Videomonitoramento do turismo de observação de botos-cinza, sotalia guianensis, na reserva de fauna costeira de tibau do sul (refauts), Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The Tibau do Sul Coastal Wildlife Reserve (REFAUTS) is a marine protected area for sustainable use created for the protection of coastal biota, with Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) watching being one of the tourist attractions of this Reserve. However, the lack of adequate management in the area can cause losses in terms of the protection and permanence of this species, since it is threatened in the national territory. Thus, this study aimed to assess the conformity of Guiana dolphin watching in relation to Municipal Law Nº 349/2007, which provides for the maritime transport of tourist visitation at REFAUTS, through video monitoring. The videomonitoring was carried out between the months of December 2017 and December 2018, from an elevated fixed point on the beach strip, in the Dolphins and Madeiro bays, restricted areas of REFAUTS, between 10:00 h and 14:00 h. In total, we monitor 202 Guiana dolphin watching tours in the restricted use area of REFAUTS. The videomonitoring analysis indicated that tourist boats had low compliance with Municipal Law Nº 349/2007, the most common infraction being the high number of simultaneous boats. In the Dolphin bay, simultaneous boats were registered in 98% of the records, while in the Madeiro bay, in 84.2% of the records. The second most common infraction was the registration of boats with an engine running at distances less than 50 m from the Guiana dolphins, occurring in 64.4% of the registrations in the Dolphins bay and in 66.3% in the Madeiro bay. In order to promote adequate environmental management at REFAUTS, together with the conservation of Guiana dolphins, it is suggested the continuous monitoring and inspection of Guiana dolphin watching, through videomonitoring, which proved to be efficient and low cost.