EVALUATION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM ON THE BURACÃO WATERFALL TRAIL IN CHAPADA DIAMANTINA - BAHIA/BRASIL

Abstract:

Protected Areas, notably Natural Parks, have become a preferred setting for the practice of ecotourism in Brazil, having received, in 2019 alone, a flow of more than 15 million visitors (ICMbio, 2020). This this type of tourism, which by definition, seeks to promote the conservation of natural resources, needs to be planned with a view to minimizing the possible impacts that it can cause. This work aimed to evaluate the impacts caused by visitation to a trail that is of one of the best known attractions of Chapada Diamantina; the Buracão Waterfall trail, located in the Espalhado Natural Park (Ibicoara - Bahia). The Visitor Impact Management (VIM) methodology was used, through an adaptation of the Manual for the Monitoring and Management of Impacts of Visitation to Conservation Units” (Manual de Monitoramento e Gestão dos Impactos da Visitação em Unidades de Conservação) elaborated by the Secretary of Environment of the State of São Paulo and the WWF-Brasil. As a result, the main impacts identified were damage to the vegetation, due to a lack of planning of the course of the trail. Corrective measures are suggested to help to remedy these impacts.

Keywords:
assessment of the impacts of visitation; trail management; Espalhado Municipal Natural Park