INTRODUCTION

      Guaraqueçaba City is a special region over the world environment conservation viewpoint. Its territory has important biological and cultural diversity aspects, justified by having the biggest continuous part of the Atlantic Forest and many threatened of extinction species.

      It's internationally included in the new created Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, which nationally reaches the APA (Environment Protection Area) of Guaraqueçaba, permitting private proprieties and controlled use of natural resources.

      The total area is superior to 300,000 ha, included important extensions of estuary, islands, mangrove swamps and costal plains. According to FNS (National Health Foundation), 1990, there are about 7,500 habitants in all city area. About 4,000 of them live scattered in the margins of estuary and on the islands, including the city seat, that's to say, 53% of the people have in the fishing activity their main yield font.

      The principal problems in the region are:

Disordered extracting of natural resources like the palm tree, noble woods and fishing resources;

Inadequate use of a great part of the soil;

Big undertakings like buffalo raises;

Touristy activities not well structured;

Property speculation.

      Having on mind the problem of environment conservancy and the improvement of life quality that appears, as a new proposal, a work taking into account the social, cultural and of organization characteristics of this region.

      The research of this work occurred in a locality named Ilha Rasa (Shallow Island) that's is located inside the estuary, in the area between Enseada do Itaqui (Itaqui's Bay), Enseada do Benito (Benito's Bay) and Enseada do Saquinho (Little Sack's Bay). This locality has about 500 habitants distributed in 3 different communities: Ilha Rasa (the same name of the island), Almeida and Ponta do Lanço (End of Lance). These communities are different not only in economic aspects, but also in cultural aspects.

      The churches have an important influence over the daily live of communities, even reaching to generate internal conflicts making difficult the social work in the place.