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Community-based co-management strategy has been implemented in coastal and marine protected areas to reconcile resource use with biodiversity conservation, and to foster governance through the participation of multiple actors like governments, social civil organizations, and traditional resource users. How actors engage in collaboration will determine specific network structures that can facilitate or hinder different processes. The analysis of network structures can evidence the presence of social capital and leadership, both necessary to achieve collective action and contribute to build resilience and increase adaptability. Through the statement of collective action problems related to (1) biodiversity, (2) governance, and (3) socioeconomic issues we study the potential for collaboration between institutions in the Deliberative Council of Canavieiras Extractive Reserve. We identify network structures that can promote the presence of social capital and leadership necessary to address the collective action problems that may arise. The federal environmental agency was the most sought institution for solving almost all problems. This central institution can act as a coordinator and fosters collective action. Regardless, the high dependency on this federal environmental agency can affect the system's resilience because of its complex and bureaucratic structure, which can delay and hinder the collective action process. Traditional communities and their leadership institution have high social capital for collective action. Several institutions seem to share the bridging position in the networks, revealing the decentralization of this role that may provide resilience to changes in the governance of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the first considerations and observations of the occurrence of the octopus Callistoctopus sp. on the coast of Brazil. Citizen science, used as a research approach, was fundamental to confirm the presence and delimit the distribution of this species on the Brazilian coast. In all, 187 interviews were conducted with octopus fishers in 17 localities surrounding six marine protected areas, between March 2018 and August 2019. During the development of the work, the number of volunteer participants significantly increased, from the initial 107 specialists to about 2180 local informants, including fishers, divers and diving instructors. By using citizen science, it was possible to extend the area of distribution of this new species from the three existing records of individuals captured for the state of Pernambuco and Bahia to 11 records for more than seven states. The citizen science approach was considered useful for the generation of data that complement scientific research, and its greatest obstacle for use in ethnobiological studies was the need to motivate volunteers to increase the robustness of the collected data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring surveys provide data needed to assess ecosystem conditions in places where bioinvasion occurs. The collection of data by volunteer researchers (citizen science) is an alternative for scientists and research agencies that lack information but do not have sufficient financial resources. The objective of the study was to evaluate the potential of volunteer divers with different diving experiences and the use (or not) of an invasive marine species identification guide at eight diving sites distributed between the north of Ilha Grande and the municipality of Angra dos Reis in the Central Channel of Ilha Grande Bay, Rio de Janeiro state. During the three months of study, 207 questionnaires were evaluated. The results showed that the group of volunteer divers with more experience identified a greater number of invasive exotic species compared to the group of divers with less experience. No statistical difference was found in the number of species identified between the groups of volunteer divers with and without a species identification chart. As a recommendation for the use of citizen science, it is necessary to use divers with greater diving experience. Developing stricter protocols for the identification of invasive exotic marine species is essential for the collection of quality data. The improvement of monitoring programs based on citizen science can provide useful information for research on biodiversity in marine environments, significantly reducing financial costs and time in the field, in addition to contributing to the ecological knowledge, awareness and environmental education of participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, there has been a change in the way protected areas are managed across the world, as their management gradually ceases to be the sole responsibility of the government and is being shared with civil society. This study evaluates the management effectiveness, according to the managers and management boards of 20 marine protected areas (MPAs) on the coast of Brazil, using the Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM) methodology. There were differences in perspectives of the managers and management boards; 8 MPAs showed a significant difference in management effectiveness values, and 11 MPAs showed a change in management effectiveness category. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the year the management board was established, and the effectiveness value provided by the council, as well as a significant difference between the effectiveness values of the MPAs under federal and state responsibility. In view of these differences, it is suggested that evaluations of management effectiveness should be carried out not only with managers, but also with management boards to reduce possible incongruities caused by the responses of only one person. