TERRITORIAL
ORDER AND SUSTAINABILITY IN QUESTION
The
coast of the State of Ceara, in Northeastern Brazil extends
through 573 km, being formed by different types of dunes,
rocks, lagoons, wet areas and other types of vegetation.
About three million people live, in the State of Ceara,
in areas that suffer direct influence of the sea, distributed
in 21 cities and about 110 communities. It is a population
that is characterized by a low-income level, low access
to basic education, and Indian and black ethnic origin.
Several indigenous tribes still live on the coast and conserve
their cultural richness and traditions.
A
process of urbanization, industrialization and disordered
tourism growth characterizes history of the coast during
the last 30 years. Development politics are materialized
in projects and programs that are not based in the construction
of a social and environmental sustainability and much the
opposite, in order that we observe a dispute for space for
these activities, that many times provokes the social and
cultural disintegration of the communities and the degradation
of many ecosystems. The absence of a democratic space of
decision, does not guarantee the participation of the social
actors, and in special of the local communities, in the
perspective of involving them in the planning, monitoring
and policy evaluation processes.
One
example for the absence of adequate policies is the inefficient
coastal management, the Program for Development of Tourism
in the Northeast (PRODETUR); the Port Complex of Pecem;
the lack of regulation in the fishery sector; the absence
of policies for land regularization in rural areas to guarantee
the space of life and work of the fishermen and their families.
Their space is being threatened by real estate speculation,
a situation that is made worse by the economic power that
starts to valorize beach land for its investments.
Nevertheless
in some coastal communities, we witness the attempt of the
population to construct another logic of use and occupation
of space, that is characterized in its essence by solidarity,
the respect of nature and of local cultures, a fairer distribution
of the produced richness, and the self-determination of
the people, basic conditions in any concept for sustainable
development.
In
some communities on the coast of the State of Ceara, we
assist the appearance of social movements and communitarian
organizations that fight for the regularization of the living
spaces, the right to free access to the coast and the participation
in tourism, by means a model of communitarian tourism that
integrates the tourist activity and activities already carried
out in the coastal area during several centuries, such as
fishery, small agriculture and handicraft. It is the local
communities that must define, through a participative planning
process, which are the general lines for development, the
priorities and objectives of the community, and which is
the behavior code to be respected. If this did not occur,
we will continue to assist the uncontrolled destruction
of coastal ecosystems and its negative consequences for
the social networks.
last
update 11/02/2004
