Milena Ramires

Coastal estuaries are subject to anthropogenic pressures that can affect biota. This study aimed to assess the environmental health of the Port of Santos, SP (contaminated), and the Barra do Una Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) (reference), using the fat snook (Centropomus parallelus) as an indicator of environmental quality. PAHs in sediment and hepatic biomarkers (protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage) were analyzed. PAHs were detected in the Port of Santos, whereas none were detected in the RDS Barra do Una. Protein carbonylation and lipid peroxidation were higher at the contaminated site, while DNA damage did not differ between sites. The results indicate greater oxidative stress at the contaminated site.

Caiçara communities articulate ecological knowledge, productive practices, and cultural relationships with coastal environments, constituting systems of sociobiodiversity. This study analyzed how the practices narrated by women from Vila Barra do Una, Peruíbe, São Paulo, Brazil, articulate knowledge about biodiversity, cultural reproduction, and territorial permanence, based on the book “Mulheres do Una”. A qualitative, documentary, and thematic analysis of the book was conducted, considering practices, biodiversity resources, associated knowledge, and territorial relationships. The results highlighted women’s roles in fishing, cooking, plant use, agriculture, handicrafts, tourism, and knowledge transmission. These practices connect biodiversity, memory, identity, and territory, highlighting women as mediators of sociobiodiversity.

Estuarine and coastal environments may exhibit different levels of anthropogenic disturbance and contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The checkered pufferfish (Sphoeroides testudineus) inhabits marine and estuarine environments and has been used in ecotoxicological studies. This study aimed to compare the hematological parameters (erythrogram and total leukocyte and thrombocyte counts) of S. testudineus, as well as the concentrations of priority PAHs in sediments, between the Santos Port Channel, considered a polluted environment, and the Barra do Una Sustainable Development Reserve (SDR), used as a reference area. Six PAHs were detected exclusively in sediment samples from the Santos Port Channel, with a total concentration (ΣPAHs) of 447.2 ± 226.3 µg kg⁻¹. Fish collected at this site exhibited leukopenia and thrombocytosis compared with individuals from the Barra do Una SDR, whereas no changes were observed in the erythrogram. These findings demonstrate differences in environmental conditions between the studied areas and support the integrated use of hematological parameters and contaminant analyses to assess environmental quality.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are contaminants associated with anthropogenic activities. This study evaluated PAH exposure in Centropomus parallelus specimens collected from the Port of Santos, São Paulo State (contaminated area), and the Barra do Una Sustainable Development Reserve (reference area). PAHs were detected in sediments from the contaminated area, whereas these compounds were not detected in the reference area. Biliary metabolites equivalent to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), pyrene, and naphthalene were found at higher concentrations in fish from the contaminated area, where inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity was also observed. These findings indicate greater PAH exposure in the Port of Santos and reinforce the importance of integrating environmental indicators and biological biomarkers when assessing contamination in coastal environments.

The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of dermatological conditions in Brazil involves a diversity of species, traditional knowledge, and ethnopharmacological evidence. The methodology consisted of a bibliographic review and systematization of ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies conducted in Brazil. Considerable floristic diversity was identified, with emphasis on Myracrodruon urundeuva, Stryphnodendron coriaceum, Cassia alata, and Aloe vera. Traditional communities use decoctions and poultices to treat wounds, burns, and dermatomycoses. Preclinical studies indicate anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, and antimicrobial activities, reinforcing the potential of herbal medicines in primary health care within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).

The growing generation of municipal solid waste is one of the main environmental challenges in cities. This article analyzes the influence of human behavior on waste management and its relationship with the transition to a circular economy. Through a descriptive and qualitative bibliographic review conducted in Google Scholar between June and July 2025, the study discusses consumption habits, environmental perception, education, citizen participation, infrastructure, and public policies. The findings indicate that behavioral changes, environmental education, community engagement, and integrated policies are relevant elements for reducing, reusing, recycling, and reinserting materials into productive cycles.

The Brazilian robalo-flecha and the common snook (Centropomus undecimalis) are the same species under two legal orders. Drawing on the functional method of comparative law and on the distinction between norms of conduct and norms of structure, this study compares the management instruments applied to it in São Paulo and in Florida. Brazil provides norms of conduct in most substantive dimensions but lacks the norms of structure that would update them from data. In Florida, the species is designated as protected, management is reviewed annually by region, and licence revenue is earmarked by statute for its conservation. The Brazilian deficit is one of structure, not of instrument.

