Besieged FISHERMEN: ARTISANAL FISHING IN THE PROTECTION AREA ENVIRONMENTAL COAST OF CORALS
Social and environmental conflicts; Artisanal fishing; Eco tourism;
The work investigated the conflicting relationships between artisanal fishermen and private individuals who dispute space in the Costa dos Corais Environmental Protection Area (APACC), more specifically in the area comprising the city of Porto de Pedras – Alagoas – Brazil. Since 1997, when the APACC was created, the state's presence through environmental agents designed to inspect and control the actions taken by the population of fishermen in the Protected Area has increased significantly. Added to this, several tourist developments were built, dividing and even expropriating fishermen's territories. Thus, we sought to analyze the perceptions of artisanal fishermen regarding interventions that have taken place in recent years, triggered by the advance of tourism in the region, which significantly changed the relationship between human beings and the occupied territory. It is possible to see that different views confront each other in the dispute over the use of territory and the practical outcome of this relationship conforms the features of the ongoing conflict. Semi-structured interviews will be used with fishermen and follow-up of a public hearing regarding conflicts