The contribution of friends groups in partnerships for ecotourism in protected areas

• Autor(a) principal: Itacaramby, Julio Cesar Spindola
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Cunha, André de Almeida, Franco, José Luiz de Andrade
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Ecoturismo
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.unifesp.br/index.php/ecoturismo/article/view/15159
• topic: Ética ambiental; Ecocentrismo; Parcerias; Áreas Protegidas; Environmental Ethics; Ecocentrism; Partnerships; Protected Areas

The present study is a reflection on the potential relationships of friends groups with the principles of ecotourism related to an ecocentric environmental ethics, and the improvement of governance in protected areas. The research was based on studies on ecotourism, environmental ethics, the performance of friends groups in other countries and a survey of existing friends groups in Brazil. The origins of ecotourism are related to a quest to reconcile the demand for tourism in natural areas with philosophical and ethical principles of nature conservation. Among the various proposed principles, there is a consensus that the practice of ecotourism should stimulate environmental awareness and make a direct contribution to nature conservation. A reflection on these principles within the scope of environmental ethics can bring us an understanding that they are principles more aligned with the ecocentric field of the spectrum of environmental ethics. This article brings some cases and reflections on the performance of friends groups in other countries and the main national examples. From the theoretical framework and these reflections, it is concluded that there is great potential for friends groups to contribute to reinforcing the stimulation of environmental awareness and to bring direct contributions to nature conservation. Also noteworthy is their potential to contribute to improving the governance of protected areas. In addition, the friends groups modality, already consolidated in several countries, and still incipient in Brazil, presents a promising potential for contributing to the management and conservation of national protected areas from a more ecocentric premise, which could be promoted and duly investigated by future studies.