Local perception about the applicability of Community Based Ecotourism at RESEX Corumbau (BA, Brazil)

Abstract

The Corumbau Extractive Reserve was created in the year 2000, is located in the extreme southern region of the state of Bahia (Brazil)and is considered an area of ​​extreme importance for the conservation environmental due to its proximity to greater marine biodiversity of the South Atlantic. The insertion of tourism, which occurs in the region since the 1970s, caused the replacement of traditional activities, such as artisanal fishing and subsistence agriculture. An alternative that is envisioned for the Region and implementation of Community Based Tourism (CBT). In the present study, 3 CBT workshops were held in Cumuruxatiba, Corumbau and Bujigão-Caraíva, each with 3 distinct moments, in which were collected of the participants the main cultural and environmental themes , participatively reported, which allowed us to identify what the community has to offer as attractions, their relevance and differentials. Using the content analysis methodology, it was possible to observe and group the 7 main categories of community perception: a) impacts on tourism on the natural heritage, with improper extraction of resources from protected areas; b) land problems and dispute over territory; c) “invasion” of entrepreneurs and visitors from outside the communities; d) disunity of residents and individualism in labor relations with tourism. e) maintenance of local cultures, with strong roots and desire to rescue and maintain ancestral ways of life and culture; f) weakness in formal institutional arrangements; and g) potentiality of partnerships with other segments. Finally, the exploratory survey revealed the most relevant attractions of Extractive Reserve from the point of view of communitarians.