Characterization of the socio-environmental profile of visitors to the Serra da Fumaça in Pindobaçu (BA, Brazil)

Abstract

Serra da Fumaça is located in the municipality of Pindobaçu, which belongs to the complex of Serras da Jacobina, in the region of Piemonte Norte do Itapicuru, in the state of Bahia (Brazil). This region is extremely important for environmental conservation due to the relevant physiognomic diversity. The growing number of people who are looking for Serra da Fumaça in the last years is a worrying factor because the majority of people does not show any concern for the preservation of the environment. This study had as general objective to elaborate the socio-environmental profile of the visitors of Serra da Fumaça with the aim of contributing to the planning of ecotourism and environmental conservation actions.  To carry out the research, the most varied aspects of the municipality of Pindobaçu and Serra da Fumaça were surveyed, enabling the theoretical basis of the work. In the survey, 50 semi-structured questionnaires were applied in loco and it was divided in two field steps during the periods of September/2019 and March/202. According to the results, it was observed that the profile of the visitors of Serra da Fumaça is made up mostly of males, aged between 18 and 31 years, residents mostly in cities of Território do Piemonte Norte, with emphasis on students. The majority of visitors, visit the region for the first time and stay on average 48 hours or more, motivated by the practice of leisure activities such as contemplation of nature and the realization of trails. However, even though it is possible to characterize the profile of the visitors of Serra da Fumaça, some continuous data collection is necessary because they are essential to help managers to understand visitors' behavior and thus improve measures that will minimize the environmental impacts caused by visitation. There is also the need for supervision, monitoring and elaboration of environmental education projects, involving the community, visitors and public authorities with the aim of providing its use in a sustainable way.