Impactos socioambientais na feira de São Joaquim, Salvador-BA: gestão participativa uma brisa de esperança

Abstract

This research sought to understand the relationship between nature and society in order to answer the following question: how do the port activities of the Companhia das Docas do Estado da Bahia (CODEBA) affect the community of Feira de São Joaquim in Salvador, and how do the actions of the Environmental Education Program address the socio-environmental impacts, and what measures can contribute as a mitigating instrument in the surroundings of the Bay of All Saints? The main results indicated that the CODEBA Environmental Education Program, updated in 2015, has never been effectively applied in the community; the fishermen and shellfish gatherers find themselves in a situation of double vulnerability, environmental and urban; despite resistance strategies, the absence of communication and institutional assistance means that the problems faced remain obstacles for the population. The socio-historical relationship between the Port of Salvador and the Fair was analyzed from the perspective of the fairground community, as well as the impacts of projects for the implementation and expansion of maritime ports. These impacts were analyzed and characterized to portray and understand their meanings from the perspective of the community's perception and social memory. Critical and Emancipatory Environmental Education actions were proposed with the support of Social Psychology, applying the following methodological steps: 1) documentary research on the historical, social, and economic evolution of the Fair and the Port; 2) literature review on the theme of Socio-environmental Impacts; 3) fieldwork with the application of semi-structured interviews to a focus group of fishermen and shellfish gatherers, using the "snowball" sampling technique; 4) presentation of the results through qualitative analysis of the collected data. This study aimed to encompass the perception of the investigated groups regarding socioenvironmental impacts, so that its results foster the formulation of public policies and environmental education programs that promote ecological citizenship, collective participation, and sustainable development.