The Importance of Regional Trails for the Viability of the Brazilian Long Trails Network

Abstract

Accelerated urbanization has stimulated tourism in natural areas and the search for a reconnection between man and nature. In that context, this article narrates the implementation of the Brazilian Trails System (RBT) based on the monitoring of the Regional Trail Caminho das Araucárias activities and the analysis of official documents and data available in social media. We evaluated the RBT’s potential to contribute to environmental conservation, landscape connection, tourism promotion and well-being through open-air recreation. In this study, we found that 1.600 kilometers of new trails were created in two years, and that there has been a growth of volunteer work and of integration among Protected Area managers. Lastly, the study highlights the importance of regional trails in enabling the RBT and its valuable contribution to the conservation of protected areas and the generation of employment and local income, based on the good practices of similar international initiatives.

Twenty Years of the National Protected Areas System: are Brazilian National Parks achieving their legal objectives?

“…And further, that this humannature interaction provided by tourism in parks and recreational trails contributes to human health (Amato-Lourenço et al 2016 The importance that parks have for tourism and ecosystem services (Joly et al 2019) turns out to be one of the main attractions for society's participation in the management of protected areas. The alliance between managers and society helps in promoting sustainable uses and solutions and protecting the protected area from external threats (Omena & Bregolin 2020). Despite this, there're many challenges to overcome to ensure effective participation of society in management (Zafra-Calvo et al 2019), which is still excluded by some governments (Wang 2019).…”

A tale of two trails: Lessons from a comparative account of the Trans Canada Trail and the Sendero de Chile

“…These multi‐purpose greenways have attracted increasing attention in recent years, with many implemented and several more under development in North America, Europe, Oceania (Jongman and Pungetti 2004; Mundet and Coenders 2010; Stender et al 2018), and more recently, in Latin America (Omena and Bregolin 2020). A hallmark of these initiatives is the development of ambitious nationwide interconnected multi‐use and multi‐purpose greenways networks as unified projects, coordinated and administered at the state‐level.…”

Classification of long-distance trails into nature-based tourism niches:

“…In tourism, in addition to being a way of accessing attractions, they have also become a tourist product (Bregolin & Rudzewicz, 2021). In countries like the United States and France, where national trail systems have been operating for decades, this type of tourism product with low implementation and maintenance costs attracts millions of users every year, thus demonstrating tourism and economic potential (Omena & Bregolin, 2020). In the case of Brazil, which has one of the largest territories in the world, there is great potential for the development of trails as a tourist offer (Omena & Bregolin, 2020).…”

“…Chart 3 -Signaling elements considered for the niches Source: authors(2023) Applied TourismISSN: 2448-3524 following is a summary description of each LDT.Caminho das Araucárias (The Araucarias Trail):Located in the Atlantic Forest biome, it was created in 2017 with the Trail Management and Signposting Workshop organized by ICMBio in the São Franciso de Paula National Forest(Omena & Bregolin, 2020). Aimed at hikers, cyclists and horseback riders, the LDT will last30 days and has a planned route of 600 kilometers of trails and roads, of which 212 kilometers (35%) are already in place.…”