20-Years Cumulative Impact From Shrimp Farming on Mangroves of Northeast Brazil

Brazilian mangroves cover about 11,100 km 2 and provide a wide range of ecosystem services. Despite their importance, they are one the most impacted ecosystems because combined influences climate change, pollution, direct conversion loss. A major driver environmental impacts is shrimp farming this particularly acute in semi-arid northeast Brazil, where constrained narrow band along ephemeral estuaries that often by multi-year droughts. Recent changes to law, particular Forest Code, have weakened protection for associated “ apicum ” (salt pan) ecosystems. In NE ponds converted from mangrove-adjacent apicuns rather than themselves with periodic hydrological connectivity through dammed channels, allowing flushing effluents. As result, main on typically indirect, pollution inputs pond effluents loss services including reductions primary productivity, carbon storage capacity, resilience other stressors, efficiency as estuarine filters, biodiversity abundance subsistence use marine species. Soil damage infrastructure remaining after deactivation impairs mangrove recovery. This extends duration allows occupation degraded areas activities can permanently impair function. review, we address several aspects culture boom Brazilian, features consequences, future region considering change rising poverty. Our conclusions practices outcomes likely apply similar settings, e.g., semiarid regions worldwide, Latin America Caribbean region, our findings be taken into account improve conservation management these forests at least regional scale.