Entre as velas do Mucuripe: elaboração de uma cartilha de educação ambiental marinha visando a preservação do boto-cinza (sotalia guianensis) para a colônia de pescadores Z8 em Fortaleza - Ceará

Abstract

The construction of a sustainable and democratic societal model, grounded in environmental rationality, requires a shift in individual and collective attitudes capable of confronting the civilizational and environmental crises faced in contemporary times. The transition between socioeconomic systems can be strengthened by Environmental Education, as it fosters social values, knowledge, skills, and competencies aimed at environmental preservation and the balanced use of natural resources. In this way, a critical and non-neutral pedagogical practice is established—one that highlights political, environmental, and sociocultural implications at both local and global scales. Given their ecological relevance and vulnerability, marine communities require greater attention, as they are among the ecosystems most impacted by anthropogenic pressures, facing severe threats and ongoing changes. Habitat preservation can be encouraged through the use of flagship species, such as the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), a coastal cetacean found in the Mucuripe Bay, in Fortaleza, Ceará, categorized as “Vulnerable” (VU) to extinction and mainly threatened by accidental capture in fishing nets. The traditional fishing community of Mucuripe, organized around family-based and subsistence practices, holds a strong cultural and historical identity tied to the territory, and must therefore be valued and protected. Based on the principles of Critical Environmental Education, this study aimed to develop a Marine Environmental Education booklet targeted at the fishing community of the Mucuripe Cove, with an emphasis on the conservation of the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) and its habitat. The educational booklet highlighted the preservation of the species and its marine ecosystem within the context of artisanal fishing, reinterpreting traditional knowledge passed down through generations and rooted in a deep human–nature relationship.