Brazil’s National Blue Flag Award Ceremony Celebrates Awarded Destinations and Brings Together Five Brazilian States in the city of Guarujá in São Paulo

Held at the Iate Clube de Santos, the event marked the beginning of the 2025/2026 season and recognized beaches and marinas for their environmental excellence and commitment to sustainable tourism.

The municipality of Guarujá, on the coast of São Paulo, hosted on October 31 the National Blue Flag Award Ceremony 2025, an event that officially marked the beginning of the new season of the program for the awarded destinations across five Brazilian states. Held at the Iate Clube de Santos, one of the country’s most traditional nautical clubs, the gathering brought together local authorities, mayors, environmental and tourism secretaries, as well as representatives from environmental organizations from all over Brazil. In this edition, 60 Brazilian destinations were approved by the national and international juries of the Blue Flag Program and will have the right to hoist the flag that symbolizes environmental quality, responsible management, and the promotion of sustainable tourism along the Brazilian coast.

Destinations from five states were recognized this season. The geographic distribution of the 2025/2026 Blue Flag includes six locations in the Northeast, one in Alagoas and five in Bahia. In the Southeast, there are 23 approvals, 19 in Rio de Janeiro and four in São Paulo. Santa Catarina, meanwhile, consolidates its position as the state with the largest number of awarded destinations, totaling 31 sites.

The mayor of Guarujá, Farid Madi, celebrated the award for Praia do Tombo, now reaching its 16th consecutive season with the Blue Flag award. “It is a great joy to host the national Blue Flag ceremony here in Guarujá. Praia do Tombo reaches its 16th season with the award, being the oldest in South America, and this fills our city with pride. This recognition reaffirms Guarujá’s commitment to sustainability, environmental quality, and the well-being of those who live in and visit our coastline. Hosting this national ceremony here makes the moment even more special,” the mayor highlighted. “For the Iate Clube de Santos, it is an honor to host this national ceremony and celebrate, together with the awarded destinations, the commitment to sustainability and the preservation of our seas. The award is a symbol of excellence, but also of collective responsibility. Here in Guarujá and at the club, we work to maintain an environmental management standard that inspires other clubs and coastal communities to follow the same path. Hosting this event reinforces our mission of promoting the conscious and sustainable use of the marine environment,” said Odoardo Lantieri, environmental manager and representative of the Iate Clube de Santos in Guarujá. The executive director of Instituto Ambientes em Rede, the organization responsible for promoting the program in Brazil, also celebrated the awarded destinations: “Behind each hoisted flag, there is a committed team, an engaged community, and a constant effort to make a difference. The Blue Flag recognizes precisely the work of those who believe sustainability is not a distant concept, but something built daily, through responsible decisions. In this edition, we have destinations from five states — Alagoas, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, and São Paulo — that demonstrate, through concrete actions, that it is possible to align tourism development with environmental conservation. This achievement is the result of collective work involving public authorities, the private sector, and local communities, all united by the common purpose of ensuring a more sustainable future for our coastline,” said Leana Bernardi, who is also the national coordinator of the program in Brazil.

Environmental Education Recognition Award– National Jury

The municipality of Bombinhas, in Santa Catarina, was recognized for its set of Environmental Education activities for the third consecutive year, receiving the Environmental Education Recognition Award, granted by the National Jury of the Blue Flag Program, for the initiatives carried out during the 2024/2025 season on the beaches of Conceição, Mariscal, Prainha de Mariscal, Quatro Ilhas and Tainha. Also in the Beaches category, highlights included the activity “Ghost Fishing: Protection of the Marine Environment,” conducted at Praia do Peró in Cabo Frio (RJ), and the video entitled “Dissemination of Knowledge on Climate Change,” developed by the beaches of Bombinhas (SC). In the Marinas category, recognition went to the set of activities by the Iate Clube de Santa Catarina – Veleiros da Ilha, in Florianópolis (SC), and the initiative “The Path of Waste to the Sea,” promoted by Marina Kauai in Ubatuba (SP).

Good Practice Competition – International Jury

This year, the International Jury of the Blue Flag Program granted Brazil three Good Practice Competition awards. In the Climate Adaptation category, the Iate Clube de Santa Catarina won in the Southern Hemisphere with the activity “Visit to an Oyster Farm – Mariculture, Climate, and the Ocean Economy.” In the Pollinator Loss Prevention category, the project “Iguaba Mais Verde,” from Praia de Ubás in Iguaba Grande (RJ), took second place. In the same category, Praia do Patacho in Porto de Pedras (AL) was also awarded for the activity “Sustainable Paths, Inclusion, and Nature.”

