The crab harvest in a mangrove forest in south-eastern Brazil: Insights about its maintenance in the long-term

• Published in: Perspectives in ecology and conservation Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 113 - 118
• Main Authors: Côrtes, Laura Helena de Oliveira, Zappes, Camilah Antunes, Di Beneditto, Ana Paula Madeira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Editora Ltda 01.04.2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Crab harvest; Management proposal; Mangrove; South-eastern Brazil; Traditional practice; Management proposal; Crab harvest; Mangrove; South-eastern Brazil; Traditional practice
• ISSN: 2530-0644; 2530-0644
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2018.02.002

[Display omitted] •Crab harvest system in the mangrove of Paraíba do Sul River estuary is fragile.•Continuity of harvest in last 14 years does not represent management efficiency.•Integrative local-based proposals are necessary to crab harvest maintenance. Mangrove ecosystems and their resources are important for traditional coastal communities. We analysed the efficiency of traditional management practices developed by crab (Ucides cordatus) gatherers in the mangrove forest of the Paraíba do Sul River estuary (∼21°S), south-eastern Brazil, considering the carapace width of specimens harvested for commercial purposes in two different periods (2002–03 and 2015–16). The continuity of this crab harvest between 2002 and 2016 was likely possible because of decreased harvest pressure, which does not necessarily represent the traditional management efficiency needed to sustain this resource. Thus, this crab harvest system may be more fragile than expected by the local gatherers. Community-based proposals for the management of this U. cordatus harvest system, which integrate communities, researchers and decision-makers, can improve both local productivity and ecosystem-resource maintenance, mitigating local conflicts.