main local ES, as a result of greater sense of place, access to different sources of knowledge and opportunities to social participation. Also, an EBM approach would provide a more robust, i.e., a wider and more integrated assessment of impacts in the provision of the ES than the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of the port expansion. We performed in-depth interviews with four different groups of stakeholders and analyzed their speeches with discourse analysis and statistical inquiries to assess ES scores of occurrences in current (Two-way ANOVA) and disturbances scenarios (Repeated measures ANOVA and PERMANOVA), besides their main argumentation patterns. We compared these results with the port expansion EIS to assert to robustness of the method. The groups had different perceptions from each other, which depended on the scenario and ES evaluated. We corroborated the hypotheses: groups\' closer, deeper and more engaged relationships with the place had more comprehensive assessments of changes in the ES; and stakeholders perceptions reflected trade-offs of the local urban conflicts, providing a higher variety and more integrated assessments of impacts than the Environmental Impact Study of the Port expansion. The diversity of forms of knowledge, behaviors and functions, in temporal and spatial scales, proved to be valuable for the groups\' assessments of resource and the territory, and the choice of the analytical categories was fundamental to consolidate the understanding of local socioecological processes. We concluded that the method tested was efficient and respected the intrinsic variability of coastal zones and its function as a socioecological system to assert that EBM has a great potential to improve the effectiveness of EIA. / As externalidades causadas por transformações humanas na estrutura e funcionamento dos ecossistemas têm ameaçado a qualidade ambiental e o bem-estar social em todos os sistemas socioecológicos, incluindo as zonas costeiras. A Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental (AIA) é um instrumento amplamente utilizado para avaliar a viabilidade de empreendimentos e projetos que podem provocar potenciais mudanças no ambiente biofísico-humano. No entanto, a abordagem genérica e fragmentada da AIA não tem devidamente considerado as pessoas e as particularidades ambientais, como os processos e valores sociais, na tomada de decisões. A Abordagem Baseada em Ecossistemas (ABE) surgiu recentemente como uma estratégia que pode qualificar a AIA, abrangendo processos e serviços ecossistêmicos (SE), dimensões humanas, engajamento social e Conhecimento Ecológico Local, Tradicional e Científico. Utilizando um estudo de caso de uma contestada ampliação portuária em São Sebastião, São Paulo, que ameaçou a sustentabilidade de uma baía adjacente (a Baía de Araçá), selecionamos categorias analíticas que compreendem diferentes stakeholders (ou principais atores), serviços ecossistêmicos e cenários de perturbações para entender o papel da ABE na AIA costeira. Presumimos que os stakeholders com relações mais profundas com o local poderiam fornecer avaliações mais abrangentes sobre mudanças na disponibilidade dos principais SE locais, como resultado de maior senso de pertencimento, acesso a diferentes fontes de conhecimento e oportunidades para participar socialmente. Além disso, assumimos que a ABE proporcionaria uma AIA mais robusta, ou seja, com uma perspectiva mais ampla e mais integrada dos impactos na provisão dos SE do que Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da expansão portuária. Realizamos entrevistas em profundidade com quatro grupos diferentes de stakeholders e analisamos o conteúdo por meio de análise de discurso e testes estatísticos para avaliar as ocorrências dos SE no cenário atual (ANOVA de duas vias) e nos cenários de perturbações (ANOVA de medidas repetidas e PERMANOVA), além dos principais padrões de argumentação dos stakeholders. Comparamos esses resultados com o Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da ampliação do Porto para afirmar a robustez do método. Os grupos apresentaram diferentes percepções uns dos outros, o que dependeu do cenário e do SE avaliado. Nós corroboramos as hipóteses: grupos com relações mais próximas, mais profundas e mais comprometidas com o local tiveram avaliações mais abrangentes das mudanças dos SE; e as percepções dos stakeholders refletiram os trade-offs (ou qualidade, aspecto) dos conflitos urbanos locais, proporcionando avaliações mais variadas e integradas de impactos do que o Estudo de Impacto Ambiental da expansão portuária. A diversidade de formas de conhecimento, comportamentos e funções, em escalas temporais e espaciais, se provaram valiosas para avaliações dos grupos sobre os recursos e o território, e a escolha das categorias analíticas foi fundamental para consolidar a compreensão dos processos socioecológicos locais. Concluímos que o método testado foi eficiente e respeitou a variabilidade intrínseca das zonas costeiras e sua função como um sistema socioecológico, o que afirmou que a ABE tem um grande potencial para melhorar a eficácia da AIA.

