Crescimento do turismo de observação de botos-cinza na APA Bonfim-Guaraíra e seus potenciais impactos socioambientais
Irys Layse do Nascimento Castro
Ufersa
Vitor de Oliveira Lunardi
UFERSA
Diana Gonçalves Lunardi
UFERSA
Palavras-chave: Conservation, Sustainability, Ecotourism, Socio-environmental impacts
Resumo
The Bonfim-Guaraíra Environmental Protection Area (APA Bonfim-Guaraíra) is a sustainable use conservation unit with ecological significance, home to endangered species such as the Guiana dolphin ( Sotalia guianensis ). Despite its ecological importance, the Bonfim-Guaraíra APA appears to have low management effectiveness, being the only conservation unit in Rio Grande do Norte classified by the Management Analysis and Monitoring System (SAMGe) as having "reduced effectiveness." This study analyzed the growth of Guiana dolphin-watching tourism in the Bonfim-Guaraíra APA and its potential socio-environmental impacts. To describe the historical process of tourism growth, the following activities were carried out: (i) analysis of socio-environmental impacts in Tibau do Sul, using Google searches from 2014 to 2025, sorted by date, area of occurrence, and nature of the event; (ii) analysis of tourist flow, carried out in the Tibau do Sul Coastal Fauna Reserve, Rio Grande do Norte, in November 2024 and (iii) evaluation of dolphin-watching tourism on the TripAdvisor travel platform, from 2014 to 2024. The following socio-environmental impacts were recorded: 122 strandings of marine animals, with the highest occurrence in 2023 (48.4%) and 2024 (33.6%); five occurrences of erosion processes associated with cliff landslides, in 2020, 2022 and 2024, with the highest incidence on Pipa Central Beach; There were 165 drowning incidents at sea between 2015 and 2025, particularly at Praia do Amor, with the highest number recorded in 2020 (30.3%) and 2021 (43.6%), and eight ATV accidents, particularly at Chapadão, between 2020 and 2025. For the tourism flow analysis, 102 boat trips were recorded on-site, taking 1,405 tourists to observe gray dolphins over two sampling days (4 hours/day). For the analysis of gray dolphin-watching tourism on a travel platform, 457 tourist reviews were recorded. The majority of these reviews were positive (87%) and related primarily to the sighting of gray dolphins. The negative reviews addressed the lack of gray dolphin sightings during the tour. Although dolphin-watching tourism in the Bonfim-Guaraíra Environmental Protection Area (APA) has been positively evaluated by most tourists, the region has been facing a series of negative socio-environmental impacts that could jeopardize its long-term sustainability. The intensification of human activities over the last decade appears to be causing negative impacts on ecosystems, exacerbating socio-environmental and socio-spatial challenges. Cliff slides, ATV accidents, tourist drownings at sea, and the appearance of dead dolphins on beaches may indicate that tourism in the Bonfim-Guaraíra Environmental Protection Area (APA) needs to be restructured based on a participatory governance plan involving the government, the private sector, and the third sector, and including land use and occupation, investment in infrastructure and communication, security, inspection, monitoring, and environmental education.