Mangroves are havens for wildlife, especially in tropical Brazil. Herons of every hue (green, gray, blue, white) stab fish and crustaceans in the shallow waters as brilliant scarlet ibises and iridescent flycatchers loop above. Snakes twine through branches or glide through the brackish water.

People depend on these mangroves, too. At the mouth of the Santo Antônio River, local women catch fish and gather mangrove crabs and shellfish on two small, uninhabited islands covered with mangroves. Native stingless bees on the islands also produce valuable red propolis, which has many medical uses. The mangrove forests protect the communities by slowing down river surges.

The future of these islands, however, is uncertain. There is constant pressure from people who want to rip out mangroves and replace them with fish ponds, or to develop hotels for mass tourism. On paper, the islands are part of the Coral Coast Environmental Protection Area, a designation that is intended to limit deforestation. But the government hasn’t stopped all the illegal clearing and dredging.

The only thing that is keeping these island mangroves healthy is the determination of local people. Specifically, the determination of more than 600 women, who have organized themselves into the Coral Coast Women Fisherfolk Network.
The women work to prohibit mangrove clearing, raise local awareness about the environment, and prevent the extraction of sediment from the river. They alert state and federal prosecutors’ offices of potential problems. And they advocate for assessment of the environmental impacts of shrimp farming, so that solid data can guide decisions about aquaculture near mangrove areas.

The women will use a grant to build a center for training and environmental education. They will also use discarded shellfish shells to make bricks. This is an ancient technology, revived and updated with machines. It will reduce waste, provide an affordable building material, and strengthen financial security for the women fishers.