8th International Coastal Symposium - Journal of Coastal Research

Tourism carrying capacity on estuarine beaches in the Brazilian Amazon region

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Tourism carrying capacity on estuarine beaches in the Brazilian Amazon region Rosigleyse C. de Sousa†, Luci C.C. Pereira†, Rauquírio M. da Costa†, José A. Jiménez†† †Instituto de Estudos Costeiros, Universidade Federal do Pará, Bragança, 68600-000, Brazil. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

††Universitat Politècnica da Catalunya. Carrer Jordi Girona, 1-3. Edifício D1, 08034. Barcelona, Spain. [email protected]

www.cerf-jcr.org

ABSTRACT Sousa, R.C., Pereira, L.C.C., Costa, R.M. and Jiménez, J.A., 2014. Tourism carrying capacity on estuarine beaches in the Brazilian Amazon region. In: Green, A.N. and Cooper, J.A.G. (eds.), Proceedings 13th International Coastal Symposium (Durban, South Africa), Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 70, pp. 545-550, ISSN 0749-0208. www.JCRonline.org

Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) can be defined as the level of human activity that an area can support without provoking deterioration of its physical and environmental characteristics. The present study aimed to estimate the maximum number of visitors that Colares, Marudá and Murubira beaches can receive during periods of peak visitation. The TCC was calculated considering the Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC), the Real Carrying Capacity (RCC), and the Effective Carrying Capacity (ECC) of each beach. In each survey, the number of visitors along a pre-established transect (central portion of each beach) was counted every hour (8 am until 6 pm). The maximum recommended ECC values indicated a maximum of 674 visitors per day at Colares, 812 visitors per day at Marudá and 97 visitors per day at Murubira. In comparison with these recommendations, the observed numbers of visitors were relatively high at Marudá (885 visitors) and Murubira beaches (297 visitors), while Colares was within the suggested limit (193 visitors). Peak visitation rates were recorded between 1 pm and 4 pm, and observed carrying values varied from 1.5 to over 5.000 m² per visitor at Colares beach, 0.7-426 m² per visitor at Marudá beach, and 1.7-42.9 m² at Murubira. The results of the present study indicated that the density of visitors on the study beaches exceeded tolerable limits, and that coastal management measures are necessary to improve local tourist activities. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Carrying capacity, vacation periods, Amazon littoral.

INTRODUCTION Coastal tourism planning is often based on the concepts and parameters provided by carrying capacity assessments, which can be defined as the level of human activity that an area can support without provoking deterioration of its physical and environmental characteristics, or the quality of the visitors’ experience (Tejada et al., 2009). Carrying capacity evaluation is used to assess the impacts of tourism on both physical space and the quality of the environment, and to establish guidelines for sustainable tourism practices (De Ruyck et al., 1997; Deacon and Kolstad, 2000). This approach depends on the availability of data on local resources and infrastructure, and is typically influenced by factors such as seasonality, the period of the day, the quality of the available infrastructure and the resources being exploited, as well as user satisfaction (Tejada et al., 2009). Studies of this type have been important for the planning of the rational exploitation and sustainable development of beach environments (Williams and Lemckert, 2007). The Federation of National Parks of Europe (FNNPE, 1993) has defined carrying capacity as the ability of the ecosystem to sustain itself and guarantee the unconditional establishment of human activities with no negative feedback effects. In Brazil, coastal tourism is very popular with both local and foreign visitors, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions of the country ____________________ DOI: 10.2112/SI70-092.1 received 30 November 2013; accepted 21 February 2013. © Coastal Education & Research Foundation 2014

(Silva et al., 2008; Sousa et al., 2013). The equatorial (Amazon) region has considerable potential for the development of a coastal tourism industry, although the lack of basic services and infrastructure in many areas tends to limit the numbers of visitors from abroad and from other regions of Brazil (Pinto et al., 2011; Silva et al., 2011a; Sousa et al., 2011). On the estuarine and oceanic beaches of the Amazon coast, the potential for tourism is limited by a number of factors, including the intense rainy season, the long distances from major urban centers, and the complexity of the local coastal ecosystems, characterized by vast tracts of mangrove forests and meandering tidal creeks, which limit access options considerably (Pessoa et al., 2013). These factors combine to limit the recreational use of most of the coast to the school vacation period (July) and long bank holidays, principally during the second (dry season) half of the year (Oliveira et al., 2011; Silva et al., 2011a). Given this, the present study investigated the tourism carrying capacity of three touristic Amazon beaches to estimate the maximum recommended number of visitors for a given time period. The results of this study should provide a valuable contribution to the elaboration of future management plans based on the sustainable development of recreational activities and the conservation of local natural resources.

