Coastal zone management: public policy and stakeholders in Cocanhas beach, Caraguatatuba, São Paulo

Author(s)

Jussara Shirazawa de Freitas

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Eletrotécnica e Energia (IEE/BT)
• Defense date: 2012-09-18

Examining board members

Yara Schaeffer Novelli; Maria Cecilia Loschiavo dos Santos; Alexander Turra

• Advisor: Yara Schaeffer Novelli

Abstract

The coastal zone is a broad area of interactions where the environmental dynamics affect the complex relation between man and the surrounding environment. The landscape is formed by a mosaic of highly biodiverse and complex ecosystems, marked by the terrestrial-marine transition and its interactions, what gives it a character of fragility which requires special attention from policy makers. There is a series of problematic issues concerning environmental management practices. Thus, demanding corrective actions such as mediating multiple conflicts in use of space and resources, and controlling the impact on the marine environment. A very important tool to achieve the balance between human activities in the coastal zone and environmental conservation is the Coastal Zone Management (CZM), that can be defined as a set of activities and procedures that enables the management of natural resources in a participatory way, improving the communitys life quality, the conservation of fauna and flora, and the adequacy of human activities to the ecosystems support capacity. One of the tools, in the context of the CZM, is the Evaluation of Public Policies. The present study aims to understand how the implementation of public policies in Cocanha Beach influenced the dynamics of social networks, and contributed to the socio-spatial setting. The study site is considered an excellent example of common issues and problems along the northern coast of São Paulo State, as well along the Brazilian coast. The evaluation of the socio-spatial setting and the effects of implemented government actions on the territory were based on Evaluation of Public Policies theoretical model. In order to the evaluation to be done, several stakeholders were interviewed, such as those who have suffered direct effects of policies (community members), and others who are directly connected with the study site (external actors such as researchers). By the end of the evaluation, it was possible to observe that the local community did not effectively or actively participate in the public policies implemented in the region. Despite the job and income generation among the community, the implemented policies were poorly planned and executed, causing problematic arrangements for the community, as well as environmental degradation. The reality of Cocanha Beach a glimpse of what occurs in the City of Caraguatatuba, and in many other Brazilian coastal cities. The lack of responsible planning is affecting the population and compromising the environment. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/12969-0 - Public policies and stakeholders in the costal management, Cocanhas Beach, Caraguatatuba, São Paulo
• Grantee: Jussara Shirazawa de Freitas
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master