Map of the Brazilian coast, showing its territorial waters and the boundaries of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (Source: http://eco4u.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/governo-brasileiro-quer-construir-navios-de-pesquisa-para-explorar-e-mapear-o-mar-territorial/plataforma/)

The ecosystems of Brazil’s continental shelf and oceanic islands comprise a variety of environments that display unique geomorphological and geophysical features and biotic components.

The quest to attain knowledge of Brazilian marine fauna is hampered by coastline length, biodiversity, a high rate of endemism, and a shortage of specialized researchers. Based on a systematic bibliographic review, the article offers an overview of the history, current knowledge, and outlook for the field of marine biodiversity in Brazil.

This article, written by the researchers Leila de Lourdes Longo and Gilberto Menezes Amado Filho shows that government initiatives have afforded greater knowledge of Brazilian marine fauna species and opened new perspectives, including reliance on complex tools to describe benthic marine habitats in terms of their geological, geophysical, and biotic composition.

Read the full article:
Longo, Leila de Lourdes and Amado Filho, Gilberto Menezes. O conhecimento da fauna marinha bentônica brasileira através dos tempos. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Set 2014, vol.21, no.3, p.995-1010. ISSN 0104-5970

See the full issue of HCS-Manguinhos “Oceans and seas: history, science, policy”.