To Improve Marine Sustainable Development Brazil Announces Strategy to Increase Marine Protection and Strengthen Partnerships Brazil advances consistently in its marine nature conservation and natural resources sustainable use strategy, as the Brazilian President announces more 920 thousand km2 under protection, besides other areas in process, including mangrove ones, and efforts to improve participation, partnerships and projects through the Brazilian Blue Initiative 2018 March 08 Cláudio C. Maretti, ICMBio
The President of Brazil, Michel Temer, announces an increase in marine protection by approximately 920 thousand square kilometresi (km2) in two large mosaics of marine protected areas. (See his message to the Ocean Summit below and in videoii.) Yet in this March is also expected the creation of more protected areas on Amazon mangroves and coastal sea with approximately 4,2 thousand km2iii, besides other good news. With those protected areas announced and expected yet to this March, Brazil will achieve around 25% marine protection, reaching almost 1 million square kilometres (around 980 thousand km2).iv The Brazilian Blue Initiative is a coordination strategic framework to promote partnerships, projects and other actions to enable Brazil with the best means possible for the implementation of the marine nature conservation and sustainable development strategy and best manage the existing and new coastal and marine protected areas. A good protection of marine and coastal ecosystems, particularly through protected areas and local communities sustainable use, is fundamental to achieve the global objectives and targets and national commitments, such as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (particularly the Goal 14), the Paris Agreement of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (particularly adaptation, but also mitigation), the 2020 Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity (particularly targets 11, 12 and others), the rights recognition and support for local and traditional communities, as well as Brazilian commitments in the UN Ocean Conference (SDG 14, New York 2017), and the IUCN World Parks Congress (Sydney 2014).
Large mosaics of marine protected areas The announcement of the two large oceanic mosaics of marine protected areas, around the Archipelagos of São Pedro and São Paulo and Trindade and Martim Vaz, is the culmination of long-term research, priority definitionsv, technical proposals, public hearings and a beautiful national and international movement in favour of the proposed protectionvi. The proposition process is technically led by Chico Mendes Institute (Brazilian federal protected areas agency) and politically led by the Ministry of Environment, led by Minister José Sarney F. In this case, co-led by Ministry of
Defence (and Brazilian Navy), also based in important scientific knowledge promotion through the years.vii Those two oceanic areas, which protection is now announced, will conserve ecosystems that were less protected in Brazil, which contain fish species in different levels of extinction risks, including the critically endangered Atlantic Goliath Grouper (Epinephelus itajara) and Black Grouper (Hyporthodus nigritus) and the endangered shark Scalloped Hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini), besides two species of marine turtles, including the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and important presence of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas), also with significant endemism and significant number of new species been declared to science in the last decades.viii Those two areas are key to maintain and recover fish stocks, including of tuna, groupers, sharks among others. Most fishing stocks around the world, but also in Brazil, are over exploited.ix Therefore, for the sustainability of food security, the entire world needs to make strong efforts in the recovery of fish stocks. Large marine protected areas, including important no-take zones, can be crucial in that. Protected areas are the most efficient mechanism to protect nature and its biodiversity ever created by humankind, although not enough alone. Those potential protected areas would increase significantly the level of conservation of the specific Trindade and Martin Vaz Islands, Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo Islands and the Eastern Brazil Marine Ecoregions, to well above the international target of minimum 10%.x
Mangroves, protected areas and local fishermen communities Another very important effort in the Brazilian strategy is to strengthen conservation of mangroves, including through protected areas and local artisanal fishermen communities. Brazil has the second largest national mangrove area, including what is probably the largest, most important and best conserve continuous area, in the Amazon coast mangroves, under influence mostly from the Amazon River estuary – which Brazil is proposed to be recognised internationally by Ramsar Convention. The country already protects a very large proportion of its mangroves (85+%). But there are yet some key areas to be protected. Five of them, besides one enlargement proposal, are under study and negotiations now, which probably will lead to three of them to be declared in the coming weeks. (As mentioned above and in the notes.) Brazil is also very interested in strengthen the management capacity of the existing mangrove protected areas, as well as the capacity of local, artisanal fishermen communities to improve, at the same time, the sustainability of their fisheries and the quality of their life. We estimate about 800 thousand fishermen active in the Brazilian coast, with a large proportion of them directly or strongly dependent on the mangroves or nearby sea (estimated that more than 100 thousand of them in federal sustainable use reservesxi). The strategy also includes the restoration of mangroves, including from not so sustainable shrimp farms.
