Nogueira Camargos, Marcelo; Teles da Silva, Solange --- "Mangrove Swamps and Sustainability" [2011] ELECD 659; in Benidickson, Jamie; Boer, Ben; Benjamin, Herman Antonio; Morrow, Karen (eds), "Environmental Law and Sustainability after Rio" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: Environmental Law and Sustainability after Rio

Editor(s): Benidickson, Jamie; Boer, Ben; Benjamin, Herman Antonio; Morrow, Karen

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9780857932242

Section: Chapter 20

Section Title: Mangrove Swamps and Sustainability

Author(s): Nogueira Camargos, Marcelo; Teles da Silva, Solange

Number of pages: 10

Extract:

20. Mangrove swamps and sustainability
Marcelo Nogueira Camargos and Solange
Teles da Silva

1. THE SITUATION OF MANGROVES IN BRAZIL

This chapter analyses the constitutional and federal norms of the Brazilian
legal system related to the protection of mangroves, questioning whether they
conform to the principle of ecologically sustainable development. The first
section of the chapter deals with the situation of Brazilian mangroves,
including their ecological, environmental and social importance, and the
variety of human impacts over this ecosystem in Brazil. The second section is
a critical review of the concepts of sustainable development. The third
explores the associated constitutional and infra-constitutional federal norms.
Mangroves, found only in the coastal zone of the tropical and subtropical
regions, are transitional ecosystems between terrestrial, fluvial and marine
environments, of great importance not only for the coastal environment but
also for the local people. Mangroves are of value for their great biological
productivity, as an essential environment for reproduction and habitat of
many marine species, sheltering larvae, fish fingerlings and crustaceans, and
supporting innumerable food chains. They are thus a natural nursery for
many marine organisms. Moreover, their vegetal formation softens and
balances the transition between the land and the sea and protects the coast
against erosion produced by currents, tides and flooding. Mangroves also act
as a biological filter, holding back sediments, nutrients and pollutants in the
water. This ecosystem can also be used for ecological tourism, environmental
education, and for the exploitation of marine species. Their social importance
lies in ...