Ecosystem-Based Knowledge and Management as a tool for Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management: A Brazilian Initiative

Scherer, M.E.G. and Asmus, M.L., 2016. Ecosystem-Based Knowledge and Management as a tool for Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management: A Brazilian Initiative. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 690–694. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) brings knowledge highlighting the importance of ecosystem services (ES) as the key factors supporting the environment, social and economic integrity, as well as human wellbeing. EBM could represent the change from public policies greatly focused on normative and bureaucratic components to new policies predominantly based on the understanding of ecosystem processes and the regulation of human activities. Nevertheless, most of the coastal zone management initiatives in Brazil lack the necessary ecosystem based information to fully support EBM. They also often don't integrate the ecosystem-based information into the management system in an appropriate way. This paper proposes a roadmap model to produce the ecosystem-based information and its application for coastal policies. This involves the identification of (1) dominant ecosystems and ecosystem services; (2) benefits for human wellbeing; (3) stakeholders affected; (4) main pressure, human or natural produced; (5) main impacts, (6) managerial responses. The model was applied at Santa Catarina Island on the Southern coast of Brazil and demonstrated that a territory of around 425 Km2 holds 17 different environmental systems, 47 direct befits from the environmental services, with a great number of stakeholders who are linked directly to these benefits. In other hand Santa Catarina Island suffers from 39 different vectors of pressure, threatening the environmental systems and its services and benefits. This study also showed the great amount of interrelations among ES, stakeholders and managerial initiatives and the need for ecosystem based information and knowledge for an effective Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management in Brazil.