Don't Celebrate Too Soon: Winning and Then Losing A Battle in Brazil

Marine protected areas are meant to be one way to counteract our 'collective amnesia' of what marine ecosystems should look like. Last week, a judge annulled a marine park buffer zone area in Brazil, just one year after its creation. The zone was overturned in favor of economic opportunities, including the potential for shrimp farming in the area. (What won't we do for shrimp?)

The buffer zone at Abrolhos Marine Park, located about halfway down the Brazilian coast, was created to protect the main protected area and require any development in the 95,000 square km around the main marine park to be subject to special environmental permitting. The short-sighted decision once again shows the epidemic among us humans to act in the best interest of short-run economic gains without conserving for the long-term the natural capital upon which they depend.

Traditional fishers and mangroves--two things that could be displaced in Abrolhos with the development of oil and shrimp farming. Photo by Guilherme Dutra.