New targets for ecological representation In terms of the next steps, strong attention we certainly be needed to the implementation of the existent and the upcoming protected areas, including strong science base and social sectors participation. But, also, for ecological representation, biological needs and sustainable economic activities, it is needed to go beyond. Although Brazil is now in process to review priority areas for marine conservation, among the focus for future conservation proposals certainly will be the eastern coral reefs (mostly Abrolhos Seascape), some key areas for sharks and rays, including in the south (such as in Albardão), important marine area under the influence of the Amazon estuary (such as Lixeira), and north-eastern submarine mountains.
Brazilian Blue Initiative – towards beyond 10% effective conservation In order to have good conditions to achieve and go beyond the minimum of 10% conservation in Brazilian marine jurisdictional areas, since 2016 Brazilian Ministry of Environment (MMA) and Federal Protected Areas Agency (ICMBio – Chico Mendes Institute) are dialoguing with other government institutions (including Interministerial Commission on Marine Resources, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Secretariat of Aquiculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication, Ministry of Defence, etc.), Brazilian society and national and international partners in order to build an umbrella strategy –the Brazilian Blue Initiative– and promote specific and concrete projects and actions to bring in partners execution capacity and fundraise additional US$ 140 million, for its first phase.xii Science has been progressively demonstrating that marine protected areas do work, for biodiversity conservation, for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, to contribute in the protection of indigenous and non-indigenous traditional communities and to support economic activities, such as fisheries and others. But they do need conditions for its good implementation and consolidation into a good management, particularly marine protected areas, including good integration into de landscape and with local societies. The Brazilian Blue Initiative is a coordination strategic framework to promote partnerships, projects and other actions to enable Brazil with the best means possible for the implementation of the marine nature conservation and sustainable development strategy and best manage the existing and new coastal and marine protected areas.
Message from the President of Brazil In his video message to the Ocean Summit, President Michel Temer expresses Brazilian commitment in marine conservation and sustainable use of marine natural resources. He announces the upcoming creation of two large mosaics of oceanic protected areas. And highlights the efforts in promoting society participation and establishment of partnerships and search for projects and means, through the Brazilian Blue Initiative, to enable us to implement this strategy.
My greetings to the participants of this year's World Ocean Summit. Brazil fully supports your efforts for the preservation of marine biodiversity and the sustainable use of ocean resources. This is a cause that unites us. I would like to take this opportunity to share a piece of news that fills us with enthusiasm. In Brazil, we are about to create two vast protected areas in our seas: one in the archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo, in the Brazilian Northeast; and another on the Trindade and Martim Vaz Islands on our east coast. These are beautiful areas, which are home to invaluable natural heritage. Including these new protected areas, we will protect about 25% of Brazilian waters, far exceeding the targets we committed to before the United Nations. This measure will help safeguard our rich biodiversity, and renews our commitment to a more sustainable world. Preserving the seas requires the engagement of all. In Brazil, we launched the Blue Initiative. With it, we are building partnerships with local communities, companies, international organizations, and, finally, with all of society, to join efforts to benefit the environment. It is with this spirit that, as of the march 19, we will be hosting the World Water Forum in Brasilia. We will receive leaders and experts from around the world who will address this challenge we all face: the sustainable management of water resources. They will all be very welcome. Thank you for your attention, and I wish you a great summit. Michel Temer, President of Brazil, March 05th, 2018
Notes: i
Equivalent to 92 million hectares (ha), composed by - mosaic 1, around Trindade and Martim Vaz Archipelago with 47 million ha, composed by the Environment Protection Area (equivalent to the international IUCN category V) with 40 million ha, and the Natural Monument (equivalent to the international IUCN category III) with 7 million ha; and - mosaic 2, around São Pedro and São Paulo with 45 million ha, composed by the Environment Protection Area with 41 million ha and the Natural Monument with 4 million ha. All numbers are approximated due to the final detailed design yet in process.
ii
Video message available in https://www.dropbox.com/s/ux1e6a5p3wzdhfb/Brazil_OceanSummit_TEMER_%282m_2018mar06_Eng-V2%29.mp4?dl=0.
iii Probably to be announced yet in March 2018, three new Extractive Reserves (equivalent to international IUCN category VI, with co-management with non-indigenous traditional communities), including Bahia do Tubarão (210 thousand hectares), Arapiranga-Tromai (195 thousand hectares) and Rio Itapetininga (17 thousand hectares), in the coast of the State of Maranhão. Total 422 thousand hectares (ha). Other two Extractive Reserves (Viriandeua, 65 thousand ha, Filhos do Mangue, 38 thousand ha) and one expansion (Chocoaré-Mato Grosso, in more 1.8 thousand ha), in the coast of the State of Pará are proposed but under negotiations.
