Environmental Governance As a Framework for Mangrove Sustainability on the Brazilian Amazon Coast

Abstract

The mangrove ecosystem is subject to the dynamics of symbiotic relationships between the social and ecological system, according to the use of the ecosystem services of this forest. However, the environmental conflicts have increased due to the social metabolism and the terms of economic development. The dwellers are environmentally responsible for the mangrove ecosystem governance on the Brazilian Amazon coast. They heavily depend on the mangrove resource, such as dewllers who live inside and in the surroundings of the Caete-Taperacu Marine Extractive Reserve (MER). This type of Conservation Unit (CU) aims to generate sustainable development, and users identify direct and indirect drivers of change according to the dependence of the mangroves and the handling experience of this ecosystem. Besides them, the Brazilian State, through the promulgation of laws also govern environmentally forests of mangroves in the MER, but mandatorily. The practice of environmental inspection is run by federal institutions through conservation tools ruled by the federal policy guidelines. Finally, the MER environmental governance, as a space where ecological and social dynamics occurs, is formed by networks that include some principles such as the social actors’ responsibilities, as well as the representations, the transparency and accountability of the management, and the resilience as a strategic vision for the sustainable conservation of these units.