Persistent Digital Identifiers (UIDs)
ORCID :
0000-0003-3645-5595
Job Type
Research
Natural Resource Management
Technical Advice & Consulting
Subject Area
Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology
Fisheries, Aquaculture
Policy, Law, Economics, Management
Activities
I am a PhD student in Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries. My current research is focused on conservation of the endangered seahorse (Hippocampus reidi) and management of its community-based touristic exploitation in Brazilian Marine Protected Areas.
My goal is to provide critical information for conservation of seahorses and their habitat (mangrove), while managing its sustainable use providing income for human communities in Brazil.
Seahorses are threatened worldwide by intense extractive exploitation (fishing), in addition to habitat destruction. However, in Brazil there is a different in situ non-extractive use of seahorses for tourism purposes. Community-based seahorse-watching activities have been carried out in the Brazilian mangroves of Jericoacoara National Park and Delta do Parnaíba Environmental Protection Area since 2005, remaining still uninvestigated and unregulated. My PhD project aims at contributing with critical scientific data and stakeholders’ engagement to the management of seahorse-watching activities in Brazil, a key step for the conservation of the long-snout seahorse Hippocampus reidi, ensuring that sustainable non-extractive practices are enforced. My objectives are: to assess the socioeconomic profile, perceptions and ecological knowledge of local stakeholders through ethnobiological approach; to conduct Hippocampus reidi population assessments and behavioral experiments for evaluating potential impacts of seahorse-watching and how to mitigate them. Final products will be: baseline recommendations for seahorse conservation and for the implementation of a management plan regulating seahorse-watching activities; the development of a PhD thesis; a stakeholders capacity-building course for best sustainable practices; the publication of at list 3 peer-reviewed journal articles, filling in some critical research gaps to inform and update the species conservation status at local, regional and global scale.
Working language(s)
Portuguese
English
Spanish
