Challenges of the recreational use of Amazon beaches

Federal conservation units in the Brazilian amazon coastal zone: An adequate approach to control recreational activities?

“…Primarily, most Amazon beaches are located within areas of mangrove forest that are crisscrossed by estuaries, channels, and creeks, which often limit access by road. The most isolated beaches -such as Ajututeua and Pesqueiro -are typically located at distances of dozens or even hundreds of kilometers from major urban centers and are often only accessible by boat or airplane -such as Pesqueiro (Pinto et al, 2011;Pereira et al, 2018). Even where boat access is available, it is often limited by tidal or seasonal factors, and may be restricted to certain days of the week.…”

“…Much of this coastline is sparsely populated or even uninhabited in such a way that most of beaches can be classified as natural (rural) or semi-natural ones, with some urban beaches in densely-populated areas. Anthropogenic pressures and conflicts accessed on the beaches include (i) the unregulated occupation of land, in particular in mangroves, and on dunes and cliffs, and (ii) the presence of cesspits, solid garbage and illegal sewage outfalls in the mangrove or intertidal zone, and on dunes (Szlafsztein, 2009;Pereira et al, 2018).…”

“…The observed increased use of Amazon beaches which leads to an increase in the frequency and intensity of these conflicts (e.g., Pereira et al, 2014Pereira et al, , 2018, highlights the urgent need for the implementation of adequate coastal management plans for the Amazon littoral. In this sense some attempts, such as state and municipal coastal management programs, and the Promenade project, have been implemented, but have yet to produce satisfactory results (Szlafsztein and Sterr, 2007;Szlafsztein, 2012).…”

“…A total of eight RESEXes are found in Pará, and they all play a fundamental role in the management of the space used by traditional populations, in particular fishing communities (Moreira and Silva, 2012). In recent decades, however, increasing pressure from a large number of stakeholders, with interest in the development of recreational activities has generated both social conflicts, such as the loss of the identity of traditional local populations, and environmental problems, including overcrowding, erosion, and contamination (Pereira et al, 2014(Pereira et al, , 2018.…”

“…Recreational activities in Pará beaches involve sunbathing, aquatic activities (such as bathing, swimming, surfing, wind surf, and ride with banana boat and jet ski), cultural events, ecotourism and fishing practices (Bentes et al, 2012;Almeida and Jardim, 2018;Pereira et al, 2018), and they mostly concentrate during weekends of July (scholar vacation period) and bank holidays, mainly during the dry season (Pessoa et al, 2016;Sousa et al, 2017). It is important to note that recreational activities in Pará sandy beaches is a relatively recent use (around 3-4 decades ago) in comparison with the rest of the Brazilian coast, and it was driven by the construction of roads connecting largest cities to the coastline.…”