STUDY AREA The macrotidal Amazon coast is dominated by dozens of estuaries, including that of the Amazon River itself, which discharge enormous quantities of freshwater, sediments, nutrients,

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Sousa et al.

and organic matter into the western Atlantic Ocean (Geyer et al., 1996). The climate of this region is characterized by a long and intense rainy season, between January and June, and a dry season during the second half of the year. Located in the Brazilian state of Pará, the study area encompasses a number of estuarine beaches (Figure 1). Geomorphologically, this coast can be divided into three main sectors: I Coastal Atlantic (including 18 towns), II Continental Estuarine (10 towns and cities), and III Insular Estuarine (13 towns) (GERCO/PA, 1995). Marudá beach is located in sector I and Colares and Murubira beaches in sector II. Other relevant characteristics of each beach are: (i) Colares beach is located on Colares Island, which is 96 km from the Pará state capital, Belém. The island is separated from the continent by the Guajará-Mirim River and Laura tidal creek. (ii) Marudá beach is located at the mouth of the Marapanim estuary, 160 km from Belém. (iii) Murubira beach is located on Mosqueiro Island, 60 km from Belém, a site of considerable historic and touristic importance.

METHODS Field studies Each one of the study beaches was surveyed on a Sunday in July 2012, the principal school vacation period. During each survey, the number of people present within a pre-established transect was counted every hour between 8 am and 6 pm. The transects (100 m wide) were located near a beach access and divided into three zones: zone 1: promenade and backshore; zone 2: intertidal zone: (from the higher spring tide to the lower neap tide level); and zone 3: subtidal zone (15 m into water from the lower neap tide level). Measurements of the width of zone 2 were taken every hour due to the mesotidal and macrotidal conditions. The analysis of the different types of use and the indices used for the evaluation of the management capacity of the three beaches were derived from direct observation and the application of a

checklist. The recreational carrying was estimated following the approach of Ruschman (1999) and Eugênio-Martin (2004), based on the density of visitors in each zone: C=V/ K

(Eq. 1)

where C is Recreational Carrying, V is the area available for use, and K is the number of beachgoers.

Carrying Capacity Assessment The assessment of tourist carrying capacity was based on the model developed by Cifuentes (1992), which attempts to establish the maximum number of visits an area can tolerate based on its physical, biological, and management conditions, considering three main parameters: Physical Carrying Capacity, Real Carrying Capacity, and Effective Carrying Capacity (Cifuentes, 1992). The Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC) was defined as the maximum number of users that can be accommodated within a certain area at a specific time. As beaches are open areas, the time parameter was not applicable, so the original formula was adapted following the approach of Ruschmann et al. (2008) and Zacarias et al. (2011), with the Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC) being given by: PCC = A/Au

(Eq. 2)

where A is the size of the study area, and Au is the area available per user (= 10 m²: Ruschmann et al., 2008). The Real Carrying Capacity (RCC) is the maximum tolerable number of people within a given area, once correction factors (intrinsic physical, environmental, ecological, social, and management characteristics of the site) have been taken into account. This approach is based on the observation that certain factors, such as the quality of the water, incidence of sunlight, site accessibility, wind speeds, and in particular rainfall may affect visitation rates. The Real Carrying Capacity (RCC) was determined by: RCC = PCC x (cf1 x cf2 x … cfn) (Eq. 3) where PCC is the Physical Carrying Capacity and Cf1…cfn are the correction factors. As tourism is highly dependent on climatic variables, one correction factor – rainfall – was considered in this study. This factor was selected because of its potential to limit touristic activities, the availability of reliable data, and its relevance for the evaluation of the potential sustainability of a destination (Cifuentes, 1992; Cifuentes et al., 1999). Rainfall data were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Meteorology (INMET, 2012) and the correction factor (Cfx) was calculated by: Cfx = 1 - Lmx/Tmx

(Eq. 4)

where Lmx is the limiting magnitude of variable x and Tmx is the total magnitude of variable x.

Figure 1. Study Area. Amazon Coast (A); Study area indicating Belém (Pará State Capital) and the three collection sites (B); Murubira 01°07'16.5''S, 48°26'39.4''W (C), Colares 00°55'54.1''S, 48°17'28.9''W (D) and Marudá 00°37'21.4''S, 47°38'00.0''W (E) beaches. Image from Google Earth.

