New restrictions placed on one of the world's most famous coastlines have changed life for Brazil's beachgoers but may help protect the future of the beaches themselves.
At the start of July, new rules went into effect for the famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro, The New York Times reported. The regulations have the biggest impact on vendors, who commonly hawk almost anything you can think of up and down the city's 30 iconic miles of coastline.
All vendors must now have a license, and they can no longer bring food preparation supplies, such as gas canisters and plastic foam coolers, onto the beach.
"No matter what we do, there will continue to be organized chaos," Vice Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere told the Times. "That's the identity and the beauty of Rio de Janeiro's beaches. But we need to have a minimum of rules."
Many vendors are unhappy with the new restrictions, saying they will negatively impact their livelihoods, but the changes could result in considerably less pollution, which is sorely needed along the coastline.
Research from earlier this year found that one kilogram of sand from a Brazilian beach contains an average of 650 microplastic particles, which are likely to end up in the water and be ingested by marine life. That microplastic pollution extends to the country's most protected waters, as an analysis of 10 Marine Protected Areas in Brazil found microplastics in each one.
The colorful stalls that line the beach, selling drinks and coconuts and renting chairs, also face massive changes. Their distinctive flags are gone and have been replaced with black-and-white signs that use the same font and size.
Residents complain that these changes remove the beaches' fun, colorful identity. But Mayor Eduardo Paes said they were necessary to end the "visual pollution" that turned the city's "greatest asset and greatest landscape into a real mess."
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