Historical antecedents and local governance in the process of public policies building for coastal zone of Brazil

Brazil has a very big coastal zone of approximately 514.000 km2 that embraces 397 municipalities in 17 coastal states. Its diversified area supports high variability of socio–economics activities leading to serious conflicts in terms of coastal space and resources competition in an intensive human occupation context. This paper describes the past and present processes of coastal planning in Brazil and its mechanism towards the establishment of a costal management mode, capable to assure the desired sustainable development of the coast. It explains the policy trajectory of coastal Brazil and the way in which it is intended to be integrated into the national socio-political system. The National Policy for Sea Resources (PNRM) was a significant advance in organizing the multiple uses of the coastal and marine zones of Brazil. Established in the 1980s, the PNRM has been reviewed bi-annually through new proposed action plans. The Brazilian Costal Management Plan is analyzed trying to highlight the role of coastal municipalities in the planning and management processes. The role of local communities and municipalities in building public policies and management processes is still weak in Brazil and possibly can be enhanced with a better evaluation model and increasing local participation.