The perceptions of high school students on the habitat of the crab Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ucididae) in northern Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil

Laiza Fernanda Quintanilha Ribeiro,Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto,Laura Helena De Oliveira Côrtes

doi:10.11609/jott.5951.12.9.16043-16047

Laiza Fernanda Quintanilha Ribeiro, Ana Paula Madeira Di Beneditto + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.5951.12.9.16043-16047

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Abstract

The study evaluated the perceptions of high school students (15 to 22 years old) on the value and ecosystem services (ES) provided by mangroves in the Paraíba do Sul River estuary, which is the habitat of the crab Ucides cordatus in northern Rio de Janeiro State, southeastern Brazil. One of the schools, Colégio Estadual Ercilia Muylaert de Menezes (CEEMM), is located in a rural area close to the mangroves, while the other school, Colégio Estadual Benta Pereira (CEBP), is located in an urban area 50km from the mangroves. The CEEMM students (n= 62) mainly attributed economic value to the ecosystem, while the CEBP students (n= 67) attributed ecological value. Students of both schools recognize the provision of services relating to commercial fishing of the crab U. cordatus as the main ES provided by the mangroves. The value of direct use (crab fishing) can encourage ecosystem conservation, however, it should not be the only resource considered for this purpose. We recommend that both schools implement environmental education activities to consolidate student knowledge about mangrove dynamics and its importance as an environment that supports and regulates coastal areas.

Highlights

MATERIAL AND METHODSMangrove forests are coastal ecosystems located in the transition areas between terrestrial and marine environments, and in Brazil, they occupy approximately 14,000km2 of the coastline between 02°N & 25°S
Most Colégio Estadual Benta Pereira (CEBP) students (51%) recognize the resources provided by the mangrove as having ecological value, while at Colégio Estadual Ercilia Muylaert de Menezes (CEEMM), this proportion was lower (16%) (Table 1)
Decontextualized reports or those that did not attribute any value to the mangroves were present for 16% and 29% of respondents from CEEMM and CEBP, respectively

Summary

Introduction

MATERIAL AND METHODSMangrove forests are coastal ecosystems located in the transition areas between terrestrial and marine environments, and in Brazil, they occupy approximately 14,000km2 of the coastline between 02°N & 25°S. Ecosystem services (ES) are benefits provided by nature that have economic, social and cultural importance, and they are grouped into four categories: provision, regulation, support and culture (MEA 2005; Kaltenborn et al 2017). The provision services are responsible for providing natural resources for utilization or commercial purposes, such as crabs, mollusks and fish.

Results

Conclusion