Birdwatching as a proposal to enhance the ecotourism space of Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Rio de Janeiro (RJ, Brazil)

Abstract

As a citizen science experiment, this article proposes the creation of a project involving the participation of birdwatchers in the survey, monitoring and preservation of the species that make up the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon birds community. Regulated as a Permanent Protection Area in 2008, Lagoon and its surrounding space is considered one of the main tourist spots in the city of Rio de Janeiro.  Birdwatching is an activity that has been growing recently in several countries and has been the main foundation of citizen science. For the last survey presented here, the Lagoon has a total of 39 species of birds belonging to 23 families. Of this total, 10 are aquatic and 29 are terrestrial. The purpose of the article is to develop a private project for the preservation of the birds of the Lagoon based on the collaboration of bird watchers, who will actively participate in the survey, monitoring and dissemination of information. The first stage of the project will be to update the list of birds indicating the seasonal presence of the species as shown in this work. The subsequent steps involve the description of habits and behaviours of the specimens, marking points for the best sighting of the individuals and the periodic disclosure of the situation of the group of birds in the place. The collected data may be deposited on digital platforms such as Wiki Aves and Táxeus. Citizen science has contributed intensively to the expansion of scientific knowledge, allowing the active participation of citizens in scientific activities, generating experience, understanding and new knowledge for both science and the participating citizen.