The Effective Carrying Capacity (ECC) is the maximum number of visitors that a site can support considering the RCC and management capacity. This final parameter was based on the available infrastructure, services, and equipment, as observed during the survey period (Table 1). The ECC was determined by:



ECC = RCC x Mc

(Eq. 5)

where RCC is the Real Carrying Capacity and Mc is Management Capacity.

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Table 1. Indicators of Management Capacity applied to assess the Effective Carrying Capacity at Amazon beaches. Indicators Low (1) Absent

Classification Medium (2) Little

High (3) Adequate

Statistical Analysis

Public bathrooms

The number of beachgoers and the variation in the recreational carrying values were analyzed according to tidal, spatial (zones), and temporal (hour of the day) conditions. When the data were normally distributed and presented homogeneous variance, ANOVA and the Fisher post-hoc test were applied. For nonnormal data, Mann-Whitney’s U or the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance were used. All analyses were run in the STATISTICA 6.0 package, considering p < 0.05.

Payphones

Absent

Little

Adequate

Waste bins

Absent

Little

Adequate

Street lighting

Absent

Little

Adequate

Parking

Absent

Little

Adequate

Safety

Absent

Little

Adequate

Accommodation

Absent

Little

Adequate

Absent

Little

Adequate

Absent

Little

Adequate

Frenquent

Moderate

Absent

Bars and restaurants Accessibility

RESULTS Beach Zonation Based on recreational use patterns and topographic characteristics, each beach was divided into three zones: i) Zone 1: the promenade at Marudá and Murubira, and the backshore area at Colares. This area is characterized by the presence of musical attractions, as well as bars and restaurants (Figure 2A); ii) Zone 2: the use of this intermediate area depends on tidal conditions (high/low, spring/neap). During the ebb and low tides, this zone is used primarily for recreational activities, such as sports (football and volleyball), sunbathing, and the consumption of food and drinks at tables provided by the owners of local bars and guesthouses (Figure 2B). At Colares, however, this zone is used infrequently, due to the presence of muddy sediments; iii) Zone 3: the surf zone, located at the water’s edge, is used by bathers and for other recreational activities, such as jet-skiing, kite-surfing, and motor-boating (Figure 2C). This zone is not used during low or ebb tides at Colares due to the presence of muddy sediments and the frequent occurrence of incidents involving stingrays.

Infrastrutcture and services The best services and infrastructure were found in Marudá and Murubira (Table 2). By contrast, Colares beach was characterized by rudimentary infrastructure and limited services, in addition to logistic difficulties, which include a ferry crossing (Table 2).

Carrying Capacity Assessment As transect width at all sites was 100 m, the area surveyed at each site was determined by the perpendicular extension of the

A

Presence of domestic animals

transect, which was 267.1 m at Colares (area of 26,710 m²), 254.4 m at Marudá (25,440 m²), and 32 m at Murubira (3,200 m²). Considering Au = 10 m², the PCC was estimated to be 2670 visitors/day at Colares, 2560 visitors/day at Marudá and 320 visitors/day at Murubira. For the calculation of the Real Carrying Capacity (RCC) in 2012, the months in which total rainfall exceeding 200 mm represented a total of 180 days, that is, 51% of the year (365 days). This corresponds to a correction factor of 0.51 for rainfall. Based on this, the RCC was estimated at 1282 visitors per day for Colares, 1229 for Marudá, and 154 for Murubira. Given these findings, the management capacity recorded for each beach (Table 2) indicated that Colares has only 50% of the conditions necessary for the achievement of its recreational goals, while Marudá has 63% of this management capacity and Murubira, 60%. Given this, the Effective Carrying Capacity was estimated to be 674 visitors per day at Colares, 812 at Marudá, and 97 at Murubira. While the number of visitors observed at Colares (193) was well within this theoretical limit, it was far exceeded at both Marudá (885 visitors) and Murubira beaches (297 visitors).

Carrying Capacity Assessment per zone The carrying capacity was also estimated per zone and time period, although only zones 1 and 2 were considered here (Table 3) due to the problems of overcrowding. In zone 1 (Table 3), at Colares, the effective carrying capacity was estimated to be 45 visitors, but during the peak visitation time

B

Figure 2. Zone 1 in Murubira beach (A), Zone 2 in Marudá beach (B) and Zone 3 in Colares beach.


C

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Table 2. Management Capacity applied to assess the Effective Carrying Capacity at Amazon beaches. Indicators Classification Colares Marudá Murubira Public bathrooms 1 1 1 Payphones 1 1 1

Table 3. Carrying capacity assessment - PCC, RCC and ECC (allowed visitors), and the Use level - UL (m²/person) and peak visitation time (h) for zones 1 and 2 on the three study beaches.

