The mangrove in the ethnoecological perception of artisanal fishermen of the Santa Cruz Channel, Itapissuma, Pernambuco

Abstract

Ethnoecology studies the way human populations interpret the connections arising from interactions between society and nature. The present research was conducted with the aim of elucidating the relationship between the artisanal fishermen of Itapissuma, Pernambuco, and the estuary-mangrove complex. Thus, a group of 54 fishermen of the Santa Cruz Channel were interviewed. They demonstrated an accurate knowledge about the biodiversity of these ecosystems, the ecological relations operating there, and the importance of these natural resources for fishing production. This knowledge reflects a cultural background in which the art of fishing is transmitted to descendants, through observations and practical learning in the traditional community in question: in such communities, the economic subsistence of families depends on those resources.

Keywords

• estuary-mangrove complex
• ethnoecology
• artisan fishermen
• estuarine biodiversity
• fishing activity