And possible other extractive reserve in Amapá is under study. All related to Amazon mangroves and close coastal sea. iv Brazil has already good conservation levels in the coastal ecosystems (40+%), particularly mangroves (85+%). Even the Brazilian Territorial Sea has a relatively good protection coverage (20+%). But the protection is progressive lower as the area is further distant to the coast, with only 1.5% protection. Current marine protection in Brazil 5,304,049 hectares (4,797,625 ha in the Brazilian Territorial Sea, 12 nautical miles, and merely 506,424 ha in Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone - EZZ), plus the two large mosaics (92,108,216 ha) and the expected (for March) mangrove-marine extractive reserves (504,600 ha), the total goes to approximately 97,916,865 ha (including Brazilian Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone - EZZ). With more 5,064,297 ha of protected coastal ecosystems the total goes to 102,981,162 ha. There is a PowerPoint on the proposed new protected areas and the Brazilian Blue Initiative, besides other details of this Brazilian strategy in https://www.dropbox.com/s/lpr66b51fhf0t2v/BrazilNew%20PAs-%26-Blue-Init_%28Ocean-Summit_2018mar08%29.pptx?dl=0 and in pdf in https://www.dropbox.com/s/uh42ssh3mu7bxte/Brazil-New%20PAs-%26-Blue-Init_%28OceanSummit_2018mar08%29.pdf?dl=0. v Including nationally, through Brazilian prioritization process, and internationally, proposed by Brazil, through the CBD EBSAs. ‘Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs)’, are important areas defined internationally by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), under proposal by the countries (the convention parts – see https://www.cbd.int/ebsa/). The intention is to support national and international decisions to conserve those areas, including through United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS – see http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm). Here below is a picture with the EBSAs already defined around Latin America (from https://www.cbd.int/ebsa/), including the ‘Atlantic Equatorial Fracture Zone and high productivity system’, which includes São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago, and the ‘Abrolhos Bank and VitóriaTrindade Chain’, which includes the Trindade and Martin Vaz Archipelago.
vi
This is result of about a year and a half of strong work, only in this last phase, concentrated further as it advanced, with technical proposal and political leadership by the Brazilian Ministry of Environment (led o by Minister José Sarney F .) and Chico Mendes Institute (Brazilian Agency for Federal Protected Areas – led by President Ricardo Soavinski), on the basis of recommendations of hired experts, with very important participation of the Brazilian Ministry of Defence and our Navy, but strongly based on a beautiful movement bringing together independent experts, civil society, scientists, activists, celebrities, public institutions, good politicians, visionaries, strategists of partnerships, project conceivers, etc. etc.! The Brazilian movement called #ÉaHoraDoMar has led a campaign including experts, activists, celebrities, civil society leaders, among others, leading to dozens of letters and dozens of thousands of emails to Brazilian authorities, besides strong social media action. This includes and complements efforts by governmental institutions and civil societies organizations in developing proposals to increase and improve conditions for the implementation and good management of those protected areas. A sample of the campaign can be seen in the video in https://www.dropbox.com/s/zjlb6sn8xzckezw/video-campanhaBrasil_2018_VID_19860124_203542_768.mp4?dl=0. #ÉaHoraDoMar! #UnidosCuidamos - UCs! #CollaborativeConservation! #VamosJuntos! Several organizations have been very supportive so far. Even under the risk of not naming properly all of them (and I ask everybody here to help complement the list and the collaborations), I mention Conservation International (CI), WWF, World Bank, GEF, UNDP, Germany, UN Environment among others in the search for projects, “Rede Pró UCs” (the Network for PAs), Baleia Jubarte, Divers for Sharks, CI among others, in campaigning, strengthened by the arrival of Pew Charitable Trusts, and strong support and interactions with SOS Atlantic Forest, WCPA and IUCN, WCS, and several, many others. vii Brazilian Navy has had important roles in those two areas, not only for securing their pristine conditions –capacity now to be enhanced with the proposed partnership with ICMBio–, but also for co-leading, with the science promotion agency CNPq, of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication, on the respective research programmes –Pro-Arquipélago and ProTrindade–, implemented mostly by Brazilian researchers, which results shall be important in helping guide the planning and the management of those areas, when protected.
