Ecotourism and Environmental Education on guided trails in Vale do Capão (BA, Brazil)

Abstract

The article aims to discuss ecotourism, in the relationship between tourists and guides, on the ecological trails made in one of the main tourist destinations in Brazil, the Chapada Diamantina National Park (PNCD), through a training that had the purpose of contributing to the promotion of a perspective of environmental education in ecotourism activities carried out by the Association of Visitor Guides of Vale do Capão (ACV-VC), located in the Caeté-Açu district, in Palmeiras / BA.  It is a Participatory Action Investigation (PAI) resulting from part of a research, at the master's level, which consisted of three stages: 1. application of a structured questionnaire, in which the objective was to collect information about the guides’ knowledge on ecotourism, environmental education and their conduct on the trails; 2. conducting a training course, through the presentation of ecotourism concepts, as well as its application from an Environmental Education (EE) perspective; 3. Application of the structured questionnaire, again, as a way to identify if there were changes in the guides’ perception, before and after the training course.  The survey was attended by 11 conductors/guides registered through the Sistema Integrado de Gestão de Atividades Acadêmicas (SIGAA), in a joint action that brought together a scientific master's research and an extension project, only 9 conductors/guides completed the course.  At the end of the research, it is concluded that, although Vale do Capão is one of the most sought after destinations as an ecotourism option, there is no clarity about the concepts of ecotourism, on the part of conductors/guides on ecological trails, which makes it difficult to carry out the purposes of ecotourism. After the course, there was a change in the perception of conductors/guides, who began to understand the concept of ecotourism in the different dimensions: Education/Awareness and Environmental Conservation, which concludes the importance of carrying out continuous training in these spaces.