Abstract
The Convention on Biological Diversity proposed the Aichi Biodiversity Targets to improve conservation policies and to balance economic development, social welfare, and the maintenance of biodiversity/ecosystem services. Brazil is a signatory of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and is the most diverse country in terms of freshwater fish, but its national policies have supported the development of unsustainable commercial and ornamental aquaculture, which has led to serious disturbances to inland ecosystems and natural resources. We analyzed the development of Brazilian aquaculture to show how current aquaculture expansion conflicts with all 20 Aichi Targets. This case suggests that Brazil and many other megadiverse developing countries will not meet international conservation targets, stressing the need for new strategies, such as the environmental management system, to improve biodiversity conservation.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Edson Kiyoshi Okada for providing the photo and anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions on the manuscript. André L. B. Magalhães and Valter M. Azevedo-Santos received CAPES scholarships, and Dilermando P. Lima Jr, Fernando M. Pelicice, Jean R. S. Vitule, and Angelo A. Agostinho received CNPq research grants.
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Lima Junior, D.P., Magalhães, A.L.B., Pelicice, F.M. et al. Aquaculture expansion in Brazilian freshwaters against the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Ambio 47, 427–440 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-1001-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-017-1001-z