Revista TOMO, São Cristóvão, v. 44, e22024, 2025

DOI:10.21669/tomo.v44.22024

Special Issue - Coastal Squeeze: Beaches under Socio-Economic

and Ecological Pressure

E-ISSN: 2318-9010 / ISSN:1517-4549

Special Issue

Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and

coastal management in Brazil

Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros*1

Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles**2

Tais Kalil Rodrigues***3

Paloma Santos Amorim****4

Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert*****5

Abstract

Coastal beaches have gained increasing relevance and complexity in Brazilian territorial management, considering

their economic, social, and environmental value, as well as other associated interests. The conflicts and impacts

related to the multiple uses and appropriations of these spaces are intensified and become even more significant

due to climate change, which imposes new challenges. On one hand, we face coastal erosion and flooding; on

the other, we are confronted with the production of space through urbanization and the tourist development of

beaches without planning or a territorial governance agenda. Considered in their complexities, beaches bring

together issues that are challenging to analyze and integrate: environmental, public rights, and public policy. This

threatens their status as public spaces for common use and free access, even giving rise to political proposals for

privatization. This article aims to correlate these general problems with Brazilian beaches and the role of science in

defining governance flows from a territorial perspective. Based on three situations in different locations in Brazil,

a preliminary proposal for approaching discrepancies and similarities is built. The article will contribute to the

debate on what the beach means for contemporary Brazilian society.

Keywords: Beach Management; Territoriality Conflicts; Coastal Squeeze; Environmental Impacts.

*

Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Department of Geography and Graduate Program in Geography. Rio de Janeiro,

Brazil. E-mail: flaviamlb@igeo.u f rj.br Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2006-9948 CrediT: Conceptualization; For-

mal Analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Writing original draft, review and editing.

**

Universidade Federal do Paraná, Center for Marine Studies. Pontal do Sul, Paraná, Brazil. E:mail: danieltelles@u f p r .br Or-

cid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0873-0484 CrediT: Conceptualization; Formal Analysis; Investigation; Methodology;

Writing original draft, review and editing.

*** Universidade Federal do Sergipe, Center for Education and Human Sciences. São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil. E-mail: tkali -

lr@yahoo.com.br Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9718-6531. CRediT: Conceptualization; Formal Analysis; Investi-

gation; Methodology; Writing original draft, review and editing.

**** Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Graduate Program in Geosciences and Basin Analysis. São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil.

E-mail: palomasantosamorim@gmail.com Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6800-111X. CRediT: Cartography, Re-

view and Editing

***** Universidade Federal do Paraná, Chamber of Sciences, Coastal Sector. Matinhos, Paraná, Brazil. E-mail: luizlautert@u f p r .

br Or cid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5905-0198 CRediT: Cartography, Analysis, Visualization, Review and Editing.

1

Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Introduction

Beaches are highly complex transitional environments of great social and economic value. Nowa-

days, they are commonly marked by urbanized areas or those undergoing urbanization, tending

toward high demographic and technological density and concentrated diversification of uses, whi-

le also constituting places integrated into multiple economic circuits. They include physical-envi-

ronmental, social, and economic components and fulfill various functions such as recreation, de-

fense, and conservation, often involving conflicting interests (Micallef and William, 2009; Botero

et al., 2012).

From the perspective of the natural sciences, beaches can be understood as a landscape, a habitat,

or a geomorphological feature; from the viewpoint of engineering, they are often seen as a dyna-

mic space that needs to be controlled to ensure the safety of human occupations; for economics,

more generally, as a site of high added value with multiple uses and activities; and for the social

sciences, as a territory and place of residence for large populations, including traditional commu-

nities, where conflicts of interest occur. These characteristics have led to pressures and impacts

on beaches worldwide, creating the need for specific beach management (Micallef and William,

op.cit.). The polysemy of the word “beach” raises important questions about how society values

and pressures beaches today and how different perspectives and pressures on this space influence

how new management challenges are being addressed, particularly those related to climate chan-

ge, which threatens beaches with coastal erosion.

The oceanographic forcings related to sea-level rise and extreme events add to the increasingly sig-

nificant pressures of human occupation near beaches. Doody (2004) pointed out concerns about the

loss of space in the coastal zone due to human use, which, for many years, promoted the enclosure

of coastal areas and, in some cases, resulted in the complete loss of salt marsh environments in the

intertidal zone. Doody (op. cit.) calls this phenomenon coastal squeeze, introducing this concept for

the first time in the debate on pressure in coastal spaces. More recently, in a global analysis of this

issue, Lansu et al. (2024) mention the term beach squeeze when noting that 33% of the world’s

sandy coasts have less than 100 meters of space free of infrastructure in the backshore of the beach,

and that 23–30% of this space may be lost by 2100 due to sea-level rise. Defeo et al. (2021) consider

this compression the main current problem of beaches, caused by opposing forces. On the one hand,

urbanization, recreation, and industrial development is advancing toward the sea; on the other, the

sea is advancing over the continent due to sea-level rise.

