Understanding, modeling and valuing the linkages between local communities and the mangroves of the Caete River Bay (PA-Brazil).

摘要

The goal of this project was to determine the relationship between a mangrove ecosystem and the income of local households, based on the hypotheses that ecological functions performed by mangroves are essential for the subsistence of local communities and that this relationship in turn promotes stewardship towards the ecosystem. The analysis focused on the ecosystem existence and use values. The use value was derived from fisheries and extraction activities; the existence value was determined through the Contingent Valuation Approach based on the level of the public's commitment to preserve the ecosystem for future generations.; The results of this work reveal the economic value of Amazonian mangrove services and define their importance as an alleviator of poverty for the local population. Approximately 83% of the rural households depended on the mangrove as a source of income. The average household income for crab fishermen was R{dollar}292.00/month and for the artisanal fishermen was R{dollar}382.00/month (R{dollar} 1 = US{dollar} 1, in 1997). These income levels, directly resulting from interaction with the mangrove ecosystem, are responsible for a 20% increase in the number of people above the poverty line when compared to other regions in the same state. In total, 67 mangrove products were used by the local households; 56 of them were fish species directly or indirectly related to the mangrove.; Resource valuation is only one component of a broader process involving decisions over the use and management of mangrove areas. Therefore, in addition to estimating the value of the mangrove, this project set out to develop a dynamic simulation model that compiled and analyzed the data gathered through the valuation process along with other physical and social elements of the system. The dynamic model showed that a reduction in mangrove area would result in an increase in local poverty. Additionally, management scenarios were developed to analyze a variety of possible local policies for the use of mangrove's resources.; Unfortunately, there is not enough information to know whether the use of mangrove resources in the study area is sustainable. The use of those resources has been taking place for many generations, and yet this is one of the best preserved mangrove forests in Brazil.