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Environmental project in Santos bets on the recovery of restinga vegetation to contain coastal erosion, reduce the impacts of storm surges, and protect vulnerable stretches of José Menino beach, an area facing increasing pressure from sea level rise and climate change on the São Paulo coast.
Santos, on the coast of São Paulo, has begun the implementation of the Parque Jundu, a preservation area for restinga vegetation on the sandy strip of José Menino beach, between the border with São Vicente and the Novo Quebra-Mar, in a region considered vulnerable to coastal erosion and storm surges.
With the creation of the space, the city hall intends to use the vegetation as a natural barrier against sea level rise, protecting stretches of the coastline where jundu has gradually reappeared in recent years after decades of intense urbanization of the coastal strip.
Work began on April 23, after the completion of feasibility studies that analyzed the environmental conditions and the behavior of the vegetation in the chosen section for the park’s implementation.
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In this first stage, teams are working on removing invasive species, cleaning up accumulated waste on the sand, and mapping the area that will be fenced to ensure the preservation of the regenerating space.
The initiative was defined by the Pro-Jundu Technical Working Group and integrates climate adaptation actions planned in the Santos Sustentável program, launched by the city hall in March 2025.
Jundu Park will be created in a vulnerable stretch of Santos beach
The future park will be located in an already mapped area of José Menino beach, in front of the buildings known for their inclination and near the border with São Vicente, a stretch frequently associated with impacts caused by the force of the waves.
As it is among the most exposed points on the Santos coastline, the region has been monitored with greater attention by the municipality, especially given the increase in storm surges and the constant erosion of the sandy strip.
The central idea is to isolate the stretch where the jundu reappeared, allowing the vegetation to develop without trampling, irregular waste disposal, or human interference that could compromise natural regeneration.
In addition to its environmental function, the space will serve for data collection, technical monitoring, and environmental education actions.
The city hall intends to use the area to monitor the behavior of restinga vegetation in an urban environment.
Restinga vegetation helps contain erosion and sea level rise
Characteristic of the Brazilian coast, jundu is formed by species adapted to wind, salinity, intense heat, and sand instability, factors that hinder the development of other types of vegetation in the coastal strip.
Because of this natural resistance, restinga acts as an important protection in areas subject to erosion, helping to reduce sand movement and damage caused by storm surges along the coastline.
This vegetation helps to fix and stabilize the sandy strip, reducing the loss of sediments caused by waves.
During storm surge events, it also helps to reduce the impacts of water advancing over the coastline.
In Santos, the restinga vegetation was reduced during the process of urbanization and occupation of the beach.
Even so, the municipal administration states that some patches of vegetation have reappeared in recent years.
Environmental project received support from council and entities
The feasibility studies were presented in April to the Municipal Council for Environmental Defense, with the participation of representatives from civil society, environmental institutions, universities, NGOs, and municipal secretariats.
According to the city hall, there was a favorable consensus among participants for the project’s implementation.
This stage paved the way for the removal of invasive species and for the future fencing of the regenerating area.
The Secretary of Environment, Urban Development and Sustainability, Glaucus Farinello, stated that the proposal seeks to allow nature to reclaim space in an urbanized area of the city.
“The intention is to allow nature to reclaim its space, protecting regenerating areas from human interference,” Farinello declared in a statement released by the municipal administration.
He also stated that the restoration of the jundu shows it is possible to reconcile urbanization and environmental conservation, provided there is planning, integrated public policies, and societal participation.
Restinga gains a strategic role in combating climate change
In addition to helping protect the sand, the jundu also serves as a shelter for insects, birds, and small animals that depend on this type of vegetation to survive in urbanized coastal areas.
At the same time, the presence of the restinga contributes to the balance of the coastal strip’s microclimate, collaborating in temperature regulation and the maintenance of the natural characteristics of the coastal environment.
Restinga areas are associated with the Atlantic Forest biome and play a relevant role in the conservation of coastal ecosystems.
In climate strategies, they help in carbon capture and temperature regulation.
The creation of Jundu Park adds to other measures of Santos Sustentável, a program that foresees nature-based actions to reduce environmental risks and expand green areas in the municipality.
Among the initiatives already reported by the city hall is the planting of 2,400 new trees in the insular area of Santos.
The municipal administration links these actions to addressing climate impacts in Baixada Santista.
Santos bets on natural solutions to protect its waterfront
The implementation of the park occurs at a time of growing concern about the effects of rising sea levels, frequent storm surges, and erosion in highly urbanized coastal cities across the country.
Due to its geographical location and intense waterfront occupation, Santos is among the municipalities that most closely monitor climate impacts associated with the advance of water over the sandy strip.
In practice, the preservation of the jundu does not replace other climate adaptation policies but functions as a complementary measure.
The bet is to use the coastal vegetation itself to strengthen beach protection. Fencing the area will be one of the next steps after cleaning and mapping.
Following this, the stretch should be reserved for the development of the restinga, with technical monitoring and appropriate management.
The city hall states that the project will also have an educational function, bringing residents and visitors closer to the importance of coastal vegetation.
The expectation is that the park will help change the population’s relationship with the sandy strip.
The advance of water in sections of the waterfront reinforced the need for permanent adaptation measures. In Santos, the response now involves the recovery of vegetation that was already part of the natural coastal landscape.
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