Submitted by Jean Medeiros (jeanletras@uepb.edu.br) on 2016-03-14T13:12:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Rafaela Maria Serra de Brito.pdf: 1376595 bytes, checksum: 73370a8009258c89543baa86ea84334b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Secta BC (secta.csu.bc@uepb.edu.br) on 2016-03-14T18:22:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Rafaela Maria Serra de Brito.pdf: 1376595 bytes, checksum: 73370a8009258c89543baa86ea84334b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-14T18:22:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Rafaela Maria Serra de Brito.pdf: 1376595 bytes, checksum: 73370a8009258c89543baa86ea84334b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The populations ofelasmobranchsare especially susceptibleto overexploitationdue to the continuedexploitation offish stocks, to anthropogenicactivitiesoncoastal and marine environments, to theirk-strategists characteristicsand the lack ofcontrol of theirtotal landings, mainly from theartisanal fleet. In this scenario, it shows the necessity of develop new management techniques of fishing resources that take into account the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of all those involved in this activity.The present studyaimed tounderstand theLEK aboutthe fishing activitiesofelasmobranch inthe city of Raposa-MA,within a perspectiveof building aco-management. Thus,54artisanal fishermenwere interviewedthroughfreeinterviews andsemi-structured forms,with a mean ageof44.9 years, more than half (51.85%) withincompleteelementary schooland64.81% exclusivedependent on fishingfortheirmonthly income. Theelasmobranchscaptureoccursaccidentallyby three types ofvessels (boat, ―biana‖and ―MAR‖)usinggill netstargetedto bonespecies ofhigher value. Theconservationistattitude indicatordisplays thelowintention ofconservation of thesestocksby fishermen. Through the CEL of artisanal fishers were described 45 generic folks, with the determination of 7 monotypic and 17 polytypic, of which 25 scientific species were identified through the description of fishermen and research in the scientific literature, and five of these are listed as endangered in level national or global. On the influenceof abioticfactors infishing activity, fishermen listedseveralnames to describethe lunar phasesbut did not determinethe most suitablefor fishing,and consideredunfavorablestrong windsand high temperatures,commonin the dry season, especially starting in August.That way, this study exposes theCELof local fishermenand gapsofknowledgeon the dynamicsand conservation ofelasmobranchsin the region. / As populações de elasmobrânquios são especialmente suscetíveis à sobre-exploração devido àexploração contínua dos estoques pesqueiros, às atividades antropogênicas em ambientes costeiros e marinhos, às suas características k-estrategistas e à falta de controle de seus desembarques totais, principalmente, da frota artesanal.Neste cenário, mostra-se necessárioo desenvolvimento de novas técnicas de manejo dos recursos pesqueiros que levem em consideração o conhecimento ecológico local (CEL) de todos os envolvidos nessa atividade. O presente estudoteve o objetivo de compreender o CEL sobre as atividades pesqueiras dos elasmobrânquios no Município de Raposa – MA, dentro de uma perspectiva de construção de uma gestão compartilhada. Assim, foram entrevistados 54 pescadores artesanais através de entrevistas livre e formulários semiestruturados, com média de idade de 44,9 anos, mais da metade (51,85%) com ensino fundamental I incompleto e 64,81% dependentes exclusivos da pesca para sua renda mensal. A captura de elasmobrânquios ocorre de forma acidental por três tipos de embarcações (o barco, a biana e a MAR) com a utilização de redes de emalhar direcionadas às espécies ósseas de maior valor comercial. O indicador de atitude conservacionista exibe a baixa intenção de conservação destes estoques pelos pescadores. Através do CEL dos pescadores artesanais foram descritos 45 genéricos folks,com a determinação de 7 monotípicos e 17 politípicos, dos quais 25 espécies científicas foram identificadas através da descrição dos pescadores e de pesquisas na literatura científica, destas cinco estão listadas como ameaçadas de extinção em nível nacional ou global. Sobre a influência dos fatores abióticos na atividade pesqueira, os pescadores listaram diversos nomes para descrever as fases lunares, mas não determinaram as mais adequadas para a pesca, e consideraram desfavoráveis os ventos fortes e temperaturas altas, comuns no período de estiagem, especialmente, a partir de agosto. Dessa forma, o presente estudo expõe o CEL dos pescadores locais e as lacunas desse conhecimento sobre a dinâmica e a conservação dos elasmobrânquios na região.

<p>No corner of the world's oceans is untouched by humans. Yet in marine science, management, and conservation, oceans are consistently treated as 'unpeopled', that is, human systems are divorced systematically from ecological systems, and assumptions of human/environmental relationships are oversimplified. This dissertation aims to contribute to interdisciplinary, or 'peopled', approaches to marine sciences and management by integrating biophysical and social sciences, specifically historical ecology and resilience thinking on social-ecological systems. Herein, I examine this theoretically (Chapter 2) and empirically by investigating the coral reefs of Hawaii Island's Kona Coast historically, through the oral histories of 'ocean experts', diverse locally-living people from diverse knowledge systems. I investigate human, biophysical, and social-ecological aspects of 'ecological change.' </p><p>Chapter 3 demonstrates that currently there are six expert ocean knowledge systems surrounding Kona's reefs: Native Hawaiians, dive shop operators, tropical aquarium collectors, shoreline fishers, scientists, and conservationists. These are distinct in what experts know about Kona's reefs, and how they know it. The giving and taking of authority between ocean experts, and among people and marine management, influences the condition of the biophysical, social, and management dimensions of Kona's reef systems. </p><p>Chapter 4 examines the biophysical dimensions of change, specifically the historic abundance and distribution of 271 coral reef species. Ocean expert's observations of ecological change are surprisingly consistent, regardless of perspective. Historically, species tend to follow one of eight trends in abundance and distribution, grouping into what I term 'social-ecological guilds'. Analyzing these data with Western scientific frameworks (e.g., trends in apex predators, herbivores, corallivores) proved inappropriate, compared to qualitative approaches. Engaging a multiplicity of perspectives reveals historical ecology broader and richer than from any one knowledge system alone. </p><p>Chapter 5 identifies coupled aspects of marine social-ecological systems, or what I call 'keystone social-ecological features'. I examine 8 features in detail and show how they are central to understanding 'sea change' through such diverse perspectives. Comparing expert's perceptions and responses to ecological through keystone features, I show that 'change' differs based on sociopolitical, economic, etc. perspective. Understanding relationships between and among people, the ecosystem, and marine management institutions is critical for improved ocean management.</p> / Dissertation