The Costa Catarina Territorial Development Association (ADTC) was set up in 2013 by fishermen, farmers, artisans, technicians, and community and business leaders, with the aim of strengthening the Cultural and Community Based Tourism (CBT), enhancing and promoting the traditional identity and products of the local communities of Imbituba, Garopaba and Paulo Lopes, which are part of the Costa Catarina territory. The work is carried out mainly through cultural routes for tourists and locals, with visits to Quilombola communities; organic family farming gardens; flour, brown sugar and molasses mills; cachaça distilleries; artisanal fishing farms; prehistoric stone tool workshops, traditional handicrafts and other attractions.
With the recognition of territorial identities and the formation of the association, it was possible to further strengthen the masters who are the guardians of an intangible heritage that goes back generations. These local crafts have been learned from their parents and grandparents and are part of their cultural and generational heritage, an example of intangible heritage that includes knowledge and practices passed down orally and through experience.
Recognising this type of intangible heritage contributes to the preservation of cultural and ecological traditions, helping to build local identity, as well as fostering environmental awareness and sustainability, issues that are essential today.
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