Áreas costeiras: gestão, problemáticas e percepções ambientais no município de Areia Branca, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Abstract

The Brazilian coastal zone corresponds to the geographical interaction space of air, sea and land, including its renewable and non-renewable resources, covering a sea band and a terrestrial band, being considered national patrimony according to the Federal Constitution of 1988. The importance of the coastal region of Brazil is remarkable, considering its territorial extension, in addition to its high population density. However, there are numerous socioeconomic pressures in the coastal zone, highlighting the accelerated and disordered urbanization process leading to the intense degradation of natural resources, putting at risk the socioeconomic sustainability and the environmental quality of the populations. As an attempt to address such problems in coastal zones, some public policies aimed at the management of these regions needed to be developed. In 1988 Coastal Management was instituted through Law No. 7,661, which introduced the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC) to guide the rational use of coastal resources, protecting natural, historical, ethnic and cultural heritage. In this sense, the objective of this study was evaluate the Brazilian evolution coastal management, as well as to make a diagnosis of the coastal management of Potiguar, especially in the Areia Branca city -RN, identifying the main environmental problems related to coastal use in the municipality. In addition, the objective was to understand the relationship between the population and the local environment and their perceptions about the environmental quality and the management of the coastal environment the Areia Branca city. For this purpose, were applied the following methodological procedures: content analysis of the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC) and its respective report "25 years of Coastal Management in Brazil"; implementation of the Coastal Management Decalogue; use of geoprocessing techniques related to the classification of use and land occupation, as well as to the advancement of dunes; analysis of environmental perception through the application of questionnaires, statistical analysis and qualitative data analysis. It was verified that the Brazilian coastal area presents conflicts of interests, since the activities in these areas bring with them numerous impacts in the social, economic, cultural and environmental scope, in spite of their economic importance for the country. Due to this, coastal management instituted legal instruments, plans, programs and projects that have brought positive results towards the management uses of the coastal zones. However, there still needs to be resolved for the promotion of spatial use of natural resources and occupation of coastal areas. It was also verified that coastal management in the state of Rio Grande do Norte is at an early stage of development, implementation and structuring, necessitating urgent actions aimed at strengthening coastal management at the state level. In the municipal domain, Areia Branca is under discussion for the development of its coastal management, presenting, therefore, insufficiencies in relation to public policies and normative instruments related to the theme. It has also been identified changes in the landscape of the Areia Branca city over the last 20 years due to the intensification of urbanization, sea salt production, oil activity and, lately, due to the installation of wind farms in the municipality. These activities also contributed to the vegetation cover decrease and reduction of the dune fields in the municipality. The analysis of the dune field movement in the municipality led to the conclusion that the dunes of the region under study presented advance and retraction movements during the period in question, being the main factors influencing this process the dynamics of the winds, the low precipitation in the as well as anthropogenic interference. Regarding environmental perception, the Areia Branca population was aware of the problems that affect the coastal environment of the municipality and of its contribution to the generation of such problems, as well as the importance of its involvement and participation in the construction of an environment more healthy and balanced. The environmental perception the social groups involved in the research proved to be variable and the interviewees showed both satisfactions and discontent related to the use and management of the municipal coastal environment. Scenic beauty and tranquility were aspects well evaluated as the quality of the municipality coastal zone, however, aspects related to the local infrastructure were not so well evaluated. In addition, the interviewed groups do not perceive the degrading potential of the economic activities carried out in the municipality. Thus, this research showed the urgent need for strategies and continuous public policies, especially in the area of environmental and coastal management, urban planning and regional planning for the state of Rio Grande do Norte, and especially for the Areia Branca municipality in accordance with the rules and instruments envisaged at the federal level.