Classification of Coastal Beach Scenarios in Santa Catarina Island, Florianopolis - Brazil

Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, presents a diversity of natural coastal environments and several historical sites, as well as a large variety of places with potential for tourism. However, the intense and disorderly use of the area may lead to a decreased quality of coastal environments, especially the beaches. This study aims at understanding the types of use and the potential or eventual loss of quality and scenic attractiveness. Research was conducted on beaches in the Northern, Northeastern, Eastern and Southern coastlines on the island of Santa Catarina. Researchers aimed at identifying the scenic attractiveness of these beaches using the methodology of Ergin et al (2006). With this method researchers built a scenic classification, ranking in ascending order from 1, the most attractive natural beaches, to 5, the urban, less attractive beaches. From the 25 beaches studied only three (12%) were classified as Class 1, those being: Lagoinha do Leste, Naufragados and Matadeiro. In other words, these were the only beaches considered to be highly appealing and aesthetically pleasing. These beaches were characterized as natural shoreline with activities consistent to the preservation and conservation of the area. The other 88% (22 beaches) were characterized as having their natural landscapes modified in some way, such as the emergence of urban areas. As a result, more than half of the beaches were classified as Class 4 (24%) and Class 5 (28%). These beaches, 13 in total, were considered to present low landscape quality, in other words, their landscapes were considered to be unattractive. These beaches possess mid to high levels of construction and population growth, with landscapes modified by human activity. They present a high potential for pollution and visual degradation. Thus, beaches with easy access and human intervention are losing, or have already lost, their scenic attractiveness and are in need of management and planning to minimize the damage and restore natural coastal environments.