Determination of conservation threats in the Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area, Paraná, Brazil

Adaptations of the MARISCO method

Abstract

The conservation of nature is a prominent theme
on the Paraná coast. There are 45 conservation units throughout the region, and the Guaraqueçaba
Environmental Protection Area is one of them. It protects 282 446.36 hectares of
the region, but not necessarily efficiently. Its conservation framework lacks strategies such as
an updated Management Plan. Understanding the threats to protected areas is of utmost
importance, as most of the planning depends on it. Thus, this article aimed to analyze the
threats to the conservation of the Guaraqueçaba Environmental Protection Area, identified
through the realization of three participatory workshops applying Phases I and II of the
MARISCO method (Adaptive Management of Vulnerability and Risk in Conservation
Areas). In this way, the conservation status of this Conservation Unit was assessed, resulting
in the identification and evaluation of threats. Additionally, cause and effect chains were
established, indicating the relationships between the threats and their impacts on biodiversity
and, consequently, human well-being. As a result, 24 stressors, 28 threats, and 55 contributing
factors were highlighted. The results show a predominant concern regarding soil
contamination, hunting, and port expansion.