Environmental Perceptions from residents of the surroundings of a Protected Area: tool for Critical Environmental Education

Abstract

The studies on the environmental perception of residents from Protected Areas (PAs) or its surroundings, can bring subsidies in the comprehension of how people perceive the place where they live or engage with, as well as, of issues related to nature conservancy. The aim for this paper was to investigate the environmental perceptions from students and teachers, residents of the surroundings of a PA, around climate change, the conservation of biodiversity and the threats faced by fauna and flora. It was an exploratory research, of qualitative nature, of the participant observation kind. To conduct the study, various activities were realized, such as talks, interpretive trail and dynamics. The data collection happened by the application of structured surveys and field diary, later submitted to Content Analysis. As a result, this research highlights the relevance of the interpretive trail in the development of awareness and connection with nature, ratified from the enthusiasm and interest of the participants for the chosen themes. It was also verified that the participants have comprehension and perception about the environmental issues worked upon. However, this comprehension still presents itself as superficial, emphasizing the need for the development of educational actions elaborated from the population’s reality.  The research done on environmental perception can bring subsidies for the PA’s management, in the development of actions which involve communities in the decision processes and in the conservation of biodiversity.