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Sea advance on São Vicente beaches broadens debate on coastal erosion, emergency works, and environmental impacts on the São Paulo coast, while the Justice maintains planning and prevention requirements against sea surges even after suspending immediate interventions on the sandy strip of Gonzaguinha and Milionários beaches.
Following a decision by the São Paulo Court of Justice, the City Hall of São Vicente will not be required, at this moment, to carry out emergency works against erosion on Gonzaguinha and Milionários beaches, areas that have been registering sea advance and reduction of the sandy strip in recent years.
Although it suspended the part of the injunction that mandated immediate physical interventions on the waterfront, the TJ-SP maintained obligations related to planning and prevention, including the presentation of measures aimed at the impacts of sea surges and coastal advance in the municipality.
Justice suspends emergency works on São Vicente beaches
The rapporteur of the appeal in the 1st Chamber Reserved for the Environment of the TJ-SP, Judge Marcelo Martins Berthe, analyzed the case in a decision signed on April 28, within the lawsuit that discusses containment measures for coastal erosion on the Vicentine coast.
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According to the judge, there was no proof of urgency capable of justifying immediate emergency works, mainly because interventions in coastal areas require prior elaboration of technical projects, environmental analysis, and authorization from competent bodies before the release of public funds.
Even so, the municipal administration remains obligated to comply with part of the determinations imposed in the first instance, among them the elaboration of an emergency action plan aimed at the sea surges that affect the beaches impacted by the advance of the sea.
Coastal erosion advances on Gonzaguinha and Milionários beaches
Two of São Vicente’s best-known areas are at the center of the legal dispute involving the advance of the sea and the impacts of coastal erosion on the sandy strip used by residents and tourists throughout the year.
On Milionários Beach, studies mentioned in the process indicate a coastline retreat of up to 1.85 meters per year, while, in Gonzaguinha, almost half of the sandy strip already shows signs of erosion caused by the constant action of sea surges.
The action was proposed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of São Paulo, through prosecutor Flávia Maria Gonçalves, a member of the Special Action Group for Environmental Defense, based on technical surveys related to the coastal dynamics of the region.
According to the studies cited in the judicial investigation, the erosive process would have been aggravated by human interventions carried out over the years, including the landfill of Ilha Porchat and rigid structures that altered the natural circulation of sediments on the coast.
City Hall states it has been monitoring sea advance for three years
In an official note, the City Hall informed that it has been working for three years on confronting coastal erosion on Gonzaguinha and Milionários beaches, utilizing technical and scientific studies developed in partnership with institutions such as USP, Unifesp, and Universidade Santa Cecília.
Furthermore, the municipal administration argued that interventions carried out without planning could generate environmental impacts, legal uncertainty, and solutions considered ineffective, especially in an area that depends on environmental licensing, engineering projects, and formal public procurement procedures.
According to the municipality, actions currently underway include continuous monitoring of coastal dynamics, evaluation of alternatives for containing the advance of the sea, meteo-oceanographic monitoring, and elaboration of preventive protocols aimed at sea surge episodes.
Plan against sea surges remains mandatory on the São Paulo coast
Even after the suspension of emergency works, the measures related to planning and contingency determined by the Justice within the action that monitors the impacts of coastal erosion in São Vicente remain valid.
Among the requirements maintained by the TJ-SP is the presentation of an emergency plan for sea surges, in addition to the prohibition of structures such as walls or groynes without prior judicial authorization for interventions in the coastal area.
While the process continues to be processed, the advance of the sea remains at the center of discussions about waterfront protection, public safety, and the definition of environmentally appropriate solutions for one of the most sensitive stretches of the São Paulo coast.
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