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Educational trail in the Floresta Nacional de Açu: Legumes as a tool for Environmental Education and training of parataxonomists

ABSTRACT

Ecological trails are proposed to assist in environmental education programs, especially in reserves promoting a dynamic education and interaction with nature. The Floresta Nacional de Açu is a reserve of Caatinga dry forest, located in Açu, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Here we aimed to develop an environmental education trail for visitors, seed collectors, parataxonomists and researchers. Adult tree individuals were marked with numbered aluminum tags, identified and georeferenced. Thirteen species of the Leguminosae were identified and 34 individuals were tagged, in addition to 58 individuals belonging to 13 different families. Three trails were defined: (1) Trail of Legumes; (2) Catingueira-cinzenta Trail; and (3) immersion trail in the Caatinga. These trails were tested by the authors and visitors between july 23-24, 2022. We conclude that the trails become an important tool to provide the protection of these environments and to increase perception of the local species.

Keywords:
awareness disparity; Caatinga dry forest; Fabaceae; Flona de Açu

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