A erosão costeira tem acarretado mudanças na paisagem de diversas praias, trazendo dificuldades para o desenvolvimento das atividades produtivas locais, como o turismo, a recreação e o comércio. Entretanto, comumente, as pesquisas não avaliam a percepção ambiental dos utilizadores das zonas costeiras, buscando um melhor entendimento a respeito das necessidades humanas e ambientais que compõem a realidade do local. Este estudo teve como objetivo realizar um diagnóstico da percepção dos usuários sobre a erosão costeira em uma praia turística no Nordeste do Brasil. Para isso, foram aplicados questionários adaptados à realidade local, divididos nas seguintes partes: informações sobre o entrevistado; formas de utilização da praia e percepção da paisagem. Os resultados mostraram uma concordância da maior parte dos entrevistados com o fato de a erosão costeira na área de estudo ser causada, principalmente, pela ação antrópica. As construções próximas ao mar e a construção de portos foram apontadas como as principais causas da instalação e intensificação dos processos erosivos locais, principalmente nos últimos cinco anos. Medidas de contenção à erosão costeira apontaram ser de importância significativa para melhorar a realidade socioeconômica e ambiental da área. Diante disso, nota-se a relevância da percepção ambiental aplicada a estudos de erosão costeira como ferramenta no planejamento de obras e/ou políticas que visem ao desenvolvimento sustentável e à recuperação de praias.
The coastal zone, with its innumerable attractions, is considered a privileged destination for various purposes, including tourism, leisure, and residences. These activities are compromised when coastlines erode. Coastal erosion is a global problem, given the number of places around the world where the coastline is receding. For the coast of Northeast Brazil, which is highly significant for tourism due to its beautiful beaches, native communities, holiday resorts, and residences, coastal erosion is a serious environmental, economic, and social problem. Hence, this phenomenon must be addressed through an understanding of the physical processes involved in the erosion in accordance with the environmental awareness of the stakeholders of the coastal zones. This way, a better appreciation of the human and environmental needs that constitute the local reality and a better comprehension of the values and expectations of society regarding economic, ethical, and aesthetic issues for protection of the environment can be achieved. The aim of this study was to diagnose the perception of the stakeholders regarding coastal erosion on a tourist beach in the northeast of Brazil. Located 74 km from the capital of the state Ceará, the Praia da Taiba is an approximately 10 km stretch of sandy beach, dunes, and sandstone reefs, with many cliffs and gullies formed by the tidal hydrodynamics. In recent decades, the region has experienced economic boom due to tourism, the establishment of a port and industrial pole (the Industrial and Port Complex of Pecém (CIPP) in 2002), and the construction of wind turbines (the Eolic Turbine Complex of Taiba in 1999). Data for the study was obtained using questionnaires specifically designed to reflect local reality. They were divided into the following parts: information about the interviewee, the ways people use the beach, and people's perception of the landscape. The results showed that the majority of the interviewees agreed that coastal erosion in the study area was caused by human activities, mainly related to the port complex of Pecém, over the last five years. Measures to contain coastal erosion were considered important in improving the socioeconomic state of the area. As a result, environmental awareness is relevant in studies of coastal erosion as a tool for planning and/or policies of public works that endeavor to improve beaches by controlling coastal erosion with the ultimate aim of contributing to socioeconomic and environmental development and the recuperation of tropical beaches.
