The sandbanks occur in Pará in a coastal strip of approximately 300 km in length, comprising the salt marsh physiographic zone. They constitute environments with various plant formations, with a floristic richness registered in more than 300 species, mainly herbaceous, shrubs and small trees. Studies involving open bush formations in restinga environments are quite restricted. Besides Pará, there is reference only to the southeast of the country, in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. The present study aims at the floristic, structural and phytosociological characterization of restinga thickets in a time scale of seven years. We used a methodology that has been adopted in this type of vegetation formation, aiming to standardize current vegetation investigations in which the mita is considered the sampling unit itself. During the investigations, a floristic increase of two to four species was observed on the smaller size classes of bushes, mainly species of Ouratea racemiformis Ule and Pagamea guianensis Aubl. Clusia grandiflora Splitg., Chrysobalanus icaco L. and Humiria balsamifera St. Hill. continue to occur in all developmental stages. Another observation is that some thickets were partially destroyed by the action of fire (natural or induced), with a natural regeneration of new species favored by the ability to regrow. With this we can observe the fragility of this ecosystem, thus reinforcing the need for botanical studies and preservation programs for our coastal areas.
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