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About Brazil
Coastline: > 8,000 km (approximately 5,000 miles)
Mangrove area: estimated > 1 million hectares
Ranking: 2nd largest area of mangroves in the world
Mangrove degradation and loss occur due to:
- mass tourism
- urban expansion
- oil exploration
- industrial shrimp farming
Over 90% of farmed shrimp production occurs in remote areas
of the poor NE.
There is limited understanding (beyond the confines of the farms themselves) of the consequences of the industry’s uncontrolled expansion and its role in mangrove destruction.
Brazil’s own Congress has stated in their report from the Working Group on Shrimp Farming that “the cultivation of shrimp in captivity threatens the survival and the culture of ‘thousands of people’ who are traditional residents of mangrove regions.”
Meanwhile, state governments have been promoting the accelerating advance of shrimp farms along their coastal zones.