Waste bins

1

2

2

Zone 1

PCC

Street lighting

1

3

3

Colares

Parking

1

2

1

Safety

3

3

3

Accommodation

2

2

2

Bars and restaurants

2

2

2

Accessibility

1

1

1

Presence of domestic animals ∑

2

2

2

15

19

18

Beaches

Carrying capacity estimates RCC

ECC

UL

Peak Time

333

163

45

42-333

2 pm

Marudá

136

67

44

0.7-12

6 pm

Murubira

40

20

10

1.7-20

ECC

6 pm

Peak Time

Zone 2

PCC

RCC

UL

Colares

10-2000

5-1140

2-569

10-5000

4 pm

Marudá

310-510

142-1230

89-778

8.9-426

12 pm

Murubira

10-280

5-137

3-82

5-42.9

2 pm

In zone 2 (Table 3), the effective carrying capacity at Colares was estimated between 2 and 569 visitors, and the peak number of beachgoers (44) was observed at 4 pm (Figure 3). At Marudá, the effective carrying capacity estimated ranged 89 to 778 visitors, and the peak (375 visitors) was recorded at 12 pm (Figure 3). At Murubira, the visitation peak was 102 beachgoers (around 2 pm), while the effective carrying capacity was calculated to be between 3 and 82 visitors (Figure 3). At Marudá and Murubira beaches, in zone 2, the limits were exceeded during the flood and high tide, leading to overcrowding due to the considerable reduction in the size of the area available

(2 pm) more than 80 beachgoers were found (Figure 3). At Marudá, a peak with 610 beachgoers was recorded at 6 pm, when the effective carrying capacity should be 44 visitors (Figure 3). At Murubira, the effective carrying capacity was estimated to be 10 visitors. However, during the peak visitation that occurred between 9 am and 3 pm, this beach reached almost 240 visitors (Figure 3). At Marudá and Murubira, in zone 1, the density of visitors increased steadily over the course of the afternoon, due to the presence of musical attractions in this zone at the end of the day.

Effective Carrying Capacity

Number of visitors

Zone 1 800 Marudá

Murubira

700

700

600

600

600

500 400 300

Number of vistors

700

500 400 300

500 400 300

200

200

200

100

100

100

0

0 8

800

9

10 am

11

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6

0 8

9

10 am

11

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6

8

Zone 2

800

Colares

800

Marudá 700

700

600

600

600

500 400 300

Number of vistors

700

Number of vistors

Number of vistors

800

Colares

Number of vistors

Number of vistors

800

500 400 300

200

100

100

0

0 11

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6

Murubira

300

100

10 am

11

400

200

9

10 am

500

200

8

9

0 8

9

10 am

11

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6

Figure 3. Number of visitors in zone 1 and zone 2 in all studied beaches per hour.


8

9

10 am

11

12

1

2

3 pm

4

5

6


to beachgoers, accentuated by the region’s macrotides. It was possible to estimate the use level for each zone based on the area surveyed and the numbers of beachgoers. On Colares beach, these values varied from 42 to 333 m² per person in zone 1, 10 to 5000 m² per person in zone 2, and 1.5 to 75 m² per person in zone 3. At Marudá, these values ranged from 0.7 to 12 m² per person in zone 1, 8.9 to 426 m² per person in zone 2, and 1.9 to 18.8 m² in zone 3, while at Murubira, they ranged from 1.7 to 20 m² per person in zone 1, 5–42.9 m² per person in zone 2, and 3.8– 37.5 m² per person in zone 3.

Statistical Analysis Significant differences were found among zones on Marudá (p = 0.00; F = 16.45) and Murubira (p = 0.00; F = 18.56) beaches, with zone 1 invariably presenting the highest values. On both beaches, this zone was characterized by high numbers of visitors attracted primarily by the presence of musical attractions and bars selling alcoholic beverages.

