Effectiveness of Federal Protected Areas in the Preservation of Mangrove Forests on the Coast of the State of Paraíba, Brazil.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Federal Protected Areas on the coast of the state of Paraíba in northeastern Brazil with regard to the preservation of mangrove forests. The study area encompassed remaining mangrove forests distributed in four federal protected areas (PAs) located in Paraíba: Area of Relevant Ecological Interest (AREI) of Mangroves of the Mamanguape River, Environmental Protection Area (EPA) of the Mamanguape River, the Restinga de Cabedelo National Forest (NATFOR), and the Acaú-Goiana Extractive Reserve (EXTRES). The methods consisted of a spatiotemporal analysis considering the year of creation of each PA, with mapping and quantification as well as the assessment of impacts and effectiveness. NATFOR and EXTRES had the most conserved mangrove areas on the temporal scale, whereas AREI and EPA had the largest reductions in areas of mangrove forest. Urban expansion, sugarcane monoculture, and shrimp farming represented the main negative impacts spatially identified in these PAs. Based on the results of this study, the mangrove forests analyzed have continually suffered anthropogenic pressures since their creation as protected areas. The greatest effectiveness in the preservation of mangrove forests was found in Acaú-Goiana EXTRES and the least effectiveness was found in the AREI of Mangroves of the Mamanguape River.