RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Ecotourism is Brazil’s bet to promote development aligned to environmental preservation. The subject was debated this Wednesday afternoon (3) at the United Nations Confederation on Climate Change (COP26), held in Glasgow, Scotland.
According to the Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado, before the arrival of Covid-19, the search for ecotourism corresponded to 10% of the searches on the internet. Now, this percentage has risen to 54%.
“Tourism, for the simple fact that it is known worldwide as the industry without a chimney, is the green job, yes. It is the vocation of the Amazon, it is the vocation of the Pantanal, it is the vocation of our Brazilian Amazon through nautical tourism. And we have conducted a major reform throughout the country to generate employment and development,” said Gilson Machado.
“Tourism has a vital role, tourism will be able to absorb a very high volume of relevant labor in the country,” added the Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite.
The model adopted by the federal government to promote ecotourism is the concession of national parks to the private sector. Of the 334 conservation units in Brazil, 20 have already been included in the concession program.
The new model is focused on bringing more visitors to the national parks and environmental education and awareness. The concessionaire will be responsible for the revitalization, modernization, operation, and maintenance of the parks and support services for tourists, including food, parking, and security. The company is also responsible for protection actions, such as hiring fire brigades.
“It is a win-win situation. The environment wins, first of all, which is our major focus, local populations win, with jobs, income, development, green jobs, and so does Brazil and the world, which has access to these incredible natural beauties that we have in Brazil,” said the Secretary of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment, André Germanos.
The first parks granted under the new concession model were the Aparados da Serra and the Serra Geral, between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Investments in the units should reach R$260 million, and before the concession contract was signed, more than 100 people from the local community were hired to work in the parks.