Monitoramento do impacto da visitação em unidades de conservação através da utilização de trilhas ecológicas

Abstract

The constant human action on the coastal environment has mischaracterized the area, endangering the survival of many species. Nowadays, protected areas in the form of conservation units are an effective tool for biodiversity conservation. Another effort in the pursuit of preservation is the use of environmental education as a basic instrument for awareness. The city of Torres has a national conservation area, a state conservation area, and a municipal park called Parque da Guarita. But it is not enough just to have a system of comprehensive conservation areas if there is no concerning to conciliate nature conservation and public use of these areas. To ensure that the public use of the unit does not compromise the natural communities, proper planning, monitoring and activities concerning environmental awareness are essencial. The use of interpretative trails can be used to work in environmental awareness and ensure visitors allies in the quest to preserve. The main objective of this project is to contribute to the revitalization of Parque da Guarita by evaluating and monitoring the conditions of the eight tracks of environmental interpretation. It was found that the Paredão track, which has easy access and use, present significant impacts of overuse so far. Thus, the conditions found for each indicator found on the trail will be used as a parameter of environmental conditions, and the track will be used to control the impact of visitation. So, it will be possible to check the effectiveness of awareness programs used by the park.