Ecology and Education in Marine Protected Areas: Insights from Brazil and South America - Earth Stewardship: Linking Ecology and Ethics in Theory and Practice - page 340

Chapter 23
Ecology and Education in Marine Protected
Areas: Insights from Brazil and South America
Flávio Berchez , Andrés Mansilla , Natália P. Ghilardi-Lopes ,
Evangelina Schwindt , Kelen Leite , and Ricardo Rozzi
Abstract South American coastal habitats include a wide range of benthic ecosys-
tems, many of which are unique and constitute hotspots of biodiversity. Marine
protected areas (MPAs), instituted mostly during the second half of the twentieth
Century, are considered a key management tool to conserve regional biodiversity,
prevent overexploitation, and generate economic benefi ts. Educational actions to
promote changes in basic values, principles, and attitudes - although considered
also as a main objective - frequently have a poor conceptual basis. In conjunction