Mapping
IBGE adjusts eastern border of the Brazilian Coastal-Marine System to Blue Amazon
August 27, 2024 10h00 AM | Last Updated: August 27, 2024 02h49 PM
Highlights
- IBGE publishes the Brazilian Coastal-Marine System 2024, with adjustments of the eastern border to the Blue Amazon;
- The adjustment made by the IBGE allows that the Brazilian sovereign area is completely represented, as well as the standardization of the legal borders of the national territory by research and public offices;
- The new geography aims at meeting the demands of segments of the society interested in a mapping that includes the marine area under Brazilian jurisdiction;
- The updating of the representation of the national territory might also help in the sustainable management of the marine and coastal biodiversity, from its popularization in the basic education to the support in establishing public policies.
The IBGE releases today (27) the new eastern border of the Brazilian Coastal-Marine System in line with the Blue Amazon. With this adjustment, the /brazilian sovereign area is now completely represented, i.e., the Brazilian territory now comprises the entire marine portion as officially established. Moreover, this initiative aims at aligning the legal borders of the national territory with other research and governmental offices. The region known as Blue Amazon comprises the sea surface, waters adjoining to the seabed, as well as the marine soil and sub-soil contained in the atlantic extension projected from the shore down to the external border of the Brazilian Continental Platform.
A technical note was published on the IBGE portal with the procedures for the development of the layout in the marine portion, a vector datum in shapefile format and a map in PDF. The release event will take place during the Seminar on Marine and Coastal Management, at Setentrião Palace, 259 General Rondon Street, downtown, Macapá, capital of Amapá. The Digital IBGE portal will broadcast on-line.
The seminar is a joint action of the IBGE with the Department of Ocean and Coastal Management of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), supported by the TerraMar Project (MMA/GIZ/IKI), of the Interministerial Secretariat for Sea Resources (SECIRM) of the Brazilian Navy, State Secretariat of Environment of Amapá and local authorities of coastal management.
The geography released today aims at meeting the expectations of different sectors of the society interested in a mapping that encompasses the marine area under Brazilian jurisdiction, including the Blue Amazon. Compared with the Map of Biomes and Coastal System of Brazil compatible with the 1:250,000 scale, published in 2019 and that adopted as the eastern border the extension of the Great Brazilian Marine Ecosystems, this adjustment represents an increase of more than 4 million km2 in area. It should be reminded that the continental portion remained unchanged, including the coastal environments, like dunes, mangroves and sandbanks, pioneering features formed over marine silts along the Brazilian shoreline.
"From now on we are in line with other rearch and governmental institutions concerning the Brazilian jurisdictional area. It is a relevant gain for Brazil, involving economic and policital issues, as well as of protection and conservation. With the international recognition of part of the Blue Amazon, allowing the expansion of the Brazilian jurisdictional waters, and SECIRM´s recommendation on the use of this border, the updating of the Coastal-Marine System in the Brazilian official publications became urgent," explains Luciana Temponi, head of the IBGE´s Sector of Biotic Environment.
"We had a Coastal-Marine System not integrated with the Blue Amazon, a territorial area that Brazil was pleading recognition by the United Nations (UN). Therefore, the integration of the bases is key. It is also important that Brazilians understand the Blue Amazon as part of the country. We expect to contribute to the sustainable management of the marine and coastal biodiversity, from its popularization in the basic education to the support in establishing public policies," adds Therence de Sarti, IBGE´s Coordinator of Environment. According to him, the IBGE, the Brazilian Navy and the MMA aim at sub-dividing the Blue Amazon in the future.
