When an endangered species’ recovery became a social issue: Humpback whale and artisanal fisheries conflict in Brazil
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This policy review examines the “conservation paradox” of Brazilian humpback whales (Breeding Stock A): while the population recovers at 7–12% annually and returns to historical habitats, it increasingly overlaps with modernized coastal activities, generating severe socio-environmental conflicts with artisanal fisheries. Unlike previous biologically focused assessments, this review frames the paradox as a governance challenge requiring human-centered mitigation strategies. We analyze existing institutional frameworks—Marine Extractive Reserves (RESEX), the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC), and Brazil’s Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) under Decree 12,491/2025—and evaluate their capacity to operationalize Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) and multi-stakeholder co-management. We assess monitoring technologies (telemetry, Passive Acoustic Monitoring, drones, AIS, machine learning, eDNA, UAV thermal imaging) not as general tools but as decision-support instruments for specific management processes, with particular attention to operational feasibility for small-scale fisheries. We identify critical governance gaps—including enforcement limitations, underreporting driven by punitive regulatory cultures, and insufficient integration of LEK into formal planning—and propose six concrete policy recommendations. Addressing this paradox requires interdisciplinary, community-inclusive policies that reconcile marine megafauna recovery with local livelihoods and build trust between fishers, regulators, and conservation practitioners.
Author: Artur Andriolo
Institution: Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7222552438