Planejamento de uso e gestão de trilha ecológica na cachoeira do Paraíso - Parque Estadual do Itinguçu (SP)

Abstract

The Paraíso Waterfall is situated in the Itinguçu State Park (PEIt), which is part of the mosaic of protected areas of Juréia-Itatins (Iguape, SP, Brazil). This waterfall receives intense visitation, especially during the summer months; thus, there is an urgent need for planning the public use, aiming to discipline the tourist activity. The present work consisted in evaluating the conditions of the trail that gives access to the waterfall, and proposing several actions and modifications for managing the visitation in this area. The approach consisted in three steps, which comprised 1) the assessment of local environmental aspects and visitation, as well as the local and regional contextualization and possibilities for inserting the local community into the tourist activities; 2) use planning of the trail, considering the socio-economic goals and taking into account the legal, technical, ecological, social, economic, scientific and educational aspects, among others; and 3) environmental aspects for permanent monitoring. The results showed that the trail needs physical improvements, implementation of educative and informative signaling and structures for the visitors’ well-being and comfort. Also, it is necessary to include the local community in the trail management, and to achieve that environmental education and formation programs should be conducted. Actions related to the visiting control are also required, including the establishment of fees, the presence of local guides, the establishment of a maximum number of visitors, among others. Regarding to the trail monitoring, several physical, biological and social aspects were identified. We conclude that the improvement of the trail and the establishment of a management program may constitute an opportunity to harmonize the PEIt social and ecological functions, in order to allow the biodiversity conservation and also the sharing of the benefits and responsibilities with the local communities.