Brazilian sandy beaches: characteristics, ecosystem services, impacts, knowledge and priorities

Abstract

Sandy beaches constitute a key ecosystem and provide socioeconomic goods and services, thereby playing an important role in the maintenance of human populations and in biodiversity conservation. Despite the ecological and social importance of these ecosytems, Brazilian sandy beaches are significantly impacted by human interference, chemical and organic pollution and tourism, as well as global climate change. These factors drive the need to better understand the environmental change and its consequences for biota. To promote the implementation of integrated studies to detect the effects of regional and global environmental change on beaches and on other benthic habitats of the Brazilian coast, Brazilian marine researchers have established The Coastal Benthic Habitats Monitoring Network (ReBentos). In order to provide input for sample planning by ReBentos, we have conducted an intensive review of the studies conducted on Brazilian beaches and summarized the current knowledge about this environment. In this paper, we present the results of this review and describe the physical, biological and socioeconomics features of Brazilian beaches. We have used these results, our personal experience and worldwide literature to identify research projects that should be prioritized in the assessment of regional and global change on Brazilian sandy beaches. We trust that this paper will provide insights for future studies and represent a significant step towards the conservation of Brazilian beaches and their biodiversity.

Length–weight relations of juvenile and adult fishes (Actinopterygii) from shallow waters in the lower Guanabara Bay estuary, Brazil

“…Shallow marine habitats and the surf zone of sandy beaches have long been considered as nurseries for several fish species, many of commercial interest (Monteiro-Neto and Musick 2003, Pereira et al 2015). The high food availability (Amaral et al 2016) and protection from larger fish predators (Félix et al 2007) during the growing phase represent important assets for young fish. Thus, shallow marine habitats play the connectivity role between the young and the adult population (Beck et al 2001) of species that are commonly found in other habitats as adults.…”

The coast of the Macro metropolis: so far from God and so close to the Devil

“…Estes ambientes são responsáveis pela provisão de diversos serviços ecossistêmicos com grande importância social e econômica (alimento, proteção da linha de costa, turismo, lazer etc.) (Carrilho & Sinisgalli, 2018;Amaral et al, 2016) e vêm sofrendo o impacto das mudanças climáticas, do crescimento populacional e da ocupação desordenada (MMA, 2014;Santos & Turra, 2017;Teixeira, 2013 A Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista (RMBS) foi criada em 1996 e é integrada por nove municípios: Bertioga, Cubatão, Guarujá, Itanhaém, Mongaguá, Peruíbe, Praia Grande, Santos e São Vicente.…”

Influência do ambiente na estrutura de tamanho e biomassa da Emerita brasiliensis (Schimitt, 1935) na praia Brava e Guarda do Embaú

“…Sendo o ambiente costeiro dominante na maioria das regiões tropicais e temperadas (Defeo & McLachlan, 2005), as praias arenosas são um dos ambientes marinhos mais acessíveis ao homem e locais muito populares, consequentemente, é o ambiente costeiro mais utilizado pela população humana (Klein et al, 2004) causando mudanças antropogênicas que podem ter efeitos significativos na estrutura e no funcionamento das comunidades de uma praia (Amaral et al, 2016).…”