Mabel Augustowski

WCPA-Marine Regional Coordinator for the South Atlantic and Biological Oceanographer, Marine Conservation Research Center (CEMAR)

CEMAR: dive tourism management in MPAs and integrating species conservation programs (mainly cetaceans) in MPA management

Mabel Augustowski has been working in Marine Protected Areas management since 1990. Graduated in Biology and with a Master Degree in Biological Oceanography, both in S.Paulo University, she works in Brazil at the Environmental Department of Sao Paulo State Government, Brazil since 1992 and is the Executive Coordinator of the ngo CEMAR – Marine Conservation Research Center (Ubatuba, SP, Brazil). Within the government, she has been working in different MPAs coordinating research and public use, and as marine park Director for 6 years. Out of Brazil, she coordinated Research for Dive Tourism in Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador, for more than 1 year, which included evaluations of ecosystem fragility in 74 dive sites, estimations of carrying capacity, definition of standards and rules, and development of good practices for diving, which were disseminated through videos and interactive CDs specially produced for the project.

Besides dive tourism management in MPAs, her work is also focused in integrating species conservation programs - mainly cetaceans - to MPA management. In 2001, she started the first steps for studying Bryde's Whales at Laje de Santos Marine State Park, spreading them to the other islands along the coast of S.Paulo, and thus creating the Bryde’s Whale Project/Brazil which she has been coordinating up to date. This project is currently the third long-term project for whale conservation in Brazil, which provides important contributions to the National Policy for whale conservation since 2003 and to the Brazilian Government proposal to create the South Atlantic Whale Network, which is being presented at the International Whaling Commission since 5 years. Since 2004, she has been coordinating the Latin American Network for Cetacean Conservation focused in Marine Protected Areas – a network sponsored by AVINA which gathers cetacean specialists from 10 Latin American countries.

Since 1998, Mabel has been coordinating IUCN/WCPA Marine in Brazil and is currently the Regional Coordinator for Region 9 - South Atlantic.