The Role of the State in supporting the implementation of the Orla Project in Ceará, Brasil

Abstract

The seafront of the state of Ceará has been suffering constant aggression and impacts arising from the lack of planning, disorderly occupation and natural phenomena that affect the municipalities of the coastal zone, which leads to the need for the State to establish a new governmental practice in planning and use of that space. To this end, in 2001, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) and the Union Heritage Secretariat (SPU), launched the Integrated Management Project of the Seashore – Orla Project, in order to contribute, in national scale, for the application of general guidelines for disciplining the use and occupation of the waterfront. The Orla Project encourages coastal municipalities to plan and develop the necessary actions, in an integrated and participatory manner, to solve issues related to the use and occupation of these spaces, through the elaboration of their Integrated Waterfront Management Plans – PGIs. This report proposes to analyze the actions of the State Coordination of the Orla Project in Ceará. In 2011, the Council for Environmental Policies and Management (CONPAM) raised state funds to carry out ten training workshops, two per municipality, as provided for in the Project manuals. The project was a successful experience in its objectives, as it trained municipal managers to prepare the aforementioned plan and implement actions for the conservation of the waterfront. Its execution resulted in the request by the other coastal municipalities for the replication of the activities carried out, with the possibility of expanding the scope of action. However, in the long term, it was observed that the agenda agreed at the end of the 2º workshop wasn’t consolidated, and it wasn’t possible to prepare the PGI. It was found that the low effectiveness in the preparation of plans is due, in addition to other factors, to the discontinuity of municipal management and the lack of legislation that requires a local instrument for the use and occupation of the coastal zone. This demonstrates the need to prioritize coastal management by the three governmental spheres and by civil society, especially through compatibility with other territorial planning instruments.