Praia do Sono

Top environmental challenge faced by the community (currently or in the past 10 years):

Praia do Sono is located on the southern coast of Paraty municipality, 25 km from the downtown area. The community of 320 inhabitants is accessed by boat or foot (1 hour walking trail from the nearest road access), which results in a major dependence on natural resources. The implementation of a protected area around the community area in 1992 prohibited farming, hunting and vegetal extraction. During the first decade, enforcement was constant and there was no place to discuss the situation. Inhabitants faced much difficulty in the first years, when they did not have many legal alternatives to improve their incomes. Some still face such difficulties.

How the environmental challenge has affected local livelihoods:

The community stopped using most of the natural resources available, except fishing, which completely affected its subsistence for years. At first, tourism was not a strong activity of the community. Thus, fishing and illegal activities (hunting, farming) were the only way locals could survive so far from downtown, and accounted for most of the families' incomes. Confrontations with the environment police and other government employees were frequent in the first decade.

Community response to the challenge, through environmental stewardship (conservation) initiatives that improve environmental well-being and support sustainable livelihoods:

The community members continued fishing and started to invest in tourism activities, which was one of the only legal activities left. As a group of members started to open private bars, almost all of the inhabitants soon were involved in tourism-related activities. Most men of the community also acquired small boats to take tourists from the road to the beach. As tourism became one of the major sources of families' incomes, nature conservation became a priority. To locals perception, they need to take care of nature to bring tourists and to maintain their quality of life, which they highly value.

Extent to which governmental policy (at local, regional or national levels, as relevant) has supported, or been contrary to, the community's responses to the environmental challenge:

At first, the national and regional governmental policy caused the environmental challenge. Then, further governmental policy (at any level) did not support directly the community's responses.

Keywords: Ecosystem

Coastal, Forest

Keywords: Resources

Fish, Forest, Land, Wildlife

Keywords: Big Issues

Environmental law, Human-wellbeing, Indigenous peoples, Resource use

Keywords: Solutions

Empowerment, Governance/Management, Protected areas

Contributed by: Camila Alvez Islas, CGcommons Research group, University of Campinas

The information provided and opinions expressed above are the responsibility of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views and analysis of the Community Conservation Research Network (CCRN), nor those of all members of the community described.

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