Birdwatching tourism in Corumbá, south pantanal (Brazil): interface with culture and Environmental Education

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate how Environmental Education actions aimed at perception, environmental awareness and the promotion of the culture of birdwatching in the city of Corumbá-MS, can subsidise the birdwatching tourism. The work was carried out in 4 stages distinct but interconnected: 1) review of the mapping of birdwatching hotspots in urban and peri-urban areas; 2) training of birdwatching guides; 3) elaboration of the catalogue and illustrative boards of the most representative birds of the city of Corumbá; 4) Educational campaign for the election of the symbol-bird of the municipality. As a result, nine birdwatching hotspots were identified; the training of 13 bird watching guides; the printing and distribution of the illustrative bird catalogue and the production of four boards with the most representative bird species in the city. The choice of the symbol-bird resulted in three species with the most votes, namely: Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), Green-cheeked Parakeet (Pyrrhura molinae) and Red-and-green Macaw (Ara chloropterus). Birdwatching as a cultural practice not only becomes an educational tool, but also helps in understanding the culture and social relations that move society and of which tourism is an important and real element. Thus, the experiences of birdwatching allow the apprehension and appropriation of this cultural practice by the community and can be multiplied in countless benefits, constituting a fundamental step for the success of birdwatching tourism and ecotourism.