Local perceptions towards biological conservation in the community of Vila Velha, Pernambuco, Brazil

• Autores: Cláudio Avellar de Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino de Albuquerque
• Localización: Interciencia: Revista de ciencia y tecnología de América, ISSN 0378-1844, Vol. 30, Nº. 8, 2005, págs. 460-465
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Several human communities in different areas of Brazil are adapted to coastal ecosystems. In the state of Pernambuco, in Northeast Brazil, coastal fishing communities live surrounded predominantly by mangrove vegetation. The mangrove ecosystem is a natural shelter for a large variety of organisms such as crustaceans, mollusks, and several fish species. It is also a reproduction site for many ocean species. The mangrove avoids silting and erosion, and provides nutrients to coastal waters. The trunks of their trees are used in construction and as firewood.

    Crabs, mussels, fish, and oysters are the main staples of local communities and an important source of revenue (Bastos, 1995).

    Attitudes associated to economic usage have altered the environment, damaging the mangroves that sustain the basic needs of population (Blandtt and Glaser, 2000). Brazilian littoral areas are subjected to constraints that provoke degradation due to the increase in urbanization and tourism. This fact results in impacts for resident communities. The destruction of important habitats such as mangroves might cause social disorganization in communities that live on traditional fishery (Hanazaki and Begossi, 2000).

    The study of the relationship between human societies and its environment includes economic, social and psychological factors (Begossi, 1993). According to Costa-Neto (1998) cultural and social analyses have not been considered in most discussions about sustainability.

    However, the present valorization of these factors is seen as a change of paradigm;

    traditional knowledge has become essential to development. The Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED or simply Rio-92) represents an important landmark in this regard (Costa-Neto, 1998). The need to augment economic and environmental research in tropical coastal areas became evident after several discussions in this conference (Blandtt and Glaser, 2000).

    Perceptions and attitudes are influential issues in people¿s lives because they are able to change their values and thoughts, develop knowledge, improve overall welfare, and change their reality (Del Rio and Oliveira, 1996). A study about these aspects reveals a portrait of the population and of its vision of the world. Therefore, these aspects might be useful in environmental education programs because they help carry out a process of evaluation that identifies the needs in each area for the planning of suitable goals and aims (Cisneros, 1998).

    Coastal ecosystems in the state of Pernambuco have undergone several processes that fostered their degradation and decrease in diversity. For example, Barros et al. (2000), in an environmental diagnosis of the Santa Cruz Channel, demonstrated the main factors of impact in that locality: predatory fishery, industrial and urban chemical residues, and uncontrolled landfills, that threaten vegetation, contaminate waters and, consequently, affect several organisms, modifying the aquatic environment and causing habitats to disappear. A solution given by these authors is to encourage the local population to become aware of these factors through information and training in order to modify their actions and bring about a new consciousness. This point is relevant because even with a certain degree of perception of environmental problems, communities do not have scientific information about their causes and solutions.

    The purpose of this study was to assess local perception towards local environment from an ethic perspective in the small community of Vila Velha, Island of Itamaracá in Northeast Brazil, where there are two environmental protection areas and six natural reserves. Despite the prohibition imposed by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and of the Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), many people use wood as fuel and building material. If different degrees of protection and prohibition in natural reserves as are climbing plants for wickerwork and handicraft.

    There are not many employment opportunities in the village and most people work in the neighboring cities.

    The very few who try to stay in the village struggle for a living in restaurants and handicraft stores; they depend on tourism, the main source of local revenue.

    Most activities concern coconut cropping, fishery and cooking. Housekeeping and house building are limited activities. There is also an association of small-scale candied fruit producers in the village. Children work on weekends as tourist guides and are called ¿village guardians¿ by the local population.