Conflitos socioambientais envolvendo as comunidades tradicionais da pesca artesanal no litoral oriental do Rio Grande do Norte: potencialidades da implantação do Projeto Orla

Abstract

Conflicts are common in the history of humanity, especially when they involve a dispute over natural resources and various actors. In this case, there is a socio-environmental conflict. Being a space with natural, economic, and cultural riches, the Coastal Zone is a stage for socio-environmental conflicts, especially on its shore, involving various activities and groups, such as traditional artisanal fishing communities. On the Eastern Coast of Rio Grande do Norte, the challenges are significant in this regard. Furthermore, there is an increasing concern today to think about alternatives that seek sustainable development and popular participation. The coastal management tool of the Integrated Management Plan and the Orla Project can be understood in light of this context. Given this, the question arises: in the face of the scenario of socio-environmental conflicts that encompass the traditional population of artisanal fishing on the Eastern Coast of the RN Coastal Zone, what are the potentialities of using the methodology of the Orla Project, with its respective Integrated Management Plan, to achieve sustainable development and popular participation in this space? The general objective of this dissertation is to analyze the socio-environmental conflicts involving traditional artisanal fishing communities on the Eastern Coast of the RN Coastal Zone and the potentialities of implementing the Orla Project methodology to achieve sustainable development and the principle of popular participation. The specific objectives are to describe what a socio-environmental conflict is and what the dimensions of sustainable development are; to understand the regulations of the Coastal Zone in Brazil and in Rio Grande do Norte, highlighting the methodology of the Orla Project and the Integrated Management Plan; to comprehend the principle of popular participation in the environmental field; to assess the potential of using the methodology of the Orla Project and the Integrated Management Plan to achieve sustainable development, as well as the principle of popular participation, in the face of socio-environmental conflicts observed in Eastern Coast of the RN Coastal Zone between 2010 and 2020, involving traditional artisanal fishing communities as key actors. Regarding the methodology, it is a qualitative, theoretical research, whose method is deductive, being developed under an exploratory and descriptive modality. Specifically regarding technical procedures, bibliographic, legislative, and documentary research is used. The present study is justified due to its social relevance and timeliness, as the topic has been inserted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As for the results, it was verified that the complete methodology of the Orla Project, through its integration with other instruments and articulation between public policies, fulfils the social, economic, environmental, spatial, political, and institutional dimensions of sustainable development in the Eastern Coast diagnosis. Furthermore, it achieves the pillars of the principle of popular participation. Therefore, the Orla Project should be increasingly stimulated by the Public Power, thus, actions can be adopted aiming at the management or minimization of these conflicts with the participation of the community and vulnerable groups such as fishermen.