DISCUSSION Large numbers of tourists visit the beaches of the Amazon coast primarily during the school vacation period (July), which coincides with the start of the dry season in this region, and some of the long bank holidays occurring during the second half of the year (Sousa et al., 2011; Sousa et al., 2013; Pessoa et al., 2013). During the first half of the year, by contrast, the high precipitation levels tend to limit the numbers of beachgoers. In general terms, Amazonian beaches have a considerable potential for tourism due to the natural beauty of their landscapes and high levels of environmental preservation. However, this potential is limited considerably by the lack of services and infrastructure, in particular a public sanitation system. The unregulated discharge of sewage and other effluents directly onto many of the beaches is a major problem that affects not only the quality of the beach, but also public health (Krause and Glaser, 2003; Menezes et al., 2009; Pereira et al., 2007, Souza-Filho et al., 2006; Pereira et al., 2009; Silva et al., 2011b; Oliveira et al., 2011; Pinto et al., 2011). These problems intensify during the July vacation period in particular, when the beaches are visited by large numbers of tourists. Spatial and temporal visitation patterns on the study beaches were influenced strongly by factors such as the intensity of the sunlight, accessibility, the availability of attractions (musical shows), and oscillations in tidal levels (De Ruyck et al., 1997; Deacon and Kolstad, 2000; Silva, 2002; Polette and Raucci, 2003 Silva et al., 2008; Silva et al., 2011b). Similar results were obtained at other Amazonian beaches (Silva et al., 2011b; Sousa et al., 2011). At Colares, the spatial distribution of beachgoers was determined primarily by natural conditions, including the presence of muddy sediments in the intertidal zone (zone 2) and the occurrence of incidents involving stingrays in zone 3 during the ebb and low tide. These features limit visitation basically to zone 1. In the present study, carrying capacity was estimated empirically based on field observations, given the lack of official data on the numbers of tourists that visit the study beaches. The observed capacity was consistent with that suggested by Zacarias et al. (2011). The results of the study indicate that the numbers of visitors on Marudá and Murubira beaches are higher than the recommended limits. As the number of tourists increases, so does the feeling of congestion, while the quality of the environment decreases gradually (Aranguren et al., 2008), and the capacity of the beach to recover from these impacts declines. This process is

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accompanied by the continuous accumulation of litter derived from the sale of refreshments demanded by the growing numbers of beachgoers. Colares beach presents a number of distinct characteristics, including its even simpler infrastructure and more isolated location, as well as the fact that its principal attribute is its natural scenery, rather than man-made attractions. The combination of these factors contributes to the smaller numbers of visitors observed at this site. While the present study focused on a high season period, the values recorded appear to be representative of the carrying capacity at the study sites during weekends in the holiday season. Overall, the results may be fundamentally important to the development of future coastal management plans, which should contribute to improvements in the region’s tourism industry.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS The study beaches all presented similar patterns of use and visitation, although Colares beach was distinct in a number of aspects, due to the restrictions imposed by some of its natural features and the lack of services and infrastructure. While there is room for growth in the touristic potential of Amazonian beaches, the lack of adequate coastal management policies impacts both the quality of local environments and public health standards. The implementation of management initiatives is urgently needed in order to improve the facilities available to local beachgoers and to guarantee the quality of the recreational experience for tourists in this sector of the Amazon coast. These initiatives should include (i) beach zoning, in order to guarantee the conservation of natural resources, (ii) the improvement of infrastructure (e.g., toilets and showers at 300 m intervals), (iii) the formal structuring of basic services and tourist facilities, (iv) prohibition of domestic animals from the beach area, (v) placement of stingray warning signs on Colares beach, and the prohibition of bathing during the ebb and low tides, and (vi) daily removal of litter from the beach.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would also like to thank CNPq for yours research grants. We are also indebted to Dr. Stephen Ferrari for his careful correction of the English.

LITERATURE CITED Arangunen, J., Moncada, J. A., Naveda, J., Rivas, D., and Lugo, C., 2008. Evaluación de lacapacidad de carga turística en la playa Conomita, Municipio Guanta, Estado Anzoátegui. Revista de Investigación, 64, 31-36. Cifuentes, M. A., 1992. Determinación de capacidad de carga turística en áreas protegidas. Costa Rica: Biblioteca Orton IICA/CATIE, 28p. Available in: http://www.ulpgc.es/hege/almacen/download/23/23388/ articulocifuentes.pdf. Cifuentes, M. A., Mesquita, C. A. B., Méndez, J., Morales, M. E., Aguilar, N. and Cancino, D., 1999. Capacidad de carga turística de las áreas de Uso Público del Monumento Nacional Guayabo, Costa Rica. Costa Rica: WWF Centro America. De Ruyck, M.C., Alexandre, G.S. and Mclachlan, A., 1997. Social carrying capacity as a management tool for sandy beaches. Journal Coastal of Research, 13 (3), 822–830. Deacon, R.T. and Kolstad, C.D., 2000. Valuing beach recreation lost in environmental accidents. Journal of Water Resources. Planning and Management, 126 (6), 374–381. Eugenio-Martin, J.L., 2004. Monitoring the congestion level of competitive destinations with mixed logic models. Available in: