A percepção ambiental dos frequentadores do Parque Natural Municipal de Nova Iguaçu, estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Parks an important role when it comes to biodiversity conservation. However, they are inserted in a social context, that is, they have an interrelationship with the surrounding people, which may somehow imply the conservation of biodiversity, which will depend on how people perceive the environment in which they are located, that is, is, your environmental perception. In order to delve deeper into the issue, this study aimed to record the environmental perception of visitors to the Nova Iguaçu Municipal Natural Park (PNMNI), an integral protection UC located in the Metropolitan Region of the State of Rio de Janeiro. We collected data through Google forms, to identify the profile of the visitors and proposed carrying out an activity on an interpretative trail for the people, who participated in the first phase of the study, in the form of a guided tour. And, as an intervention strategy for this problem, interpretive trails were created, which presented themselves as a method for changing the perception of parkgoers on the part of visitors. The results, in relation to visitor profile analysis, highlighted an audience that was mostly female, young, adults and with incomplete higher education. Among this public, the majority declared themselves as residents of Baixada Fluminense who gained knowledge of the Park through recommendations from friends and indicated that those who visited the place were looking for leisure. These and other results indicated that the public values the UC based on their personal interests in leisure services, which are not necessarily related to the Park's main objectives, such as nature conservation. Furthermore, the interpretative trail proved to be a useful tool for PNMNI visitors to understand most of the UC concepts, the characteristics of the park and the possible environmental impacts generated by visiting the site.