Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity in Coastal Artisanal Fisheries of São Paulo front of the Environmental Change & Global Locations

Author: Luziana Garuana de Souza Silva
Advisor: Cristiana Simão Seixas
Thesis defended in: 07/04/2014
Banking: Eduardo José Marandola Junior, Natália Hanazaki, Paula Chamy Pereira da Costa, Sônia Regina da Cal Seixas

Biophysical changes the soils, oceans and the atmosphere caused by human activities and natural processes, they have increased considerably since the early twentieth century. These transformations and changes in the structure and socio-ecological systems function can be perceived by human populations. The communities of artisanal fishermen of Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, who still live directly from fisheries perceive such changes and have adapted to them over time, in order to maintain their livelihoods and income. The local ecological knowledge (LEK) regarding coastal socio-ecological systems of these communities can help reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity in the face of global environmental change. This study aims to contribute information on global environmental changes, including climate change and its impacts on the local environment and human populations, and see how fisherfolk populations of the north coast of São Paulo perceive and adapt to these changes . The hypothesis considered in this study is that CEL artisanal fishermen with respect to the natural environment is used to reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity of coastal fishing communities in the face of global environmental change, among them climate change. The results show that the fishing communities of the north coast of São Paulo make use of CEL to understand the effects of environmental change on coastal ecosystems, as well as have the ability to adapt to such changes over time, reducing the vulnerability of coastal socio-ecological systems in the face of global environmental change. The analysis at the local level of awareness of environmental and social change for human populations subsidizes the understanding of the effects of these changes in complex ecosystems and this understanding can contribute to future management plans in Brazilian coastal areas.

Keywords: Conhecimento Ecológico Local (CEL); vulnerabilidade; adaptação; capacidade adaptativa; mudanças ambientais globais.