Percepção ambiental de moradores residentes nas proximidades do Parque Estadual Mata da Pipa – PEMP/RN

Abstract

The Conservation Units are an important mechanism for safeguarding the natural heritage and ensuring the well-being of populations. However, due to the high population growth, unaccompanied by the application of environmental education policies, societies tend to neglect environmental issues, aiming at economic growth or meeting their own interests. Given this, it is necessary to establish natural resource management tools, such as the creation of Protected Areas, aiming at meeting basic human needs and guaranteeing the right to an ecologically balanced environment, as recommended by the Federal Constitution of 1988. In line with this In view of this need, the Mata da Pipa State Park Conservation Unit - PEMP was created in 2006, an area with remnants of Atlantic rainforest, located in the municipality of Tibau do Sul/RN. Management, which establishes guidelines for the use of PEMP and its Buffer Zone. This study aimed to evaluate, through the application of interactive questionnaires in the community, the environmental perception of residents living near the park. Although the interviewees were generally interested in environmental issues, they did not clearly see their role in terms of commitment to natural resources and a sense of responsibility for the care of the area in which they live.