Diante da necessidade de preservação do meio ambiente, as possíveis relações entre a comunidade e suas formas de vida, bem como de sua sustentabilidade cultural, ambiental e econômica, nos coloca diante de mais um desafio.
Todos que conhecem a Guarda do Embaú sabem que historicamente existe uma condição natural de dinâmica das águas na foz do Rio da Madre e que, portanto, quando ocorrem as marés altas, as ressacas e os períodos de chuvas mais intensos há consequentemente uma grande movimentação dos bancos de areia, que são fenômenos intrínsecos a este ecossistema costeiro. E que desta maneira, a orla onde se localiza a vila passa por diferentes modificações ao longo dos tempos, onde a faixa de areia se rearranja com dimensões às vezes maiores, por vezes menores, dependendo da força do rio e das marés.
A grande ressaca de sul que ocorreu durante o carnaval de 2020 gerou mais uma grande movimentação de areias na foz do rio, quando novamente houve uma mudança no curso da água, com deposição de areia numa das margens e provocando erosão na margem junto à vila.
Este fato, juntamente com a maré excessivamente alta, prejudicou a mobilidade dos moradores e visitantes, o embarque e desembarque dos turistas pelos canoeiros, bem como afetou a ocupação já consolidada pela comunidade, prejudicando o fornecimento de água potável e impactando a rede de fornecimento de energia elétrica no local.
Devido aos danos decorrentes, a Associação Comunitária da Guarda do Embaú encaminhou solicitação a Prefeitura Municipal de Palhoça em 09/04/20 para que fossem realizados reparos aos danos e a realização de dragagem da croa do rio, na intenção de subsidiar ao local as condições anteriores de convívio urbano entre a comunidade e o rio.



Na data de 10/04/2020 as Associações de Surf, Comunitária, Comercial, Pescadores e Paróquia Local Santa Teresinha, juntamente com a Reserva Mundial do Surf (RMS), assinaram um documento em conjunto solicitando aos órgãos públicos estudos para a resolução dos problemas.
A Secretaria do Patrimônio da União – SPU emitiu a Portaria nº 10154/20 de 02/06/20, autorizando e responsabilizando o Município de Palhoça a realizar as obras emergenciais de dragagem do Rio da Madre e recuperação de dunas existentes na praia da Guarda do Embaú.
Portanto, há uma demanda emergencial da qual a RMS participou por solução que contemple um equilíbrio entre os aspectos sociais, ambientais e econômicos, mas que os encaminhamentos sobre o como proceder cabem ao poder público, o qual deverá considerar aspectos legais e técnicos. Por se tratar de ambiente sensível e altamente dinâmico, o que pode parecer uma solução no momento, pode gerar mais alterações ou necessidades futuras de intervenção.
*Please note this is a rough English translation from Portuguese.
The title of the Ninth World Surf Reserve (RMS) of the Guarda do Embaú, the first of Brazil to receive this designation, is associated with the characteristics we have for having international quality of wave, environmental wealth, surfing and fishing culture and one community today made up of generations and diverse stories.
Faced with the need to preserve the environment, the possible relationships between the community and its life forms, as well as its cultural, environmental and economic sustainability, puts us before another challenge.
Everyone who knows the Guarda do Embaú knows that, historically, there is a natural condition of water dynamics at the mouth of the Rio da Madre and that when high tides occur, the hangovers and the periods of heavy rain there is consequently a great move of the sandbanks, which are intrinsic phenomena to this coastal ecosystem. And that in this way, the edge where the village is located undergoes different modifications throughout the ages, where the sandband rearrangements with sometimes larger dimensions, sometimes smaller, depending on the strength of the river and tides.
The large southern hangover that occurred during the carnival of 2020 spawned another large sand movement at the mouth of the river, when again there was a change in the water course, with sand deposition on one of the banks and causing erosion on the bank by the river village.
This fact, together with the excessively high tide, damaged the mobility of residents and visitors, boarding and landing tourists by the canoeiros, as well as affected the occupation already consolidated by the community, damaging the supply of drinking water and impacting the network of supplying water Electric power on site.
Due to the damage caused, the Guarda do Embaú Community Association sent requests to Palhoça Municipal Prefecture in 09/04/20 to make repairs to the damage and dredging of the river mouth, in the intention of subsidizing the previous conditions of urban socializing between community and river.
Before the request, organs of the Prefecture together with the Civil Defense conducted a local survey between the 10th and 11/04/20th, found the damage to the community and understood that the Statement of Emergency Situation was necessary to facilitate recovery from the damage.
The SC Environmental Institute – IMA was also on site finding the problem cited by Civil Defense and through Office No. 849/20, requested advice from the Union Heritage Secretary – SPU, allowing access to environmental recovery in the area.
On the date of 10/04/2020 Surf, Community, Commercial, Fishermen and Local Parish Santa Teresinha, together with the World Surf Reserve (RMS), signed a document together asking public bodies to study problems solving.
The Secretary of the Heritage of the Union – SPU issued the Ordinance No. 10154/20 of 02/06/20, authorizing and responsible for the municipality of Palhoça to carry out the emergency dredging works of Rio da Madre and recovery of existing dunes on the beach of Guarda do Embaú.
The Attorney General of the Republic of Santa Catarina, through Office No. 1811/20 GABPRI / AAH / PR / SC of 12/06/20, also requested information about opening access, questioning the existence of environmental impact studies.
In 30/06/20 a major natural disaster occurred in SC with the passage of a cyclone called Cyclone Bomba, which further aggravated the problems arising from changing the course of Rio da Madre in the community, a fact that led to the State Government of State Santa Catarina declaring “State of Public Calamity.”
Considering what has been exposed, the Local Managing Committee of the Ninth World Surf Reserve (RMS) Guarda do Embaú understood that the ′′ intervention at the mouth of Rio da Madre ′′ at this time, despite complex by environmental fragility, is necessary by Contributing the normalcy of the whole community, as tourism is one of the main products of the community and was greatly shaken by the Covid19 pandemic and by this climate phenomenon.
Therefore, there is an emergency demand in which RMS participated for a solution that covers a balance between social, environmental and economic aspects, but referrals on how to proceed with the public authority, which should consider legal and technical aspects. Because it is sensitive and highly dynamic environment, which may seem like a solution at the moment, may generate more changes or future intervention needs.
We have a commitment to attentive to the dynamics of the mouth of Rio da Madre, so studies and research are needed with experts and with the community on the historic and hydrodynamic conditions of the site. This should be a near future goal, as the current situation at the mouth of the river is recurring, and for more than once we’ve encountered it and most likely we’ll be dealing with it in several moments in the history of this environment and the community that we’ve experienced the occupy.