Local Ecological Knowledge (CEL) in Assessing the Conservation Status of Species of Socioeconomic Interest: Integrating Knowledge in the Management of REVIS Ilha dos Lobos

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Abstract

The assessment of the conservation status of brazilian fauna, attributed by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), has been an immense and qualified effort, aggregating hundreds of researchers from different institutions. However, in this process, the involvement of the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of species that are caught by users still be a challenge, which tends to enable a greater information framework for the assessment and the expansion of the social and institutional articulation for conservation. These possibilities are also sought for the participative management of Protected Areas, aiming at greater efficiency and effectiveness of their goals in their regions. In this document, we report the application of a methodology that can be useful in these two scopes – in the assessment of the conservation status of the fauna process and in the management of protected areas. Based on the identification, by artisanal fishermen, of 68 aquatic species (among teleosts, elasmobranchs and crustaceans) that occur in the Wildlife Refuge Ilha dos Lobos (REVIS Ilha dos Lobos) region, species that were considered important for fishing were selected, considering estuaries/lagoons and ocean environments (differentiating the regions between the Refuge and the coast and in the open sea). On these species, according to the LEK, the population trend and the main threats were characterized.