viii
For instance, the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago includes 18 endangered species of fish. The Vitória–Trindade Submarine Mountain Chain includes 270 reef fish species, 24 in danger, 13 endemic. Based on: - Francini-F., R.B. et alii. 2018. Diagnóstico Biológico e Sócio-Econômico para a proposta de criação de uma Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) e um Monumento Natural Marinho (MONA) no Arquipélago São Pedro e São Paulo. (In http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/images/stories/o-quefazemos/consultas_publicas/Estudos_Cria%C3%A7%C3%A3o_SaoPedro_SaoPaulo.pdf.) - Pinheiro, H. T. 2018. Diagnóstico Biológico e Sócio-Econômico para a proposta de criação de uma Área de Proteção Ambiental (APA) e um Refúgio de Vida Silvestre (REVIS) na Cadeia Vitória-Trindade. 49 p. (In http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/images/stories/o-quefazemos/consultas_publicas/estudos_criacao_ilha_trindade.pdf.) ix FAO: Of the 600 marine fish stocks monitored by FAO: 3% are underexploited 20% are moderately exploited 52% are fully exploited 17% are overexploited 7% are depleted 1% are recovering from depletion. (http://www.fao.org/newsroom/common/ecg/1000505/en/stocks.pdf) The Guardian: Global fish production approaching sustainable limit, UN warns - Around 90% of the world’s stocks are now fully or overfished and production is set to increase further by 2025, according to report from UN’s food body (2016 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/07/global-fish-production-approachingsustainable-limit-un-warns) WWF-Brasil In relation to the risk of worse conditions of the excessive fisheries, this study classified the information, showing that 2.87% of fisheries in Brazil have very high risk, 22.6% high risk and 74.5% moderate risk. (https://www.wwf.org.br/informacoes/sala_de_imprensa/?uNewsID=62302) x The higher-level biogeographical units related to them would consequently increase their conservation coverage as well. Furthermore, the large Equatorial Atlantic and South Central Atlantic Gyre Pelagic Provinces, surrounding the ecoregions, would also increase their levels of protection. Based on - Spalding, M. D. et alii. 2007. Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas. BioScience, vol. 57, No. 7, pp 573-583. (https://doi.org/10.1641/B570707) - Spalding, M. D. et alii. 2012. Pelagic provinces of the world: a biogeographic classification of the world’s surface pelagic waters. Ocean & Coastal Management, vol. 60, pp 19-30. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2011.12.016) xi Protected areas equivalent to the international IUCN categories VI and V. xii The Brazilian Blue Initiative has been developed in the last year based on several partners collaborations and projects work. To date, the Brazilian Blue Initiative has the support and participation of the World Bank, WWF, Conservation International (CI), CONFREM – the Confederation of Fishermen in Extractive Reserves, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas, and FUNBIO (Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity), among others, based on the work of projects Mangroves of Brazil (ICMBio and UNDP, for MMA) and Marine Protected Areas (MMA, World Bank and FUNBIO, with ICMBio and others), both with support from GEF, as well as dialogues for interaction and possible partnerships with Rare, Pew Charitable Trusts, GIZ, Germany, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UN Environment (UNEP), Norway, SOS Atlantic Forest, Boticário Foundation (FBPN), WCS, Ocean5, and Oceana among many others.
[Português] Mensagem do Presidente do Brasil Na sua vídeo mensagem, o Presidente Michel Temer expressa engajamento brasileiro na conservação da natureza e na promoção do uso sustentável dos recursos naturais marinhos. Anuncia a criação próxima de dois grandes mosaicos de unidades de conservação marinha. E destaca, ainda, os esforços para participação da sociedade, para estabelecermos parcerias e buscarmos meios e projetos, por meio da Iniciativa Azul do Brasil, para implementação dessa estratégia.
Eu quero saudar os participantes desta Cúpula Mundial dos Oceanos. O Brasil apoia plenamente os seus esforços em favor da preservação da biodiversidade marinha e do uso sustentável dos recursos oceânicos. Essa é uma causa que nos une. Aproveito esta ocasião para compartilhar uma notícia que enche de ânimo a todos nós. No Brasil, estamos prestes a definir duas vastas áreas de conservação em nossos mares: uma no arquipélago de São Pedro e São Paulo, no Nordeste brasileiro; outra nas Ilhas de Trindade e Martim Vaz, em nossa costa leste. São zonas belíssimas, que abrigam patrimônio natural inestimável. Com essas novas unidades de conservação, protegeremos cerca de 25% das águas brasileiras, superando em muito a meta que definimos nas Nações Unidas. O passo que estamos dando resguarda nossa rica biodiversidade e renova nosso compromisso com um mundo mais sustentável. Preservar os mares requer o engajamento de todos. No Brasil, lançamos a Iniciativa Azul. Com ela, estamos construindo parcerias com comunidades locais, empresas, organismos internacionais, enfim, com toda a sociedade, para somar esforços em benefício do meio ambiente. E é com esse espírito que, no próximo dia 19, sediaremos em Brasília o Fórum Mundial da Água. Receberemos lideranças e especialistas de todo o mundo que se debruçarão sobre desafio que nos é comum: a gestão sustentável dos recursos hídricos. Serão todos muito bem-vindos. Agradeço-lhes a atenção e desejo-lhes bons trabalhos. Michel Temer, presidente da República do Brasil, em 05 de março de 2018
Contacts in The Economist World Ocean Summit: Cláudio C. Maretti, Director of Chico Mendes Institute (ICMBio) + 55 61 98529-5344
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