Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Environmental impacts of tourism on the fluvial systems.

2010; Volume: 19; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

1851-1732

Valdecir Galvão, José Cândido Stevaux,

Cruise Tourism Development and Management

The study area is located on the border of South Matogrosso and Parana, in the municipalities of Puerto Rico and Sao Pedro do Parana (District Porto Sao Jose) in Parana and Taquarussu in South Matogrosso. With the relatively recent implementation of the Project Costa Rica, it is believed that tourism is further intensifying and jeopardizes whole ecosystems of the alluvial plain. This work raised and analyzed economic data and physical aspects of local tourism and assessed the risk to the environment. Using geomorphic and biological characteristics, the sub-environments were classified according to its intrinsic characteristics (weakness) and tourist use of their characteristics (type of activity and intensity). Finally this parameter was confronted with the frequency, providing the risk that the sub-environment is subject to. It was found that the situation of different sub-environments is quite different, and revealed low-average risk (4.5) to high (10.5) on a scale 1-12. Through a still scarcely used perspective in Brazil to study the impact of tourism, this research now suggests its applicability in studies of calculation of load capacity and management projects.