Nature-based solutions, adaptation, and resilience have become prominent themes in recent de-

cades. More recently, they point toward initiatives to relocate occupations in critical situations of

beach-related risks associated with climate change (Ocean & Climate Platform, 2025). Beaches, at

the center of these debates, are perceived through multiple lenses and values, functioning as a ter-

ritory of often conflicting interests, raising current concerns regarding their permanence as public

spaces. In light of this, the question for Brazil is how to conceive of the beach as a territorial arena,

manifesting itself through a critical perspective on its condition as a receptacle of divergent interests

materialized in its uses—as heritage (Carbonell, 2010), as a territory of coastal management (Hjala-

ger, 2020), and, at the same time, as a physically vulnerable site subject to exhaustion in situations

of beach squeeze. We are no longer dealing solely with the beach as a site of consumption, a place for

leisure and tourism, a place of residence, or a place of work; it is also a vulnerable place due to sce-

narios of sea-level rise. How have those territories (threatened on one hand by the process of coastal

erosion and on the other by socioeconomic pressures) been contested and “squeezed”?

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Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

Through a geographical approach to beach analysis, this paper aims to display the contemporary

processes operating in this geographical space of beaches in Brazil. By considering the beach as a

subsystem of the coastal space that reproduces itself in dynamic variations across different sca-

les, the objective is to understand the incidence of pressures that impact the compression of the

beach environment with carrying capacity, and therefore a territory to be regulated and managed

(Aguilar, Mendoza, and Silva, 2021). To achieve this objective, it was adopted a systemic definition

of beaches that integrates, from the outset, relevant geophysical and human elements for their

management, which already benefit from solid technical references in Brazil, both scientific and

public policy-related.

As Palmer (2019) highlights, beaches as public spaces bring together several conflicts over power

and place, resembling broader conflicts experienced in Brazilian society, and lead us to another

question, as also posed by Palmer (op. cit.): To whom does the beach belong? Finally, it must also be

questioned how, or for how long, the management of these conflicts involving multiple interests

can ensure an adequate and fair flow of governance that guarantees the beach remains federal

property and a public space. In light of these issues, this paper seeks to understand the relation

beyond pressures exerted on beaches, using beaches in three different regions of the Brazilian

coast as a case study.

1. Methodology

This paper presents three cases from different Brazilian states (figure 1) to compare similarities

and differences regarding beaches (in a broad sense) under different sources of pressure, which

can be understood as beach squeeze. From a characterization-synthesis of the analyzed beaches,

ranging from localities to larger extensions, also having different site characteristics and lands-

cape alterations, the forcings of physical processes and anthropic pressures are highlighted, and

the actors involved in the conflicts that unfold in each situation. Based on this analysis, common

processes and dynamics of the different regions addressed along the Brazilian coast are identified,

contributing to the debate.

Those locations were chosen because they are emblematic and current cases to analyze beach

squeeze, covering three different regions of the Brazilian coast. That allows us to standardize and

reflect on beach management. In the state of Sergipe, the municipality of Barra dos Coqueiros nei-

ghbors the city of Aracaju. In Rio de Janeiro city (the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro), the

urban oceanic beaches were addressed. Finally, Praia de Leste arc, in the central coast of the state

of Paraná.

From a theoretical-methodological point of view, we proposed the need for an approach to bea-

ches starting from their surroundings and other scales in which interferences in realities mani-

fest themselves, to approximate an approach intended to be integrated. Agreeing that possible

solutions for beach management require the involvement of different sectors, social groups, and

jurisdictional levels that deal with the various spatial and temporal scales (Assche et al., 2020). As

a development of these reflections, it is expected that the analyses proposed will be important to

bring complexity and a systemic approach to territorial pressures on beaches in Brazil.

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Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Figure 1 – Location map of case study areas in three regions of the Brazilian coast.

3 Results

3.1 Urbanization in Barra dos Coqueiros (Sergipe, Brazil): Socio-environmental conflicts

and the Challenges to Coastal Sustainability

The recent, accelerated, and disordered urbanization of coastal areas in Barra dos Coqueiros reve-

als a dynamic characterized by structural advances with significant socio-environmental impacts

(Santos and Rodrigues, 2021). Historically, it dates back to the colonial period. Since then, the

area has gone through different cycles of land use, initially centered on small-scale extractive and

agricultural activities, such as fishing, shrimp farming, and mangaba (a fruit scientifically called

Hancornia speciosa Gomes) harvesting, practices that maintained a relatively balanced interac-

tion with coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and restingas¹, configuring sustainable forms of

1

Restinga vegetation consists of forest belonging to the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) occurring on sandy plains, generally

being characterized by small to medium-sized bushes, woody species and creepers, which give the vegetation a closed,

dense aspect (Dantas et al. 2009).

4

Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

territoriality (Barreto and Rodrigues, 2016). From the 1980s, with the implementation of PRODE-

TUR/NE I (Tourism Development Program in the Northeast), tourism was stimulated, intensifying

migration from rural to urban areas. As a consequence, pressure on natural resources increased,

revealing the weaknesses of the existing urban planning.

In 2006, a new bridge consolidated a new axis of population connectivity to the capital, Aracaju,

boosting real estate appreciation in areas of tourist interest, such as Atalaia Nova and Praia da

Costa. However, this process of urban growth, marked by the absence of planning, resulted in se-

vere negative impacts, such as the suppression of native vegetation (restingas and mangroves),

the filling of wetlands, and the occupation of environmentally fragile zones, compromising natural

habitats and accelerating coastal erosion (Cunha and Dantas, 2019) (figure 2).

