The Brazilian maritime territory stretches over 8,000 km long of coastal extension and is known as the “Blue Amazon”, a name created by the Navy in order to emphasize the importance of this area in terms of biodiversity, size and economic role for the country. What many people are unaware of is that almost 38% of this total area is, in fact, within the Amazon: around 3,000 km. The coastline of the Amazon extends from the Oiapoque River, in Amapá, to São Marcos Island, in Maranhão, and in this territory are located the largest and most preserved mangroves in the world, according to information from Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (MPEG).
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The richness and opportunities of this coastal extension of the Amazon constitute the research focus of Programa de Estudos Costeiros (PEC) [MPEG's Coastal Studies Program]. “The coastal zone performs strategic role in geopolitics considering that, historically, it has been the gateway to the Amazon and also represents a very strong economic importance even today, because it is through this outlet from the Amazon estuary, that a good part of our mineral wealth is exported”, points out Cristina Senna, a researcher and one of the founders of the PEC, created in 1997.
Among other aspects, the researcher points out that there is a robust fishing production captured along the coast, especially on the coast of Amapá state. “It’s also a resource for oil exploration, something that has been intensely discussed recently. All these aspects show us the importance of studying, conserving and preserving everything that is located in the three states of the Amazon maritime coast (Amapá, Pará and Maranhão)”, she emphasizes. Senna also explains that the communities that live in tyhis area benefit mainly from fishing, but the women also collect shellfish and raise small animals, such as chickens, generally for their own consumption.
In terms of flora and fauna, the main ecosystems on the Amazon coastline are the mangroves, which “are nurseries for birds, fish and crabs”, as the researcher points out. Mangroves function as a kind of transition space between the sea and the mainland and are characterized by a muddy terrain, with trees whose roots are exposed above the ground level. All life in the mangrove is governed by the tidal rhythm and the ‘comings and goings’ of the water make that soil very rich in nutrients. Due to such abundance, several species find shelter to reproduce in mangroves, justifying it to be called “nursery”.
Plastic and erosion processes are constant threats
Over time, the Amazon coastal zone has increasingly undergone changes provoked by human actions, namely, the construction of roads, ports and cities close to the sea, or by the improper exploitation of natural and environmental resources. These interferences alter the rhythm of nature causing impacts on biodiversity. “The main activity we've recently witnessed is the plastic issue. We have spotted a large amount of plastic garbage along the maritime territory, which ends up impacting the lives of both the marine inhabitants and the human being as well, who consumes fish and other seafood. Today, it has been proven that animals ingest microplastics in the sea and pass them on to humans”, warns Senna.
One fact speaks for itself, in 2020 a survey released by the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) found that 98% of the fish analyzed had plastic in their bodies. 383 plastic particles were found in 67 of the 68 fishes from springs and streams in the Amazon. These fishes were studied by the research group at the Laboratory of Ecology and Conservation (Labeco), at UFPA.
Researcher Valdenira Santos, from Instituto de Estudos do Amapá (IEPA), has also observed changes on the coast of Amapá. Among them is the acceleration of erosion processes, in some places due to human intervention and, in other places, due to the continuous process of oceanographic agents on the coast. For the researcher, the solution to mitigate the effects of humans on the environment also involves scientific research: “The more we know about the system, the better we will be in mitigating solutions. This knowledge depends on continuous monitoring considering all aspects involved, from the sedimentary dynamics of the region, hydrological and oceanographic processes and water quality”, stresses Santos.
Equatorial Margin involves investments of BRL 10 billion
Oil exploitation on the so-called Equatorial Margin is part of Petrobras' strategic planning, with intended investments of around R$ 10 billion. The Equatorial Margin crosses the Amazon, through the basins at the mouth of the Amazon River, Pará-Maranhão and Barreirinhas, also extending throughout the Ceará and Potiguar basins, in northeastern Brazil. This area is seen by the sector as a strategic area and a promising frontier of deep waters for the production of oil and natural gas.
Petrobras is currently waiting for the necessary environmental license to be issued by the Government of Pará, however, there is no scheduled date for this to happen yet. Petrobras' public relations office has informed, in a note to Grupo Liberal, that "the expectation is to start drilling the exploratory well shortly after the approval of the Pre-Operational Assessment (APO) and issuance of the Operating License by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA)”. Petrobras has also informed that “it is making every effort and mobilizing the necessary structure to carry out the APO, which is imminent and a requirement of the environmental licensing process, which consists of simulating an accidental event involving an oil spill at sea, with the objective of evaluating the effectiveness of Petrobras' Individual Emergency Plan (PEI) for the drilling activity”.
The oil exploration project on the Equatorial Margin is perceived with optimism by some people and with criticism by others. In a public audience of the Commission for National Integration, Regional Development and the Amazon of the Chamber of Deputies, at the end of last November, Bruno Terribas, from the Oil Workers Union of the Amazon Region (SindPetro Amazônia), claimed for the gains obtained with oil on the equatorial margin to be used to preserve the environment. “The income obtained from oil and gas exploration and production should be transformed into investment in the reduction of carbon emissions, in operational safety, in order to avoid terrible accidents like we saw in the Gulf of Mexico and in Campo de Frade, here in the Brazil”, he declared. “Part of this oil income should be invested in the energy transition for renewable sources, which are part of our defense of national energy sovereignty”, he added. Researcher Valdenira Santos, from the Instituto de Estudos do Amapá (IEPA), points out that, in the case of oil exploration in the region, “one of the challenges will be to manage the risks of oil spills in a scenario of environmental disaster.”
A sea of knowledge to explore
The necessity to learn more about the Brazilian maritime territory fostered the Ministry of Education (MEC) to create the “Sciences of the Sea” ships. There are four vessels provided by MEC to serve as a floating laboratory and support research at public universities in each region. For the Amazon, the Sciences of the Sea Ship II is responsible for providing undergraduate and graduate students with practical learning and providing opportunities for discoveries that may even help in oil exploration in the Amazon.
The ship was delivered in 2018 and is managed by the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), but it is available to all public universities in the Legal Amazon and also in Piauí. According to João Luiz de Carvalho, professor who coordinates Sciences of the Sea II at UFMA, the ship is used by oceanography, fishing engineering and marine biology courses. It has the capacity to carry 18 people, including professors and students (in addition to eight members of the permanent crew). “Previously, this practice was done with the Brazilian Navy, taking advantage of the shipments that they already used to have. But, having our own research vessel, we have more autonomy to organize the trips”, highlights Carvalho.
Since 2018, almost a thousand people have boarded on the Sciences of the Sea Ship II, on more than 50 trips. “This number could have been higher, but it was impacted by the pandemic and also by the lack of resources”, points out the professor.
Even facing those the challenges, the Sciences of the Sea Ship II has been an important instrument for the groups that participate in the expeditions and for society as a whole. This is because field research carried out, in the open sea, can help to obtain qualified information necessary for oil exploration and even for the installation of wind energy, as it is possible to measure the winds in the middle of the ocean, besides other possibilities. “Our maritime coast is an immense area that still has a lot to be explored. Potentializing the use of the ship can even support public policies and private initiatives in various segments”, states Carvalho.
University expeditions are typically three to seven days long. For professor Rosália Furtado, from the Federal Rural University of Amazônia (UFRA), there is one more particularity to point out: “Before, when students needed to rely on Navy trips or fishing boats, it was very difficult for women to participate, as they could not integrate an expedition for so many days with an exclusively male crew. There were no segmented bedrooms or anything to guarantee comfort. Now, due to the Sciences of the Sea II, this opportunity to board has become more equal. We separate in the dorms only women or men and everyone experiences the same conditions”, she points out.
