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700-Meter Structure Funded With Public Resources Redefines the Waterfront of Praia Grande in Salvaterra, While Trying to Contain Erosion, Protect the Urban Edge, and Boost Tourism in the Marajó Archipelago.
A 700-meter retaining wall has changed the landscape of the waterfront of Praia Grande in Salvaterra, in the Marajó archipelago, and has become the municipality’s strategy to curb erosion and protect the urban edge at the main local postcard.
Budgeted at around R$ 8 million, the project was presented as a work funded by public resources, with money made available at the federal level and execution attributed to the city hall, in a partnership announced by the government of Pará during the delivery of the work.
Erosion Containment at Praia Grande and Urban Impact
Along the most frequented stretch of sand, the structure was described by the government as a “revetment,” a type of containment designed to stabilize the land and reduce the retreat caused by soil and sediment movement in areas under constant pressure.
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On the other hand, the geographical context of Marajó imposes specific challenges, as the region experiences the influence of tides and currents, in addition to the interaction between fluvial and marine dynamics that rapidly alter the profile of the beach and the shore.
According to the official description, the wall was planned to “balance the pressure of the land” and “isolate Praia Grande” from the erosive phenomenon, acting as a physical barrier to prevent wear from reaching sidewalks, access points, and areas of daily use.
In addition to concrete, the project included protective railings, stairs, and ramps, justified by the need to increase pedestrian safety and reorganize circulation between the urbanized area and the stretch of sand, in a highly frequented tourist area.
Public Funding and Political Articulation of the Work
The inauguration took place on December 22, 2020, and the work was named after former mayor Reynaldo de Lima Novaes de Oliveira, during a ceremony that brought together Governor Helder Barbalho and then-mayor Valentim Oliveira, according to Agência Pará.
In the same announcement, the state government informed that the resources close to R$ 8 million were guaranteed when Helder Barbalho was at the head of the Ministry of National Integration, linking the origin of the funds to an agreement made prior to the local execution.
During the event, the governor stated that he celebrated the delivery “not as a minister, but as governor,” and associated the work with the appreciation of natural wealth and the boost to tourism as one of the main economic vocations of Marajó.
Meanwhile, Valentim Oliveira stated that the municipality has “a very large tourism potential” and said that, with the wall, the activity “will grow much more,” relating the intervention to the possibility of increasing income and circulation along the waterfront.
Tourism, Local Commerce, and Reorganization of the Waterfront
The immediate effect announced by the government was the creation of predictability for the use of the beach, because erosion, when it advances, reduces the strip of sand, threatens nearby structures, and alters the sense of security in areas where residents and visitors circulate.
In the surroundings, restaurants, vendors, and service workers are seen as part of the directly benefited ecosystem, as the waterfront is a focal point for consumption and informal employment, especially during times of higher tourist demand.
Agência Pará recorded the statement of trader Paulo Duarte, 52, who said that the waterfront “had entered into degradation” and assessed that the political partnership behind the work would bring improvement to tourism and commerce.
Vendor Paulo Ernesto Silva, 55, stated that he remembered “the beach was getting ugly” due to erosion and related the wall to the expectation of improving the income of those who depend on the movement of people to sell at Praia Grande.
Maintenance of the Wall and New Interventions on the Waterfront
The containment was also publicized as a basis for broader requalification, as the then mayor informed that he had requested the government of Pará to urbanize the surroundings, with plans for paving, grass, lighting, kiosks, and restrooms.
This type of expansion alters the economic weight of the work, as the wall ceases to be just an emergency response and becomes a support for a structured waterfront, with permanent equipment that increases use and, at the same time, raises the need for maintenance.
The maintenance requirement became explicit on April 28, 2025, when the City Hall of Salvaterra announced that it had undertaken repairs on parts of the wall and mentioned “serious risks of collapse” in areas that had been neglected.
More recently, in December 2025, a municipal publication about “revitalization of the waterfront” again emphasized the partnership between the city hall, lawmakers, and the state government, indicating that Praia Grande remains at the center of an agenda of works and preservation.
If the containment has become a key piece to protect the urban edge and organize the tourism economy in Salvaterra, how will the government balance new interventions, ongoing maintenance, and access to the beach when other Amazonian and coastal cities face erosion at the same pace?
Mais uma obra de contenção do aumento do nível do mar na qual os políticos e engenheiros, tenho certeza, não ouviram os conselhos dos oceanógrafos! Tais muros de contenção funcionam temporariamente mas, logo logo, o processo de erosão aumentará e, como já foi comprovado em inúmeros projetos similares mundo afora, os mesmos desabarão. Tais muros não absorvem a força do impacto das ondas, mas sim as refletem causando portanto o aumento erosivo na base dos mesmos e, com isso, uma perda muito maior da areia da praia ao longo da base dos muros.
Não adianta lutarmos com a natureza mas sim desenvolvermos estratégias, “soluções baseadas na natureza”!
As pessoas q estão invadindo o mar ao invés de gastar tanto dinheiro com isso deveriam construir casas para as pessoas pobres