Figure 2 – Urban expansion in Barra dos Coqueiros, Sergipe, Brazil (2008–2024).

Source: Photo A from 2008 - José Maria Landim Domingues, Photo B from 2024 - aerial survey SEMA Barra.

Data produced by the Coastal Dynamics and Modeling Research Group provided relevant infor-

mation on the coastal dynamics of Barra dos Coqueiros and reveal the intensity of these transfor-

mations. Through geoindicators classified according to the methodology of Bush et al. (1999),

the studies showed a predominance of areas under severe erosion in the winter of 2017, with 23

of the 32 evaluated points with erosive trends. The beaches exhibited predominantly dissipative

morphodynamic features, with slopes between 0° and 3.5° and sandbar widths between 20 and

150 meters. In the second survey, carried out in the summer of 2018, a relative recovery was ob-

served: 23 points were classified as stable or advanced (figure 3). Even so, critical areas remained

at risk, indicating the structural fragility of the coastline.

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Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Figure 3 – Map of geoindicators for the summer and winter periods in the municipality of Barra dos Coqueiros – Sergipe.

Source: Prepared by Paloma Santos Amorim.

The seasonal variation identified reflects the influence of regional hydrodynamic regimes, parti-

cularly wave energy during winter. That resulted in frontal scarps and sediment loss. In addition,

the decrease in sediment supply from the Sergipe River, influenced by dams, dredging practices,

and silting along the river, interferes with the natural replenishment of beaches, accentuating the

effects of erosion (Santos, 2017), representing a warning for the compromise of coastal resilience

in the medium and long term.

Such a process, combined with disorderly anthropic intervention, aggravates the vulnerability of

the coastal system. The comparison between the two periods allows reflection on the increasing

vulnerability of the coastal strip in the face of disorderly and intensive occupation of areas near

the coastline of Barra dos Coqueiros. Even during periods of greater stability, some stretches re-

main at risk or vulnerable, indicating the need to integrate morphodynamic studies into urban

planning. Furthermore, the data reinforce the importance of effective public policies for coastal

management that consider local particularities and the carrying capacity of ecosystems.

To this scenario are added the effects of global climate change, such as the sea-level rise and the

intensification of extreme events (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2021), which fur-

ther compromise the resilience of coastal ecosystems. The removal of native vegetation, responsi-

ble for sediment fixation and damping of high tides, increases flooding in peripheral urban areas

and compromises essential ecosystem services, such as water regulation, pollutant filtration, and

protection against aquifer salinization (Duarte and Pinto, 2024).

The socio-environmental vulnerability of Barra dos Coqueiros is also aggravated by inequality in

access to urban infrastructure, affecting especially traditional communities and low-income fa-

6

Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

milies living in areas susceptible to flooding. Although the municipality has planning instruments

such as the Municipal Coastal Management Plan (PMGC, abbreviation in Portuguese) and conser-

vation units, these mechanisms still lack effectiveness, integration of policies, and active enforce-

ment. Recently, the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Service (MPF), the Chico Mendes Institute for

Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and private agents worked together to control light pollution

to protect sea turtles, representing a relevant advance, despite the limitations regarding the com-

plexity of the challenges faced.

The results presented not only outline a technical diagnosis of the coastline of Barra dos Coquei-

ros, but also raise concerns about the viability of the current development model. The continuous

degradation of vulnerable ecosystems coupled with urban expansion highlights the urgent need

to strengthen environmental legislation, review master plans, and integrate public policies with

the private sector’s initiatives to mitigate impacts and promote socio-environmental resilience.

Therefore, the vulnerability of coastal environments in Barra dos Coqueiros stems both from the

natural fragility of the ecosystem and the absence of an occupation model that simultaneously

promotes urban development, ecological sustainability, and socio-environmental equity. Unders-

tanding how urban expansion has affected coastal territories and local ways of life is essential to

reflect on possible paths for building sustainable alternatives. Thus, by investigating the reality of

Barra dos Coqueiros, this work seeks to highlight the complexity of ongoing territorial transforma-

tions and contribute to the debate on urban guidelines capable of articulating economic growth,

environmental preservation, and the well-being of populations inhabiting areas of high socio-en-

vironmental vulnerability.

3.2 The advance of leisure and commerce on the dunes and restingas of the city of Rio de

Janeiro – which beach do we want?

Throughout the historical occupation process, the city of Rio de Janeiro lost about 83% of its coas-

tal habitats, reflecting its initial urbanization on the beaches of the Central and South Zones (Pei-

xoto et al., 2024). In addition to the mangroves, eliminated from the northern and central zones

of the city for being considered areas that could cause diseases and that hindered occupation ex-

pansion, the frontal dunes and restingas were also destroyed (Lins-de-Barros and Guerra, 2020),

although much of these ecosystems are within the APA Orla Marítima (Rio de Janeiro, 1988), a

municipal conservation unit created in 1988, between the beaches of Leme and Barra da Tijuca.

Initiatives to restore dune vegetation occur sporadically on some beaches through the adoption

of this ecosystem by entrepreneurs or Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Despite this, the

current scenario is still one of destruction of this important ecosystem, historically replaced by

various urban structures, such as promenades, bike paths, and kiosks.

