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Coral Reefs: Brazil

Importance, status and outlook for coral reefs in Brazil

Brazil supports the only coral reefs in the South Atlantic, spread along 3,000 km of coastline.

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  • Importance and Value

  • Reef-Dependent Population

    In Brazil, an estimated 24 million people benefit from coral reefs, including 12 million people who are likely highly dependent on reefs for their food or livelihood.

    (Estimated using WorldPop and World Vector Shoreline. People within 30 km of reefs and 10 km of the coast were considered "highly dependent," while those within 100 km of reefs "benefit.")

     

  • Tourism

    Coral reef-associated tourist expenditure in Brazil is valued at $610 million annually. This includes on-reef recreation (snorkeling, diving, recreational fishing, glass-bottom boat tours, etc.) as well as reef-adjacent benefits (such as white, sandy beaches and sheltered waters).

  • Value and Importance of Coral Reefs

  • Habitats and Protection

    Coral Reefs

    About 0.5% of the world's coral reefs are in the Brazil. Different sources offer different figures for the total area of reef cover:


    Source                                                               Area (km²)           Global Share

    Global Distribution of                                      698                             0.5%

    Coral Reefs (UNEP-WCMC)                                                                                

    Global Coral Reef Monitoring                    1,226                         0.5%

    Network (GCRMN) Report                                                                                  


    82% of Brazil's coral reefs are located within marine protected areas; 56% in “Fully or Highly Protected” areas.

  • Mangroves

    Brazil possesses about 10.5% of the world's mapped mangroves. Between 1996 and 2016, the region lost roughly 2% of its mangrove area (a net loss of 291km²). This net change included both 738 km² of loss and 447 km² of gain.


    As of 2016, the region had 14,200 km² of mangrove forest.

  • Coral Reefs, Mangroves, and Protection

  • Threats

  • Local Threats

    Local activities and pollution threaten over 45% of reefs in Brazil, with overfishing being the most pervasive threat. Land-based sources of pollution, coastal development and marine pollution are also important threats in many locations.

    Coral Bleaching Conditions

    In Brazil, most coral reefs will experience severe coral bleaching conditions at least twice per decade by the 2030s. By the 2040s, such conditions will occur annually (on average) for 90% of Brazil’s reefs. 

  • Ocean Acidification

    By the 2030s, most reefs in Brazil will be situated in conditions considered marginal for coral growth, based on ocean acidity and the availability of aragonite. By the 2060s, all reefs will be in areas rated poor.

  • Local and Global Threats to Coral Reefs

  • Condition

  • Live Hard Coral Cover

    The trend in average hard coral within Brazil has fluctuated, initially declining from 19.1% in 2002 (the first year of available data) to 16.3% in 2005, before increasing to 28.9% in 2016. Between 2016 and early 2019, average coral cover declined sharply to 20.6%, following a coral bleaching event in 2016. Hence, average hard coral cover across the country has increased slightly since 2002, from 19.1% to 20.6%.

    Algae Cover

    The average cover of macroalgae almost doubled during the last 15 years, from 19.5% to 37%. An initial increase occurred between 2002 and 2008 when the average cover of algae increased from 19.5% to 29.1%. Between 2009 and 2014, the cover of algae remained reasonably stable. Since 2015, the average cover of algae has progressively increased to 37% in 2019.

  • Modeled cover of live hard coral cover (left) and algae (right) for Brazil. The solid line represents the predicted marginal mean and ribbons represent 80% (lighter shade) and 95% (darker shade) credible intervals. Grey areas of the temporal series represent times for which no observed data were available.

  • Summary


    Brazil comprises between 0.5% and 0.6% of the world's coral reefs. Given the country’s size, economy and other natural resources, dependence on coral reefs is relatively low for the nation overall, but reefs are important for artisanal fisheries and coastal protection in eastern and northeastern Brazil. An estimated 12 million people are likely highly dependent on reefs for their food or livelihood. Coral reef-associated tourist expenditure in Brazil is valued at $600 million annually.  


    Although data for this report show average hard coral cover across the country increasing slightly between 2002  and 2019, some long-term monitoring sites have shown a decline in hard live coral cover due to chronic land-based impacts from sedimentation and pollution, coupled with mass coral bleaching due to ocean warming tied to El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.  ENSO events impacted Brazilian reefs in 1998, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2016. Prior to 2016, bleaching-associated coral mortality on Brazilian coral reefs was relatively low, suggesting that these reefs might represent a thermal refuge. However, the 2019-2020 coral bleaching event caused widespread bleaching  and high mortality for some species.  

    Protection of coral reefs is high compared to global averages, with 82 percent of Brazil’s coral reefs located within marine protected areas and 56 percent in fully or highly protected” areas. Increased protection, through the control of damage by fishing and tourism inside MPAs and the prohibition of collection and trade in corals, has helped to maintain and improve coral cover.  


    For more detail on Brazil and its subregions see the GCRMN global report Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020.