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scarcity of information on small-scale fisheries (SSF) prevents the dimensioning of production and the assessment of fish stocks and, consequently, impairs the feasibility of adequate management decisions. This study aimed to analyze the challenges and opportunities of landing records in SSF based on a case study in a fishing community in northeastern Brazil. In addition, the temporal trends of the main exploited fish species were analyzed using the local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers. Due to the wide data gap, this analysis included the records provided by the fisher Colony Z-19 only from 2017 and 2018 and a comparison from October to January for 2006–2007, 2012–2013, and 2017–2018. The free listing technique was applied to 30 local fishers. The total catch recorded in 2017 was 50.7 tons, and 43.79 tons in 2018, while the average catch per unit effort was 12.32 ± 6.18 and 10.33 ± 5.66 kg/fisher.day, respectively in each year. Landing records encompassed eight multi-specific categories, which strongly restricts the potential use of this information for fisheries management. Despite the relevance of the Colony's intention to monitor the landings without external support, this is strictly aimed at the commercial control of fishing production. This scenario presents an opportunity, with the cooperation of other stakeholders, to develop standardized methods of fishery statistics that shed light on the conditions surrounding stocks that are fished in SSF. Some recommendations are provided for a national well-established fishing landing monitoring. • This study explores the limitations and opportunities of SSF landings records. • The standardization of landing records can contribute to fishery statistics. • Fisher perception of a decrease in catches and the landing records were convergent. • Recommendations are provided for a national fishing landing monitoring. • SSF monitoring should be based on partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fishes of the Lutjanidae family are widely distributed throughout the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and have relevant commercial importance. Yellowtail snapper (Ocyurus chrysurus) is a targeted species in the smallscale fishery of the northeastern coast of Brazil, notably for handline fishing. We used the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of three generations of fishers from Ilhéus (southern Bahia State, Brazil) to evaluate the perception of weight, best day of capture and relative abundance of the species. More experienced fishers captured the largest specimens, had larger catches and were more likely to indicate a decrease in species abundance. On the other hand, younger fishers had smaller catches and were more likely to indicate that the species abundance is stable or increasing. The results suggest the occurrence of shifting baseline syndrome among fishers and emphasize the importance of including information from fishers in the construction of management measures. Fishers can play a key role in developing viable proposals that are aimed at the management of fishing of species with spawning aggregation, such as yellowtail snapper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing evidence has revealed that different fisheries have collapsed around the world. This is generally more evident in countries that can maintain long‐term research and fisheries monitoring. When monitoring data are not available, alternative approaches to assess fisheries trends can be used, such as the local ecological knowledge of fishers.To investigate decadal changes in fisheries the local ecological knowledge of small‐scale fishers' was evaluated at four sites in Brazil: Porto Seguro, Prado, Alcobaça, and Caravelas. A fisher–fish network weighted by interaction strength was built to indicate the most relevant resources among fishers.The results suggest the occurrence of the shifting baseline syndrome among generations of fishers regarding commercially important fishes such as groupers and snappers. Handline fishers indicated a decline in catch per unit effort over 5 decades.Fisher–fish networks from Caravelas showed greater stability with stronger interaction strength, while Porto Seguro and Alcobaça networks were more fragile, and Prado network showed intermediate characteristics. Overfishing has affected high trophic level species that act as module hubs across the majority of sites.The fisher–fish network approach can be applied in data limited cases, improving the assessments of fisheries' dynamics (in space and time) and declining species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite marine fish being an important food resource for coastal communities, the amount of fish caught by small-scale fisheries is unsustainable at many locations. Fish consumers have a critical role in species conservation because they can choose responsibly and avoid consuming overexploited or endangered species. In this study, local human consumption patterns and local knowledge about groupers and sharks caught by small-scale local fisheries were investigated in a Brazilian coral reef complex. Fish consumers were interviewed in a fish market setting regarding their monthly fish consumption, knowledge of endangered species, and strategies they do to consume fish responsibly. Of the 126 local fish consumers, 94% and 76% reported to buying sharks and groupers, respectively, on a monthly basis. The main strategies they used to consume fish responsibly were 1) getting fishmonger's advice and 2) buying fish on reliable fish markets. Our findings are important to understanding fish consumption preferences, which can contribute to the implementation of educational initiatives aiming to raise consumers’ awareness regarding responsible consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Reintroduction is a procedure used to reestablish wild animal populations. Objective: To evaluate the success of reintroducing Amazona aestiva and investigate whether abiotic factors (temperature, humidity, and luminosity) interfere with the search for food supplementation in feeders installed in the release area. Methods: Pre-release evaluations were initiated with 59 Amazonas spp. Tests were run to stool parasitological tests, leukocytes, flight capacity, and level of animal-human interaction. In all, 33 animals were selected and sent to the release area, which is an ecotone between the Atlantic Forest and the Caatinga biomes. After release, visits to the feeders and survival in the area were monitored for a year. Abiotic factors were also recorded in these periods. Results: The stool parasitological tests revealed the presence of Heterakis spp. and Eimeira spp. The leukocyte parameters were within the reference values for the species. At least 50 % of the released animals survived after one year, with recordings of reproductive events. Abiotic factors did not interfere with the animal visits to the feeder. However, the variable humidity best explained visits in the morning, while the variables temperature and luminosity most influenced visits in the afternoon. Conclusion: The reintroduction observed and presented here is on the threshold of being classified as successful. The installed feeders and artificial nests caused the animals to stay in the area for monitoring. Abiotic factors may influence daily behavioral decision-making related to the use of supplementary feeding in reintroduced parrots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]