Nearly 17 years after enacting national coastal-management legislation, Brazilian authorities have set specific guidelines for implementing the law. A Dec. 7 decree by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva adds definition to a 1988 law that recognized Brazil’s coastal land and waters as a unique geographic entity that—much like the Amazon region—required specific environmental safeguards. That law only provided general directives—requiring, for instance, that states be responsible for coastal zoning and that the federal and state governments monitor coastal areas for environmental abuses. The new decree provides enabling legislation addressing issues ranging from public access to beaches to the geographical limits of the coastal zone. “[T]he specificity of the enabling legislation allows the government to require compliance with the... [Log in to read more]