摘要：Extractive reserves are areas of the public domain to use granted to traditional populations, managed by a deliberative board which shall manage sustainably use natural resources and deploy structures aimed at improving the quality of life of communities. Fishermen Colônia Z-7 Rio Formoso, Pernambuco, chose the strategy of creating an extractive reserve in order to preserve their fishing territories. The aim of this study is to analyze the social capital of these fishermen, from the perspective of local development. We used the methodological strategy case study, covering the field observations and semi-structured interviews. The trust, cooperation and group and social networks formation among fishermen Colônia Z-7 is presented as important aspects in the analysis of social capital. Analysis indicated that environmental policy of creating extractive reserves, to some extent, promotes local development through the recognition of traditional communities as managers of their territories.