Awarded beaches and marinas must annually demonstrate compliance with the criteria established by FEE – Foundation for Environmental Education, the international organization responsible for overseeing the program. The criteria cover aspects such as environmental and heritage management, water quality, environmental education, safety and services, sustainable tourism, and social
responsibility.

The National Blue Flag Award Ceremony 2025 was organized by Instituto Ambientes em Rede, in partnership with the Municipality of Guarujá and the Iate Clube de Santos, with sponsorship from Embratur and support from the Visite Guarujá Convention & Visitors Bureau. The official flag hoisting will take place starting November 1, marking the beginning of the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere.

Credits: Matheus Bonfim

Sandbanks Restoration Education at Peró Beach, Brazil

The Peró coastal region, situated along the pristine Atlantic coast of Brazil, has long captivated the hearts of tourists. With its breathtaking vistas and pristine stretches of golden sand, it has become an attractive tourist destination. However, over the years, the influx of tourists has spurred the construction of more accommodations, residential complexes, and infrastructure, progressively encroaching upon the fragile coastal ecosystem. The sandbank vegetation areas, a vital component of this coastal landscape, have suffered the most from human pressures, further exacerbated by the speculative surge in real estate ventures and the expansion of livestock farming.

In response to these challenges, the Peró Residents Association, and the Veiga de Almeida University initiated a sandbank restoration project at Peró Beach with the support of the Blue Flag Peró site managers. The Blue Flag Programme and the Instituto Ambientes em Rede (IAR) have always encouraged Blue Flag-awarded sites to work in cooperation with local institutions to promote the preservation of areas surrounding awarded sites. This story from Peró Beach highlights the opportunities to engage local communities with environmental conservation and education by bringing together undergraduate students, professors, biologists, and technicians from Veiga de Almeida University (UVA) as well as public authorities.

Students surveying the study area.

The project began with a comprehensive survey of the study area guided by a biologist. Soil samples were collected and analysed for moisture content, organic matter content, FE³+ ion content, pH, and potassium and phosphate levels. Based on the findings, the team divided the study area into three distinct quadrants:

·       Quadrant 1 received a combination of sewage plant sludge (solid material remaining after the wastewater treatment process, typically consisting of organic and inorganic matter), landfill, and plant litter;

·       Quadrant 2 was treated with silt from a sewage plant, cake, and plant litter;

·       Quadrant 3 served as the control group and received only a single layer of landfill.

The landfill and plant litter (e.g., dry leaves) used in the experiment were sourced from the surrounding area.

Division of the study area into three quadrants.

Dry leaves to retain soil moisture.

In the initial phase of the study, legumes such as Phaseolus vulgaris (black beans) and Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea) were sown to facilitate nitrogen fixation. In the subsequent phase, native fruit-bearing plants like Myrciaria guaquiea (Guaquica) and Eugenia uniflora (pitanga) were planted to attract arthropods and birds, thereby enhancing the local food chain. Native plants were chosen for their symbiotic relationships with local fauna, as they produce fruits and seeds that are highly attractive to wildlife.

Regular monitoring was conducted, with the students measuring bean sprout monthly growth and weekly visits to the study area to document plant development through photographic records. Despite meticulous planning and execution, unforeseen challenges emerged during the project. An anthill encroached upon Quadrant 2, but the students successfully mitigated it using coffee grounds. However, the final setback was posed by domestic cattle, which, due to the inability to build a protective fence, freely entered the quadrants. These cattle consumed the newly developed leaves of the sprouts and trampled the ground, ultimately forcing the research to conclude in November 2021.

Soil samples laboratory analyses from the three distinct quadrants.

Overall, the project showcased the possibility of restoring degraded areas by stimulating biogeochemical processes without relying on chemical fertilizers. The addition of silt and sludge improved soil quality, particularly in Quadrants 1 and 2, where potassium and phosphate levels increased. The presence of arthropods attracted birds, further enhancing ecosystem processes. Additionally, the presence of dry leaves helped retain soil moisture and shield it from intense sunlight.

Despite its challenges, this project not only offers insights into a cost-effective approach to sludge management but also holds the promise of a method for restoring degraded sandbank vegetation areas. Moreover, involving students, provides an educational opportunity for the next generation of nature restorers, fostering students’ scientific and environmental observation skills.

Instituto Ambientes em Rede (IAR), acts as a FEE Member Organisation in Brazilfor the implementation of the Blue Flag programme, and of other FEE programmes, such as Green Key, Eco-Schools, Learning About Forests, and Young Reporters for the Environment.

To explore IAR's extensive work with conserving natural ecosystems and promoting socio-cultural development through environmental citizenship visit its site here.

For more information about the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and opportunities for involvement, please visit the following link.

This article is part of our UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration series, which highlights the projects and activities of FEE members that contribute to the UN Decade.