ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF SAHY-RUBIÃOTRAIL IN THE CUNHAMBEBE STATE PARK, MUNICIPALITY OF MANGARATIBA (RJ) BY A RAPID ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL

Abstract

doi: 10.12957/geouerj.2017.23655

The creation of protected areas, aiming at protecting the natural and biological resources, becomes increasingly frequent. Many of these protected areas are located in areas of difficult access and have many natural attractions. Thus, when there is no adequate planning and handling, the use of trails in these areas can become a tensile force. This research aims to analyze and adapt to use an incipient trail in Cunhambebe State Park, in order to plan measures that enable its consolidation and conservation of protected areas. The chosen track allows the crossing between Sahy Valley and Rubião, located in the municipality of Mangaratiba (RJ); it has great tourist appeal due to the high concentration of areas for bathing, as well as waterfalls and areas to view contemplation. For the research, an adjustment was made for mountain tracks (TM) for the Rapid Assessment Protocol (RAP) for rivers. Parameters were established for measuring the degree of track degradation, considering aspects such as bed characteristics, conservation of vegetation, presence of garbage, degradations, erosional features, among other aspects that may influence the quality of the environment and the user experience. In addition, it elaborated an elevation profile according to the degree of difficulty of the trail. The PAR-TM analysis revealed that the ninth section has the greatest impact and it is considered bad, since the other portions were defined as regular. It concludes that the disorderly use of the track can damage tourism and the conservation of the Park.