The most visited destinations by people interested in ecotourism in Brazil are Foz do Iguaçu, in Paraná; Rio de Janeiro and Angra dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro; the city of São Paulo; and Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina. According to the Ministry of Tourism, among foreign tourists, 18.6% arrive in the country motivated by nature or adventure destinations. Constantly growing in Brazil, this type of tourism was the reason for 25.6% of leisure trips in 2021. The percentage represented an increase compared to the previous year, when it reached 20.5%. The ministry informed that more than 45 projects related to ecotourism and adventure tourism with private investment are included in its Investment Portal. “Digital portfolio of projects in the tourism sector and a marketplace, which brings together investors, entrepreneurs and the Public Power”, he said in response to Agência Brasil, adding that in the state of Rio there are four projects registered on the platform. Regua In the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, in the metropolitan region of Rio, the project that maintains the Ecological Reserve of Guapiaçu (Regua), a private area, has made progress. In 20 years, it ceased to be a pasture area. In addition to protecting the Atlantic Forest and the sources of the Guapiaçu River, which belongs to the watershed that flows into Guanabara Bay, it invests in forest restoration, with more than 430 hectares recovered. Macacu Waterfalls (RJ), 03/28/2023 – Alagados Trail, in the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA), Macacu Waterfalls, Mountain Region of Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasill – Tania Rego/Agência Brasil The president of Regua, the Englishman Nicholas Locke, said that it is exciting to see the project develop. “It is very emotional to be able to watch his work mature and form the reserve that is there today. It is incredible and very rewarding to see the reaction of people who are now concerned about the environment and come to Cachoeiras de Macacu to see this area after 20 years of work. It is very important to be able to show a 20 year old tree and see how it has grown. This inspires the new generation to follow and continue with this work,” he said. The origin of Regua is the Carmo farm, which was bought by the also Englishman Hilmar Werner, great-grandfather of Nicholas Locke, in 1907, and became a state reference in innovative agricultural production, commercialization of noble woods and production of artisanal cachaça. The farm was also the destination of people who, after leaving the slavery regime, sought sustenance throughout the state. It was there that they found work and shelter. Support Cachoeiras de Macacu (RJ), 03/28/2023 – Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) sighted on the Alagados Trail, in the Guapiaçu Ecological Reserve (REGUA), Cachoeiras de Macacu, Mountain Region of Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasill – Tania Rego/Agência Brasil For Nicholas Locke, people’s receptivity to the project is fantastic, and Regua represents a better future for the state. “It’s another force to fight, to keep expanding the reserve. All we are doing is creating a large green belt area for the future of Rio de Janeiro, which lacks an area that can reflect the splendor, the magic of the Atlantic Forest. We found the possibility to do that. We were receptive both at the State Institute for the Environment (Inea) and friends from the City Hall of Cachoeiras [de Macacu], the people who visit us and the researchers . The sum of this strength is what energizes us to continue expanding and consolidating”, he said. Returning animals Regua’s work includes restoring degraded habitats and patrolling park rangers to prevent hunting and predatory exploitation of natural resources. The result has already been noticed with the reintroduction of animals in the area, such as the southeastern curassow, the jacutinga and the tapir. In the wetlands, capybaras and alligators can be seen. All of this takes place with the support of research institutions and environmental education actions with neighboring communities. “Winston Churchill said that for us to know a little about our future, we have to know our past. This project, in a way, is a rescue of the past, of valuing the environmental legacy. This sums up all efforts to leave something for future generations, our children, grandchildren, to preserve a large-scale area that can be the mother house of all the biodiversity that exists here. It is one of the richest places in the world, with only native vegetation”, said Nicholas. The national coordinator of the Caminho da Mata Atlântica Governance Commission and consultant for the Caminho do Recôncavo in the Viva Água Movement, Chicão Schnoor, recalled that the reserve has a reforested hill that is part of the Caminho da Mata Atlântica project, of 270 hectares, in several points from Serra do Mar, and to strengthen local production chains, it buys seedlings from nurseries only in Rio. “We made a point, in this project, of more than 60% [das mudas] they are species dispersed by animals, bringing the fauna back to its place and trees that were not so present in the forest”, he said, revealing that more than 85 species were replanted in the place. Mauá (RJ), 03/30/2023 – Chico Schnoor, national coordinator of the Atlantic Forest Path governance commission. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil – Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil To maintain the project, one of Regua’s sources of income is part of the inn’s revenue, installed inside the site and which is sought after by visitors interested in the environment and birdwatchers of the whole world. El Nagual In the district of Santo Aleixo, in Magé, in the metropolitan region of Rio, another project, also created by foreigners, aims to preserve the forests, waterfalls and rivers of the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, where it borders. The El Nagual Ecovillage arose from the desire of the couple formed by the German Erhard, who came to be called Eraldo, and the Argentine Mariana. The two met in France and decided they wanted to live in a quiet place in Brazil. After much searching, they found the place where they decided to start the project that, in addition to preserving the region, taught environmental education, prepared healthy food and promoted trails in Parnaso. “Our life has always been about learning and doing. I graduated in cooking, I studied hospitality. My dream now is to prepare the ground to take a step forward and let younger people take care of my dream or dream along with me”, he told Agência Brasil. Eraldo said that the first time he came to the country was in 1986, when he met a Swiss couple who had a guest house in Bahia. There he began to see that he wanted a different life, without appreciating consumerism. “Since then, each year I’ve only worked to come back and be able to stay [aqui no Brasil] living my dream”, he revealed. According to Eraldo, currently, the inn that is part of El Nagual only works to receive groups of visitors. The decision was made to value the quality of the couple’s time and organize work to serve customers. “We need to save time, and how? So, we only serve groups. There, two groups per month pay the costs. We don’t have big financial ambitions to drive a brand new car, things like that. I am 60 and Mariana is 55, we no longer have the same agility as at 30”, he said. Among the Brazilian projects, in Guapimirim there is the Refúgio Caminho das Montanhas, a hostel that welcomes tourists and people interested in hiking in the Iconha Canyon. The owner of the hostel, Renato Bellizzi, who guides the walks, admitted that accessibility is not the easiest, but considers that as the path passes through wonderful stretches, the visitor can find a way to solve the situation. “On the way, you have to go through water catchment channels. There is no way around [essa passagem]. On days with clearer skies, the water temperature in the rivers is more pleasant,” she said. Guapimirim (RJ), 03/28/2023 – Sloth hanging from a tree branch on the trail to Iconha Canyon, Guapimirim, Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro. Photo: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasill – Tania Rego/Agência Brasil Renato recommended a specific type of footwear. “The best thing is to go with closed shoes. There are three river crossings. When you reach the other side, on the other bank, you’ll walk through stretches that can hurt. There are people who go in slippers. I do not recommend it because it can have thorns, loose stones. Take off your shoes only when crossing the river, ”he suggested. The reporter and photographer from Agência Brasil traveled in a group invited by Fundação Boticário.
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