ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mar. Sci.

Sec. Marine Affairs and Policy

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1603724

Are native species of Ria de Aveiro under invasion? The relations between local activities and environmental perceptions on marine biological resources

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Digital Human-Environment Interaction Lab, Lusophone University, Lisbon, Portugal
  • 2ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal, Aveiro, Portugal
  • 3Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

This study showcases how the end-users of Ria de Aveiro coastal lagoon (Portugal), perceive the threat of invasive alien species (IAS), as well as biodiversity loss, and how it relates to their local activities, environmental identity and risk perception. Previous studies in the region and elsewhere have demonstrated that invasive species might have an impact at the habitats and at the species levels, both with potential negative socio-economic implications for end-users, i.e., for citizens who rely on the ecosystem for their livelihoods. However, this relation is still not well understood. Data drew on face-to-face questionnaires run in situ at the lagoon intertidal flats. Supported by maps, participants were invited to identify the presence of the habitat Zostera noltei (also known as Zostera noltii), and the species Diopatra neapolitana, Hediste diversicolor and Arenicola spp., as well as Ruditapes decussatus, Venerupis corrugata and Ruditapes philippinarum, and inquired about the extraction, preference, and preferred areas.Of the 174 participants, 83% were male, and 68% were private citizens. Their main reason to be in situ at the time of the questionnaire relates to local traditional activities. This study is driven by three main research questions focusing on the perspective of the Ria de Aveiro local community that rely on the lagoon for their livelihoods: i) How is the threat of IAS to native species perceived? ii) How are the relations between local activities and IAS perceived? iii) What is the impact of environmental perceptions on marine biological resources? The research questions that drove this study enabled us to conclude that the threat posed by IAS and biodiversity loss is moderate and individuals perceive that most of the species have decreased in the past and/or will decrease in the future. End-user's evidence spatial-distinct preferences in the lagoon area for species-specific harvesting, including alien species, mainly related to market demand and financial gain. The impact of environmental perceptions on marine biological resources, indicate that the inter-relations between environmental identity and risk perception might have unexpected effects that need to be better understood.

Keywords: Invasive Alien Species, Questionnaire methodology, Environmental assets, environmental identity, Risk Perception

Received: 31 Mar 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Luís, Pinho, Lopes, Oliveira, Sousa and Lillebø. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Mariana Pinho, ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal, Aveiro, Portugal
Ana Isabel Lillebø, ECOMARE, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal, Aveiro, Portugal

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.