Soure Marine Extractive Reserve is located on Marajó Island east coast, the world biggest fluviomarine island on Amazon basin estuary, where Amazonas river, east side, and Tocantins river, west side, flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Mangroves in the Reserve are part of the longest continuous area of mangroves in the world. The context that led to the creation of Soure Marine Extractive Reserve is particular. Extractivist communities’ movement towards the protection of the land they needed to work headed to creation of the Reserve, as a result, the survival of local communities and the nature itself are protected by law. Before its creation, conflicts among extractivists from different regions of the state had been common and nature had been over explored. The Reserve limits were defined in order to cover the main fishing and beach areas, which included nearly all the mangrove areas and its beaches. There are around one thousand and five hundred families that use the Reserve directly. In addition to its importance to people, the Reserve shelters hundreds of species, local and migratory, and provides green services.
Photo Credit – Government of Brazil
Conservation
Good governance
Community benefits
Soure Marine Extractive Reserve is located on Marajó Island east coast, the world biggest fluviomarine island on Amazon basin estuary, where Amazonas river, east side, and Tocantins river, west side, flow into the Atlantic Ocean. Mangroves in the Reserve are part of the longest continuous area of mangroves in the world. The context that led to the creation of Soure Marine Extractive Reserve is particular. Extractivist communities’ movement towards the protection of the land they needed to work headed to creation of the Reserve, as a result, the survival of local communities and the nature itself are protected by law. Before its creation, conflicts among extractivists from different regions of the state had been common and nature had been over explored. The Reserve limits were defined in order to cover the main fishing and beach areas, which included nearly all the mangrove areas and its beaches. There are around one thousand and five hundred families that use the Reserve directly. In addition to its importance to people, the Reserve shelters hundreds of species, local and migratory, and provides green services.
Pillar 1: Fair Governance
In accordance with Brazilian legislation, the Soure Exteactive Reserve was created with the due process of technical studies and consultations. This also considers that, in the case of the category Extractive Reserve (“RESEX” – equivalent to the IUCN international category VI), this type of process must be initiated at the request of traditional extractive communities. Also, according to national legislation, all official protected areas (called “unidades de conservação”) must have participatory local committees as their governance bodies. In the case of the category “RESEX”, this council is deliberative. Considering the Soure E.R., not only its deliberative council does work, but there are also systematic cycles with planning, execution and evaluation. Although local traditional communities are the majority on the council, there is representation from other sectors of society and its presidency is held by the managing agency. There are also mechanisms that allow for questions to be raised about decisions made by the protected area (PA). The action plan (“Plano de Melhorias da Resex Soure”) for improvements recommends strengthening awareness-raising, training and communication processes, strengthening governance (see, for example, 1.1.2 and 1.1.5). Considering the legislation, the deliberative council and the rights of extractive communities with regard to the sustainable use of natural resources, the category RESEX is equivalent to the IUCN international type of governance B, with shared management, in this case, between the national government and traditional extractive communities. We found that this is a fact in the governance of the Soure E.R. We concluded that the Soure E.R. complies with the legislation, that the rights of local traditional communities have been respected since the beginning, that there is participation of interested social actors and that governance promotes effective participation. Component Sound Design and Planning The design of the Soure E.R. includes practically all the mangrove areas in this part of the Marajó Archipelago and a stretch of sea, environments in which there are resources of interest to traditional extractive communities, who conserve nature through their livelihoods and cosmologies, in addition to important biodiversity and ecosystems with outstanding services. The management plan for the Soure E.R. considers these elements and includes the participation of interested social actors, including traditional communities. The EAGL-BR recommends improvements in the planning, with the inclusion of a buffer zone on the land and public use plans, which are already included in the action plan for improving the management of this PA (see, for example, 1.1.3, 2.1.3 and 3.6.3). We conclude that the Soure E.R. presents a design that is adequate for its objectives and effective planning, consistent with the characteristics of this PA.
Pillar 3: Effective Management
There are controls to prevent construction and tourism exploitation by those who do not belong to local traditional communities. In line with the demands of the Amazon extractivist social movement in the 1980s, extractive communities already have access to their territory and natural resources, with sustainable use, with a real right of use concession contract (“Contrato de Concessão de Direito Real de Uso – CCDRU”) through the “mother” community grassroots association (ASSUREMAS). There are efforts to patrolling and enforcement, considering the local reality and national conditions. EAGL-BR recommends improving this action in the extreme north of the PA, which is included in the action plan for improvements in the management of the PA. See proposals in the action plan (such as, for example, 2.1.3, 3.1.3 and 3.5.1). There are adequate procedures for approving scientific research and studies, including with partnerships. There is a systematic process for evaluating effective management, using the SAMGe methodology (Brazilian), as well as efforts to expand knowledge and to monitor conservation and sustainable use, and effective management cycles do exist. The action plan looks for more systematic monitoring of conservation and uses and provides for integration with the national monitoring of mangroves and their resources (see, for example, 2.2.3 and 1.3.2). We conclude that the Soure E.R. is effectively managed, producing results for conservation and for traditional communities, with the intention of improving.
Pillar 4: Successful Conservation
Information from external monitoring and field observations show that ecosystems are predominantly in good condition and fulfilling their functions. There are also sufficient indications of sustainability in the use of natural resources. The land tenure situation is predominantly resolved. There is public visitation, including ecological community-based tourism programmes, in addition to space for municipal and state tourism interests. There are adequate procedures and results of scientific research and studies. The local culture is respected and there are conditions for its socioeconomic-cultural reproduction. See interesting proposals for improvement in the action plan (for example, 1.3.3). We conclude that the Soure Resex presents consistent conservation, ecological and sociocultural results.
Decision
Unanimously approved the inclusion of the Soure Marine Extractive Reserve in the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas
