Marine Spatial Planning in the Balneário Camboriú's Cove

Rocha, C.M. and Polette, M., 2024. Marine spatial planning in the Balneário Camboriú's Cove. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 75-79. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The Brazilian coast is approximately 7,400 km long, representing 0.09% of the national territory. This same territory is also home to 26% of the country's population, attracted by the quality of life. The lack of legal instruments regarding the use and occupation of the maritime territory may lead to spatial conflicts between stakeholders, especially in cities that experience seasonal population surges, such as Balneário Camboriú, where the number of visitors can exceed the permanent population by up to ten times. In this area, there are various types of uses, from artisanal fishing to large tourist vessels. This is where Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) comes in—a public process of analyzing and allocating the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas, aiming to achieve sustainable development objectives. The objective was to identify different types of uses in Balneário Camboriú's cove throughout the different seasons of the year, analyzing different zoning areas as well as existing spatial conflicts. Initially, we sought to understand the importance of the environmental quality of the marine environment through beach bathing data from 2010 to 2023. To monitor the uses of the sea, we utilized cameras provided by the city hall along the cove. This approach emerged as Marine Spatial Planning process at a local scale, as a low-cost method and a quick-result tool that municipalities can use to evaluate their maritime territories. The results indicate that the lack of oversight is one of the factors contributing to the increase in improper practices, highlighting the need for a management instrument that provides security to users. Thus, MSP aims to mitigate present and future conflicts, establish goals for sustainable development, and complement the Orla Project, which evaluates the use of the sea up to 10 meters deep, as well as generate subsidies for decision-makers to define policies for the proper use of the waterway zone.