Small-scale fisheries often operate across environmentally heterogeneous coastal systems, but the relationship between the use of different environments and seasonal variation in landings remains poorly understood. This study evaluated spatial and seasonal variation in small-scale fishing in Barra do Una, southeastern Brazil, where the same fishing community exploits freshwater, estuarine, and marine environments within a mosaic of protected areas. Fishery landings were monitored daily from August 2017 to July 2018, encompassing all landings conducted by the six regularly active fishers in the community. A total of 198 fishing events and 69 fish taxa were recorded. Landed catches totaled 10,526.4 kg, with the highest contribution from freshwater environments (41.9%), followed by estuarine (31.4%) and marine environments (26.8%). The marine environment exhibited the highest species richness and diversity, whereas estuarine and freshwater environments supported distinct assemblages with lower richness. Landed weight was highest in spring, followed by summer, winter, and autumn. A Gamma generalized linear model showed that habitat, season, and species richness significantly explained variation in landed weight, whereas no significant interactions among these factors were detected. The results also demonstrate that spatial and seasonal variation is an important component of fishing dynamics in Barra do Una. The use of ecologically distinct environments broadens the diversity of fishery resources available throughout the year and should be considered in management strategies. Integrating spatial and seasonal fishing dynamics, fisher participation, and continued monitoring can support conservation and sustainable management in heterogeneous coastal systems.

Os robalos (Centropomidae) são alvo da pesca artesanal e amadora em comunidades costeiras do Brasil, sendo capturados para consumo, comércio e lazer. Considerando sua importância ecológica e econômica, medidas de gestão e políticas de conservação são fundamentais. Este trabalho analisou a pesca de robalos no Canal de Bertioga (SP), o conhecimento ecológico local e as interações entre as modalidades de pesca. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas semiestruturadas com 164 pescadores amadores e 21 artesanais. Foi comprovada a importância dos robalos para as atividades geradoras de emprego, renda e lazer. As iscas vivas são as mais utilizadas, principalmente o camarão, fornecido por pescadores locais. Embora o conhecimento dos pescadores amadores sobre a legislação pesqueira mereça maior atenção, o conhecimento ecológico local sobre os robalos pode ser utilizado em ações de conservação. Visando a conservação do ambiente e dos robalos faz-se urgente a implantação de medidas de monitoramento e ordenamento, das atividades pesqueiras no Canal de Bertioga, levando em consideração pesquisas ecológicas e socioeconômicas mais aprofundadas, capazes de fomentar o estabelecimento de políticas públicas socioambientais mais efetivas.

A pesca amadora é uma das atividades de lazer mais praticadas em todo o mundo e, no Brasil, é uma atividade socioeconômica relevante em diversas populações costeiras. A gestão desta prática deve conciliar o conhecimento tradicional, a pesquisa científica e as demandas envolvidas no uso do espaço e dos recursos pesqueiros para a geração de emprego e renda, sem prejuízos à biodiversidade. Este artigo apresenta uma análise da pesca amadora na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentávelda Barra do Una por meio de dados primários, bibliográficos e resultados de oficinas participativas, visando gerar informações e discussões pertinentes à gestão pesqueira integrada no Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação Juréia-Itatins, litoral sul de São Paulo, sudeste do Brasil. Os principais serviços prestados à pesca amadora e estruturados no território são as atividades de guias de pesca ou piloteiros, comércio de iscas vivas e aluguel de barcos, enquanto a hospedagem e alimentação ainda requerem organização. Centropomus parallelus e C. undecimalissão espécies-alvo, e o perfil dos praticantes –sistematizado a partir da literatura científica – demonstra certos padrões relacionados a idade, tempo de pescaria e local de origem. Quanto ao uso do espaço, dos 40 pontos de pesca identificados, apenas nove utilizados por amadores se sobrepõem aos utilizados por pescadores artesanais, o que pode indicar pouca disputa pelos recursos entre as categorias de pescadores. A pesquisa científica, o engajamento dos gestores e a participação da comunidade local contribuíram para o ordenamento da pesca amadora na Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Barra do Una, demonstrando que a gestão participativa promoveu a interação entre os diferentes usuários dos recursos pesqueiros, favorecendo o desenvolvimento da pesca amadora e atendendo às expectativas socioeconômicas e culturais da comunidade local.