Traditional Communities at Risk: Land Speculation and Touristification in Colônia Z-13 (Copacabana Beach - City of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) and in Paraty Mirim (City of Paraty, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil)

This text focuses on two artisanal fishing communities located in different municipalities of the state of Rio de Janeiro: the Z-13 Colony, located on Copacabana Beach (City of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil), and the coastal community of Paraty Mirim, a district in the municipality of Paraty (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil). The Z-13 Colony, officially founded on June 29, 1923, is located at the last stretch of sand before Forte de Copacabana and is home to fishermen, who are mostly migrants from various regions. Due to its geographically concentrated structure, this location has also become an area frequented by other individuals, such as athletes, street vendors, and tourists. Paraty Mirim is a coastal village located about 18 kilometers from the urban center of Paraty (RJ). Its territory includes the ruins of the Archaeological Complex of the former Paraty Mirim Plantation, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (1731), and is part of the Cairuçu Environmental Protection Area (APA). Although there are numerous studies focused on both areas, there are few publications concerned with understanding how the process of tourism development has transformed the lives of the two traditional communities studied. Using Oral History methodology, the aim of this research is to analyze how public authorities, at the municipal, state, and federal levels have acted contrary to the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable populations. One of the findings of this comparative study is the observation that the territorial disputes in those areas generally resulted in the expulsion of the most vulnerable populations and their displacement from the coast.