The crab harvest in a mangrove forest in south-eastern Brazil: Insights about its maintenance in the long-term

Mangrove ecosystems and their resources are important for traditional coastal communities. We analysed the efficiency of traditional management practices developed by crab (Ucides cordatus) gatherers in the mangrove forest of the Paraiba do Sul River estuary (∼21°S), south-eastern Brazil, considering the carapace width of specimens harvested for commercial purposes in two different periods (2002–03 and 2015–16). The continuity of this crab harvest between 2002 and 2016 was likely possible because of decreased harvest pressure, which does not necessarily represent the traditional management efficiency needed to sustain this resource. Thus, this crab harvest system may be more fragile than expected by the local gatherers. Community-based proposals for the management of this U. cordatus harvest system, which integrate communities, researchers and decision-makers, can improve both local productivity and ecosystem-resource maintenance, mitigating local conflicts.