CONSCIENTIOUS BEHAVIOR AND TECHNIQUES OF MINIMUM IMPACT IN STATE PARK PEDRA DA BOCA (PB)”

Abstract

The search for leisure, recreational and outdoor activities in protected areas has caused worries on their managers about the consequences and also the impacts on these visited areas. From that reality, many studies and researches has grown up in order to create sources which could make the management in those areas more efficient and also there are specific programs which guides the visitors behavior. Among these programs, highlights the Leave No Trace National Program, known as the minimum impact practice and techniques. This program caused a start up to many other articles, documents and statements, such as “Princípios de conduta consciente em Ambientes Naturais” from the Brazilian Environmental Secretary. Today, it is believed that the monitoring focus of the visiting impact at the protected areas is on visitors´ behavior and not only at the law. Considering that Pedra da Boca State Park is a protected area which allows visitation and public use, however, so far has not got a management plan, this research looked for to analyze the visitors behavior, characterizing the visitation at the Park in a way to generate data which could be use to the elaboration of that plan. The methodology used was bibliographical researches, field studies through eighty interviews and also by the participating observation in two hiking groups visiting the Pedra da Boca State Park. Considering the collected data it was observed that, although without having a program of education for minimum impact in the PEPB, part of the visitors has attitudes and the behaviors that are in accordance with some principles of conscientious behavior, mainly most basic and already sufficiently spread out in visits to natural environments, the example of it “brings its garbage in return”. However, one evidenced that the information lack is one of the factors that greaten the impact of the visitation in the PEPB. Key words: Protected Areas. Visitation. Natural Lands. Environmental Impacts. Leave No Trace. Minimum Impact Techniques.