Tourism and domestic sewage in Ilha Grande island (RJ, Brazil): exploratory analysis on the beaches of Abraão and Aventureiro

Abstract

The lack of basic sanitation has many negative impacts on the marine environment because domestic sewage is often discharged into rivers and sea without prior treatment. This is the case of Ilha Grande (RJ, Brazil), in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This study was based on the premise that the large growing flow of people related to tourism and associated with inadequate basic sewage treatment service causes negative impacts on the marine environment, causing problems for the development and maintenance of the economy of Tourism. The main objective of this study was to verify if there are different points of views regarding the domestic sewage pollution and its negative impacts on the beaches of Abraão and Aventureiro. Semi structured interviews were conducted with residents, tourists, and environmental managers. The results obtained from the exploratory analysis indicate that the Abraão beach has a disorderly development of the tourism economy with signs of pollution in the marine environment, due to the saturation of the carrying capacity of tourists. The beach of Aventureiro, even though it is a Sustainable Development Reserve, with control of the entry of tourists, already shows evidence of pollution. The tourism in Ilha Grande appears as a synonym of tension and, at the same time, leisure, and opportunity for works. The need for a coastal management plan on both beaches is evident in order to have sustainable tourism on Ilha Grande.