The first open-sea beach to be occupied more intensively in the city was Copacabana, whose oc-

cupation took place at the end of the 19^thcentury and is very well described by O’Donnell (2013).

The transformation of the former remote, uninhabited area into the famous “Little Princess of

the Sea” transformed the coastal landscape relatively quickly. Linhares and Lins-de-Barros (2021)

highlight, beyond the urban transformations and the mode of use and occupation, the changes in

the geomorphology of this beach, which underwent a large artificial nourishment project in the

1960s. It is noteworthy that since the first decades of the 20^thcentury, the process of urbanization

through mansions and the construction of the seaside avenue along the Copacabana shore occur-

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Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

red very close to the sand strip, already configuring beach squeeze, resulting in a risky situation

due to storm surges historically registered (figure 4).

Figure 4 – Copacabana Beach in 1919. Photograph by Augusto Malta.

Source: General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro.

The same is true for the beaches of Arpoador, Ipanema, and Leblon, which, until the 1960s, still

preserved frontal dunes and sandbanks, now fully eliminated in several sections (figure 5). The

removal of the natural protection provided by dunes and sandbanks as sand stock spots, as well

as the placement of rigid structures, has led to changes in the beaches’ natural dynamics, which in

some segments are now more exposed to waves and have a lower capacity to recover their sedi-

ment stock (Lins-de-Barros and Guerra, 2020). As a result, a decrease in the resistance of beaches

to sea surges has been observed. That means that beaches have become more vulnerable to stor-

my events and sea-level rise.

Figure 5 – Leblon Beach viewed from Avenida Delfim Moreira towards Posto 11.

1920

2025

Source: The upper photo is from approximately 1920 (collection of the Marine Geography Laboratory of the Federal University

of Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ, Photo from Maria Luiza Amarante), and the lower photo dates from the 2020s (available on: https://

turista f ulltime.com/o-que-f azer-em-ipanema-dicas/). In the old photo, the presence of frontal dunes providing a natural bar-

rier can be observed, where today the promenade is located, without any trace of dunes or restinga vegetation.

8

Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

In a recent study on the coastal vulnerability of Rio de Janeiro beaches, Lins-de-Barros et al. (2024)

and Piacesi (2025) indicate to 38% of the coastline classified as having moderate to high vulne-

rability and almost 8% with high vulnerability. Leblon Beach, Copacabana (southeast part), and

Macumba Beach are classified as highly vulnerable, a situation also pointed out by Carvalho and

Guerra (2020). This becomes evident when observing the high number of storm surges causing

damage on these beaches, especially at Leblon (Lima, Lins-de-Barros, and Cirano, 2021). These

studies clearly demonstrated the importance of sediment stock and the formation of natural bar-

riers in reducing vulnerability in locations where the frontal dunes are still relatively well preser-

ved, such as Reserva and Recreio beaches in the western zone of the city.

This result is also demonstrated by Martins et al. (2024), who present a coastal risk analysis under

different ecosystem preservation scenarios, showing the strong role of remaining vegetation in pro-

tecting the coastline. However, this situation can be reversed if this natural protection and sediment

stock are altered, as has already been occurring (figure 6). It is important to emphasize that, despite

this scenario of beaches with high vulnerability, the entire city coastline has shown high resilience,

recovering its sediment stock after storm events (Carvalho et al., 2021; Piacesi, 2025).

In a recent report, the systematic closure of public areas by beachfront kiosks in Barra da Tijuca

beach was registered, with the fencing on the beaches and kiosks charging entrance fees (O Globo,

2025). The report also mentioned a private Windsurf equipment storage facility built within the

sand strip and its subsoil, even including a gate on the beach, threatening public access guaranteed

by federal law (Brasil, 1988).

Figure 6 – Photos of Barra da Tijuca beach between posts 6 and 7 in 2016 (first photo) and in 2025 (second photo) at the same

location, showing severe degradation of the sandbank vegetation cover and the elimination of the frontal dune.

2016

2025

Source: Photos courtesy of Izabela Affonso (2016) and Rafaella Sade Milckzewsky (2025).

In an inventory based on news from the newspaper O Globo regarding storm surges in the city,

Lima (2022) found that the main responses to storm surge events have been the closure of ave-

nues and removal of sand from the roads. In terms of engineering works, historical records show

some punctual interventions with rigid structures and artificial sand nourishment. The artificial

nourishment of Copacabana in the 1960s was the largest engineering intervention in the urban

beaches of the city. Other sand placement interventions occurred only on an emergency basis, as

happened occasionally at Arpoador Beach.

At Macumba Beach, where the promenade has already subsided and led to the collapse of kiosks

and bike lanes, recovery works and the placement of rigid containment structures were carried

out. Santos (2017) estimated a total of more than US$ 6.3 million in emergency works for the re-

9

Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

covery of Macumba Beach between 2009 and 2017. Futhermore, at Macumba beach, where there

are records of very severe damage caused by storm surges and stretches of coastline with high

physical vulnerability (Lins-de-Barros et al., 2024; Piacesi, 2025; Pereira et al., 2018), there has

also been an increase in hotels, flats, and new real estate developments, such as the most recent

“On the Ocean Pontal Beach Recreio,” with apartments selling for more than US$ 470 K (figure

7). The development includes shops, banks, and four shopping malls. This location is currently

occupied by an association of artisanal fishermen from Recreio and a fish market and is one of the

main leisure destinations for the population of the western neighborhoods due to its easy access

to public transportation and proximity to neighborhoods located in the Jacarepaguá lowlands.

This development points to a new trend for the Recreio neighborhood, which has undergone rapid

urbanization since the 2000s. With the idea of exclusivity in mind, On the Ocean’s slogan is: “be-

tween your home and the Atlantic Ocean, there is only sand.”

Figure 7 – Projection of the new On the Ocean development at Pontal Beach, Recreio dos Bandeirantes.

Source: https://bluedoorlancamentos.com.br/imovel/on-the-ocean-recreio-praia-do-pontal/107

Recently, with the increased perception of the vulnerability of Barra da Tijuca Beach following

damages to kiosks (built improperly closer to the sand strip and in areas of degradation of res-

tinga and frontal dunes), a rigid engineering project began in 2022, involving the placement of

buried cement mats along the berm of the beach. After complaints from the scientific community,

lawyers, NGOs, and environmentalists, this work was embargoed by the MPF, which found the is-

suance of an illegal environmental license, as well as the absence of adequate technical-scientific

support for carrying out the project (Lins-de-Barros, Dias, and Guerra, 2023).

Another action by the MPF occurred in May 2025 at Ipanema Beach, when the demolition of ‘bea-

ch club’ areas encroaching on the sand was ordered. Also noteworthy among the responses is the

creation of specific norms and legislation for the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. In this regard, an exam-

ple is Municipal Decree N°. 56,160, published in May 2025, which prohibits the practice known

as “cercadinho” — delimiting public areas with chairs by street vendors and kiosks, beyond the

authorized limits of fixed modules, by any means that prevents free circulation of people (Rio

de Janeiro, 2025). Finally, it is worth noting the creation in 2024, through Municipal Decree N°.

55,003/2024, of the Rio Committee for Scientific Studies on Sea Level Rise (Rio de Janeiro, 2024).

Its objective is to carry out studies and research on the impacts of sea level rise, especially in

coastal areas, monitor, promote the implementation of actions, propose public policies, provide

technical-scientific opinions, and organize a database on the topic.

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Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

3.3 Case study: Praia de Leste arc, central Paraná coastzone

The Praia de Leste arc is part of the Paraná coastal plain, and its name is based on the proposition

of José Loureiro (Bigarella, 2001). It is a section of the central coast between the municipalities of

Pontal do Paraná and Matinhos. It encompasses dozens of resorts in these two municipalities and

has a sandy beach extension of 32 kilometers. It is formed by marine and continental sediments

with Paleocene and Holocene deposits, resulting from marine oscillations. According to Angulo

(1992), continental sediments include materials deposited associated with slopes, such as talus,

colluvium cones, fans, and materials forming floodplains of rivers originating in the Serra do Mar.

Marine sediments were formed by marine regressions, forming a line of coastal ridges. The limits

of the arc are formed by crystalline complex cliffs to the south and by an artificial jetty to the north.

Human occupation in the region has records of sambaqui originary settlement, the Guarani Mbyá.

With the miscegenation among Guarani, Black, and European populations rose to the caiçaras

in the region, traditional peoples who occupied the slopes of the mountains and plains. Tourism

occupation was first slowly increased, with vacationers settling in Matinhos since the 1920s. Be-

tween 1950 and 1970, growth was motivated by the first phase of paving by sambaquis remains

sites the access road (Bigarella, 2001), followed by an intensification of the tourism process with

the asphalt paving of the roads that started in the 1980s. Since the second phase, the real estate

expansion rose, with nonformal urbanization process associated to the growth of the Curitiba me-

tropolitan region, which demanded second-home properties.

This process resulted in the occupation of peripheral areas, often environmentally sensitive (such

as restingas and wet lowlands between ridges), and in the development of new subdivisions and

condominiums. Satellite images show that this occupation is concentrated in areas close to sandy

beaches, along avenues near the sea, and on access roads. From the images, we can note that in

both Pontal do Paraná and Matinhos, resorts such as Praia de Leste, Ipanema, Xangrilá, Monções,

and Matinhos grew intensively (figure 8), causing significant socio-economic transformations.

The rapid and disorderly occupation has brought serious environmental concerns, such as Atlan-

tic Forest deforestation, pressure on restinga areas, and water pollution, among other impacts.

Upon closer examination, one can notice the almost complete occupation of the land when com-

paring images of the same area between 1984 and 2020 (figure 8). As commercial and public ser-

vices are established, urbanization spreads rapidly. Such patterns of urbanization follow the entire

sector adjacent to the beach strip, with variations in density along the seaside towns, which in

turn derive from appropriations and land holdings through controversial political land allocation

processes by the Paraná state authorities at the time.

The Praia de Leste Beach Arc is predominantly marked by the presence of vacation homes coexis-

ting with traditional populations, mainly made up of artisanal fishermen. In general, occupation

in the beach arc occurred due to pressure on the former beachfront areas occupied by traditional

populations. In some cases, these communities remain on the coast, but for the most part, they

were pushed to more distant areas. Fishing communities that resisted the gentrification process

throughout the 1990s and 2000s, which intensified from 2010 onwards, still exist.

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Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Figure 8 – Satellite image showing the advancement of occupation in the Pontal do Paraná region between 2004 and 2023.

Source: Google Satelitte and Earth.

The main demographic characteristic is the flow of the floating population during the summer

months. The resident population in Matinhos municipality, according to the Instituto Brasileiro de

Geografia e Estatística – IBGE (2022) is 39,259, while in Pontal do Paraná municipality it is 30,425.

According to unofficial data (press), this number can reach one million during the summer, im-

pacting the demand for public services in the area, such as security, health, public cleaning, etc. As

tourism developed, real estate subdivisions were established in dune areas, which were almost

entirely leveled private projects. The suppression of dunes and the frontal restinga accelerated

erosive processes on the beaches due to the sediment deficit during storm events.

Public policies of the state of Paraná beaches originated in the early 1980s, when the state was alre-

ady pioneering the discussion of a conservationist and sustainable territorial policy for its coastline.

Examples of this phase include State Decree N°. 2,722/1984 (Paraná, 1984), which addressed con-

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Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

cerns about the state’s cultural and natural heritage, especially in the coastal region and seashore,

and provided guidelines for tourism development; and Decree N°. 4,605/1984 (Paraná, 1984a), ai-

med at guiding policy on economic, social, and environmental issues, and also urban planning.

Despite this pioneering role in planning issues, Paraná experienced a gradual institutional disinte-

rest from government mandates until reaching the current period, in which high-value infrastruc-

ture investments have dominated executive agendas for the coastal region as a whole, whether

in urban continental areas or protected areas (Telles and Pinotti, 2024). Sudden investments in

projects such as the Matinhos Beach Nourishment and Guaratuba Bridge, along with other in-

terventions around the Praia de Leste beach arc, have disrupted a pattern of relative stability in

territorial dynamics within the seaside towns. New dynamics are being increased, from the risk of

drowning due to logging to the sediment deficit in dunes destroyed by the projects.

The beach squeeze phenomenon observed in the Praia de Leste beach arc had a slow and gradual

evolution of the loss of restinga and frontal dunes, but without resulting in generalized erosive

problems. Only occasionally, beach erosion occurs at the southern internal limit of the arc, whe-

re part of the urban occupation of Matinhos is located, including residences, traditional fishing

communities. The spatial punctuality of the erosion was inversely scaled to the urban-touristic

project hastily executed by the government mandate during the pandemic (2019-2021). A new

model of seaside beach was produced with the megaproject investment without systematic po-

pular participation, involving large-scale investments without guidance for compliance oriented

and widely publicized as a developmental project. Unaware of the governance rituals foreseen,

the construction began amid various controversies regarding environmental impact studies and

territorial planning. Politically driven by the agencies responsible for the project and licensing, the

new scenario was consolidated by mid-2024 as a new beach landscape in the area.

Such rigid structures, accompanied by beach nourishment, created a new sectorization of the be-

ach (figure 9). On one hand, the beach squeeze phenomenon would be overcome; on the other, the

fragmentation of the beach arc would represent a new condition of the site, with a new artificial

physical limit in the southern part. These modifications are considered engineering epics and in-

volve very high costs to public finances. Many uncertainties remain regarding the long-term dyna-

mics of the beach and the guarantees for the continued presence of the traditional populations still

resistant in the area. On the other hand, the scenario of economic and political benefit for some

interested parties in the short and medium term is evident.

Figure 9 – Rigid structures and artificial feeding on Matinhos beach, January 29^th, 2024.

Source: https://www.aen.p r .gov.br/Noticia/Revitalizacao-da-Orla-de-Matinhos-chegou-928-em-janeiro-aponta-boletim/https://

www.aen.pr.gov.br/Noticia/Revitalizacao-da-Orla-de-Matinhos-chegou-928-em-janeiro-aponta-boletim Availabe : June 18, 2025

13

Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Discussion

From the examination of three beach situations in different states along the Brazilian coast, it is

possible to highlight the relevance of beach compression phenomena (beach squeeze) in their

causal and scalar variations. Although the phenomenon consists of spatial forcings originating

from both the continent and the sea, making the beach space scarce, it encompasses a diversi-

ty of interacting elements. On one hand, there are geophysical variables, either of global scalar

origin, such as climate change, or of local scalar origin, such as critical points of erosion resul-

ting from river mouths or storm surges. On the other hand, there are anthropic or socioeconomic

variables, whether of national scale, such as public policies for beaches, or at the regional scale,

with governmental short-term projects promoting development infrastructure conflicting with

environmental and coastal laws, or at the local scale, with attempts at response by community

social movements. This diversification of variables makes a geographic approach indispensable

as a guide for preliminary analyses of the phenomenon, as it must also attend to the integration of

scientific disciplines, government spheres, scales, and processes involved. Such integration finds

in the geographic approach a starting point for subsidiary analyses to the urban planning sector

from a technical-scientific perspective, in compliance with conceptual models guiding diagnostic

and monitoring actions.

The case studies shortly described here indicate that, despite conceptual advances in so-called

coastal management, in practice, what is observed is still fragmentation and a sectoral vision with

little dialogue among different management entities. A review of coastal management plans and

manuals typically shows a search for solutions to coastal problems, without considering the con-

text of proximity and distance of causalities that may affect empirically verified occurrences. From

this observation, it is understood that the paradigmatic consideration of complex characteristics

must be taken as requirements for territorial analysis of coastal spaces, in which beaches consti-

tute one of the several management units (Botero, 2013), from a multiple-unity perspective (Suer-

tegaray, 2004; Botero et al., 2020) through which the different analytical categories ig. landscape,

place, territory, or environment reciprocally allows many possible connections.

For analytical purposes, it is possible to consider the multiplicity of coastal scales in a broad sen-

se as a superposition of approaches ranging from descriptive ones based on the morphological

perception of the landscape to analytical ones derived from models supported by temporal data,

or also by regulations combined to create a regulatory framework for land use and occupation.

This composition regarding levels of complexity, which are the distinct intelligible phenomena of

coastal environments, specifically of beaches, offers a listing of variables or domains affecting a

given study area, which together synthesize the level of analytical complexity to be decomposed

(Almeida, 2004).

Adopting the Pressure-State-Impact-Response methodological model for better systematization

of the four case studies presented here, Table 1 shows the variables and processes observed to

notice similarities and discrepancies in the analyzed cases.

14

Territorial pressures of beaches as a challenge to science and coastal management in Brazil

Table 1 – Summary of the main drivers, pressures, impacts, and responses of the three case studies analyzed

State

Beach/

region

name

Exten- Geomorpho-

sion logy

Natural

forces

Pressure/

Beach Sque-

eze type

Impacts/

Conflicts

Response

Reach of the

response

Sergi- Barra dos 32 km Exposed san- Sea-level rise Real

estate Elimination

Cooperation Specific.

To

pe (SE) Coqueiros

dy

beaches and

coastal speculation, of

coastal

between the control light

MPF, ICMBio, pollution, as

between the erosion vul- urbanization, v e g e t a t i o n

Sergipe and n e r a b i l i t y occupation of (restingas),

J a p a r a t u b a a s s o c i a t e d the beach and wetlands, and

and

priva- these are are-

te agents to as where sea

control light turtles nest.

pollution to

rivers,

cha- with

fluvial tourist

de- m a n g r o ve s ,

racterized by d y n a m i c s velopments, and retreat of

gentle slopes and sediment concentrated the coastline.

and fine sedi- transport by in the last de- Conflicts be-

protect

sea

turtles

ments, with waves, river, cade.

frontal dunes and tides.

tween local re-

sidents, envi-

ronmentalists,

and business

owners. Im-

pact on turtle

nesting.

and

coastal

vegetation al-

tered by urba-

nization and

anthropoge-

nic use. Sea

turtle nesting

area.

Rio de Rio de Ja- 36km

Janei- neiro

Exposed san- Sea-level rise Real

dy beaches, and

estate

Specific pri- Actions

by Intermediary.

storm speculation,

vatizations of the MPF, Uni- The

MPF

ro (RJ)

characterized surge vulne- urbanization,

by

coastal rability, with and occupa-

barriers, du- good

reco- tion of the

nes, and coas- very

(resi- beach since

tal vegetation lience). High the end of the

very modified exposure to 19^th

century nerability to the city go-

and early 10^thstorm surge vernment to

and

by urbaniza- waves

tion and an- storms

thropogenic

century

(in events

the case of

Copacabana,

A r p o a d o r,

Ipanema, and

Leblon) and

more recently

in Barra da Ti-

juca, Recreio,

and Macumba

beaches.

uses.

Actions by the I n e f f i c i e n t

MPF, Univer- government

sities, and Ci- mandate, cir-

Paraná Praia de 32km

E x p o s e d Sea-level rise Diffuse urba- Gentrification,

sandy beach and

coastal nization. Be- fragmentation

with gradual erosion vul- ach resorts. of the beach

(PR)

Leste

loss of dune n e r a b i l i t y, Real

v e g e t a t i o n with

good speculation sion of the

towards the recovery (re- driven by lar- restinga.

south, until silience)

in ge investment

reaching

areas where projects.

point of ero- dunes and ve-

sion. High-im- getation are

pact artificial p r e s e r v e d .

intervention High exposu-

and fragmen- re to waves

tation of the and storms.

beach lands-

estate arch, suppres-

vil Society.

c u m v e n t e d

every

ponse

res-

and

Inaction

by

environmen-

tal and par-

t i c i p a t o r y

agencies.

management

process du-

ring the CO-

VID pandemic

(2020-2021)

a

cape.

15

Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

It is noticeable that natural forcings are associated with the intrinsic dynamics and complexity

of the beaches themselves, as well as pressures particularly related to urban and tourist growth.

They are driven by the value of the beach as a consumable commodity, a site for real estate spe-

culation, and of interest for investment projects due to its enormous aggregated economic value.

All the cases analyzed show a tendency toward an economic and consumption-focused view of

the beaches, distancing from an ecological and systemic perspective, apparently ignoring or being

unaware of the risks related to the dynamics and physical vulnerability of the beach environment.

