“We have to slay a lion every day”: Save Boipeba

Abstract

This paper is part of the studies carried out by the Research Group on Infrastructure and Socio-Territorial Conflicts (GIICSO, Argentina). It was inspired by the XV MERCOSUR Anthropology Meeting, held at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA, Salvador) in August 2025, where we heard about the threat facing traditional communities on the island of Boipeba. In order to deepen our understanding of the issue, on August 21, 2025, on Tassimirím beach, we interviewed Benedito da Paixão Santos -Bio-, representative of the Quilombola Association. During our conversation, Bio discussed the potential socio-territorial and environmental implications of the “Mangaba Cultivo de Coco” real estate tourism project for the archipelago's tangible and intangible heritage. In addition, from the perspective of the organizations grouped together in the “Salve Boipeba” Coalition, he affirmed the need to develop community-based tourism in the region. This interview focuses on both of these issues.