O presente estudo aborda o comércio formal e informal na praia de Boa Viagem (Pernambuco, Brasil). Descreve o perfil socioeconômico dos atores sociais envolvidos (diversas classes de comerciante), a percepção desses atores sobre a atividade que desenvolvem (suas necessidades, críticas e sugestões para melhoria), e aponta impactos decorrentes dessa atividade sobre a praia dos pontos de vista ambiental, social e econômico. A praia de Boa Viagem atende diretamente a uma população de mais de 1.700.000 moradores da região Metropolitana do Recife, além de visitantes. A praia é intensamente utilizada durante todo o ano, mas principalmente no verão, comportando diferentes tipos de usos (ex. lazer, trabalho, turismo). Essa praia é mundialmente conhecida como um dos cartões postais do estado de Pernambuco, e traz milhões de Reais para a economia local e regional. Seus 8km de extensão podem ser divididos em quatro trechos com diferentes graus de conservação da praia, principalmente no que se refere a sua integridade física (geomorfológica), tipos de ocupação, usos e atividade comercial. A análise dos dados destacou os seguintes aspectos: grande quantidade de comerciantes das três classes (quiosqueiros, barraqueiros e ambulantes); trechos mais intensamente explorados no centro da praia coincidindo com a maior frequência dos usuários; padrões de distribuição dos comerciantes no tempo e no espaço; grande diversidade de itens comercializados nas categorias alimentação e itens de consumo rápido; perfil socioeconômico dos comerciantes compatível com o retorno de cada segmento e com a necessidade de se dedicar a uma atividade mais ou menos segura; renda variável (sazonal e entre as classes); grandes impactos dessa atividade nas condições ambientais da praia tanto na faixa de areia quanto no calçadão (lixo, esgoto, poluição sonora e visual, sobrecarga dos serviços urbanos de limpeza e fiscalização) e impactos sociais sobre um grande número de pessoas (ex. subemprego, marginalidade).

Beach trade is a major part of the Brazilian beach culture. It takes many forms and results in numerous environmental, social and economic outputs along the country’s >8,000km of coastline and thousands of beaches. It is widely believed that a significant amount of money circulates at beaches very day, especially during the summer. The present work approaches the formal and informal trade that takes place on Boa Viagem Beach (Pernambuco - Brazil). It describes the socio-economic profile of the stakeholders involved in this activity (different tradesmen classes), their perception of the activity (needs, critics, and suggestions for improvement), and finally points some of the consequences and impacts of this trade for the beach environment from different points of view (natural environment, society and local economy). The work area Boa Viagem beach attends to a population in excess of 1,700,000 people every day, mostly residents of the Recife Metropolitan Area (RMA) and some visitors. The beach is intensely used all year long, but especially during summer (November through March), when it has many different uses (e.g. leisure, tourism, work). This beach is known worldwide as one of Recife’s and Pernambuco State postcards, bringing millions of Real (R$) to the local and regional economies. Its 8km were divided into four stretches according to different degrees of beach conservation (geomorphology and vegetation cover), occupation, uses and characteristics of the trading activity. Results point towards a very large number of traders belonging to the three classes identified: 1. employees who work in huts on the pavement, 2. self employed who trade at a fixed point on the sand area and 3. self employed who trade their goods along the beach. In each of the trading units of the classes 1 and 2, many people, and jobs, can be involved. In the case of class 3 it is more often a solitary activity. There are 60 huts on the pavement, a density of 6, 9, 8 e 8 huts/km of beach at each of the four stretches. Some are open around the clock. The counting resulted in 476 trading points of the fixed type on the sand, at the top level of the solarium. It represents a sand space of 12, 10, 12 e 81 linear meters for each trader at the four different beach stretches. Finally, 320 traders were counted walking along the beach to sell food, drinks and cheap goods. Most of these traders are young men (>73%) with limited social options. They live both in the vicinity of the beach or in municipalities of the RMA, depending on their income at the beach and type of trade (if they need to take gear and goods to the beach everyday or not). The activity can be either considered due to the lack of formal employment, as in the case of the trading classes 1 and 3, or even “inherited” from parents or older relatives, as in the case of the class 2. The traders in class 2 are extremely territorializes and establish a consistent, long-lasting, relationship with their clients. Some stretches are more intensely exploited than others, with maximum trading taking place in the middle of the beach (stretches 2 and 3), where beach users also congregate. Traders use the space according to beach users preferences. There is a large variety of items being traded and services being offered, but food and drinks dominate the scene. Traders are relatively specialized in each of the items/categories. The socio-economic profile of these workers is compatible with the trade they take, with less qualified ones being responsible for the segments that generate less income and involve the hardest physical effort. The lack of formal qualification usually leads to poorer and more unsafe work. Therefore, trader’s income is highly variable among classes, areas of the beach and time of the year. Environmental consequences of food and drinks trade on the beach can be easily detected (solid wastes - mainly plastics; sewage; sound pollution; landscape deterioration; overload of public services), even by traders themselves. There are also social effects as the creation of underpaid jobs, exclusion and prostitution. Traders themselves wish to be organized and have their services fairly recognized by the public administration, but are still in conflict with environmental and social values and needs. The present approach of planning only some levels of trading without considering (or banning) others and the whole beach culture of which this whole activity is an integral part is condemned only to failure. A consensus among beach users, traders and the public sector will only be reached through their social organization and a more generalized beach planning that includes and regulates the different trading activities.