Uso e conservação de recursos pesqueiros em unidades de conservação na bacia do Médio Rio Xingu, Pará, Brasil.

Abstract

In the Amazon for riverine populations, small-scale fisheries have a close relationship with their way of life, and this relationship is dynamic and has been building throughout history. One of the main changes related to the use of fishing resources has been the conflicts generated mainly due to the decrease of the stocks in different places of the Amazon. The scarcity of data related to small-scale fisheries makes it difficult to manage this resource. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of fishing resources and management measures used in three conservation units (UC) - the Rio Iriri Extractive Reserve, the Rio Xingu Extractive Reserve and the Terra do Meio Ecological Station (EETM ), located in the Middle Rio Xingu, Pará, aiming to propose possible strategies for the management of fishery resources. Participatory research tools were used in this study. Through the applied methodologies we can verify that the creation of these units of conservation was fundamental to guarantee the territorial security for the local inhabitants, who suffered with the grilagem of earth. Despite this, there were still internal conflicts over fishing territories, and sporadic invasions of people outside the UC. In the EETM the restrictions of this category of conservation unit placed the traditional population, that resided in this territory before its creation, in situation of social vulnerability. The main technologies employed in the fishing activity in the three UC are low impact. However, the increased effort, due to the market demand and the lack of income alternatives, led to an increase in fishing pressure on fish stocks. Most of the management measures that currently exist in these protected areas have been replicas of existing environmental agency regulations, many of which are not recognized and / or respected by residents of RRI and RRX. This study proposes that the management of fishery resources conservation units be based on the participatory and continuous monitoring of the use of these resources. In addition, it is necessary to consider new income alternatives to reduce fishing pressure on stocks and to maintain the livelihood of the residents of these protected areas.