This model of beach consumption involves exploitation by entrepreneurs and a constant threat to

public beach access, either directly through fencing and occupation of the sand strip, or indirectly

through gentrification.

The historical review of each case study from a geographical perspective brings the idea that ge-

ographical forms are materialized through a set of norms and/or legal and social forms, meaning

that non-spatial forms give content to morphological forms (Abreu, 2014). From this perspective,

it is evident that the landscape of beaches, past and present, reflects this set of social logics and

values: initially oriented toward the notion of the beach as a place of fears and insecurities of the

feared sea, then shifting to cultural appropriation identifying the beach as a space for leisure,

tourism, and high real estate value (Moraes, 2007), and currently to the idea of a beach valued for

the market, as a product to be exploited and commercialized. Nowadays, this view is added to the

idea of risk and danger associated with sea-level rise. In the materialized geographical space, one

moves from the territory of emptiness to the most densely occupied space on the planet, with the

advance of coastal urbanization, progressing toward increased conflicts and appropriations with

the risk of privatization, elitization, and loss of these highly valued spaces.

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Flavia Moraes Lins de Barros; Daniel Hauer Queiroz Telles; Tais Kalil Rodrigues; Paloma Santos Amorim; Luiz Fernando de Carli Lautert

Pressões territoriais das praias como um

desafio para a ciência e a gestão costeira

no Brasil

Presiones territoriales sobre las playas

como desafío a la ciencia y la gestión

costera en Brasil

Resumo

Resumen

As praias costeiras têm ganhado relevância para

a gestão territorial no Brasil, considerando seu

valor econômico, social e ambiental, bem como

outros interesses associados. Enquanto espaços

de disputa, presenciam conflitos e impactos rela-

cionados aos múltiplos usos e apropriações que

se intensificam e se tornam, ainda mais, significa-

tivos pelas mudanças climáticas, impondo novos

desafios. De um lado, enfrentamos a questão da

erosão costeira e das inundações; de outro, nos

deparamos com a produção do espaço por meio

da urbanização e do desenvolvimento turístico

sem agendas de planejamento ou de governança

sistemáticas e devidamente avaliadas, ainda que

recebendo instrumentos legalmente previstos.

Consideradas em suas complexidades, as praias

reúnem questões de desafiador dimensionamento

analítico e também de integração ambiental, de di-

reitos públicos, de políticas públicas. Isso ameaça

sua condição de espaços públicos de uso comum e

de livre acesso da população, inclusive dando mar-

gem a propostas políticas de privatização. Este ar-

tigo visa correlacionar esses problemas gerais às

praias brasileiras e ao papel da ciência na defini-

ção de fluxos de governança sob uma perspectiva

territorial. A partir de três situações em diferentes

localidades do Brasil, é trazida proposta prelimi-

nar de abordagem sobre discrepâncias e similitu-

des. Além dos diferentes contextos geográficos e

paisagísticos, fatores específicos de cada realidade

apontam para diferentes expressões do fenôme-

no de compressão praial (beach squeeze). O arti-

go contribuirá para o debate sobre desafios para

a gestão de praias brasileiras diante de pressões

econômicas e ambientais.

Las playas costeras han cobrado relevancia para la

gestión territorial en Brasil, considerando su valor

económico, social y ambiental, así como otros intere-

ses asociados. Como espacios de disputa, son testigos

de conflictos e impactos relacionados con múltiples

usos y apropiaciones que se intensifican y cobran

mayor relevancia debido al cambio climático, lo que

impone nuevos desafíos. Por un lado, nos enfrenta-

mos al problema de la erosión costera y las inunda-

ciones; por otro, a la producción de espacio mediante

la urbanización y el desarrollo turístico sin agendas

de planificación o gobernanza sistemáticas y debida-

mente evaluadas, a pesar de contar con instrumentos

legales. Consideradas en su complejidad, las playas

conjugan cuestiones de difícil dimensionamiento ana-

lítico e integración: ambientales, de derechos públicos

y de políticas públicas. Esto amenaza su condición de

espacios públicos de uso común y libre acceso para la

población, lo que da lugar incluso a propuestas políti-

cas de privatización. Este artículo busca correlacionar

estos problemas generales con las playas brasileñas y

el papel de la ciencia en la definición de los flujos de

gobernanza desde una perspectiva territorial. A partir

de tres situaciones en diferentes lugares de Brasil, se

presenta una propuesta preliminar para abordar las

discrepancias y similitudes. Además de los diferentes

contextos geográficos y paisajísticos, factores especí-

ficos de cada realidad apuntan a diferentes manifes-

taciones del fenómeno de la compresión costera. El

artículo contribuirá al debate sobre el significado de la

playa para la sociedad brasileña contemporánea.

Palabras clave: Gestión de Playas; Conflictos Ter-

ritoriales; Compresión de Playas; Impactos Am-

bientales.

Palavras-chave: Gestão de Praias; Conflitos Territo-

riais; Compressão de Praias; Impactos Ambientais.

Timeline of the Manuscript



Received: October 2025

First Review: October 2025

Second Review: October 2025

Accepted for Publication: October 2025

Author revision: November 2025

Grammar, Spelling and ABNT review: November 2025

Author revision: December 2025

Published on December 2025

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