Transboundary socio-ecological effects of a Marine Protected Area in the Southwest Atlantic.

ABSTRACT: Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been regarded as an alternative to protect natural resources and to improve fisheries. However, MPAs may also have negative socio-economic consequences on fishing communities. We aimed to check the effectiveness of a socially conflicting MPA in Brazil by assessing target reef fish biomass in islands inside (n = 6) and outside (n = 6) the MPA, fisheries' productivity (biomass), catch per unit of effort (CPUE), and fishers' socio-economic status (mainly fishers' income) in three fishing communities subjected to different degrees of influence (close, average, and long distance) of the MPA. The CPUE was higher in the fishing community that was further away from the MPA, fish biomass was higher in the islands located inside the MPA in the southern region and i

SUBMITTER: Lopes PF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3824866 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature