Gameleira Trail

A Partnership to Promote Environmental Education in Contact with the Forest

Abstract

Interpretive trails are an important tool in environmental education efforts. In this work, we describe the activities related to the Gameleira Trail, conceived by the BioBrasil Project and supported by the Aliança dos Saberes Project, including the process of its formatting, the construction of support and complementary materials, and visits, highlighting achieved results and identifying challenges and solutions found for the continuity of the action. The Gameleira Trail is located on private property in Una, BA, and primarily targets elementary school students from this municipality. Along its route, there are eleven interpretation points where visitors are encouraged to observe differences in vegetation structure between sections of the forest, observe species of flora and fauna and their interactions, and stimulate senses and questions about the use and rights related to the forest and its biodiversity. Since 2022, we have involved interns from the Aliança dos Saberes project to lead activities, who have been engaged in guiding and the construction of support and complementary materials. By August 2023, the Gameleira Trail had received 16 groups of elementary students, totaling approximately 265 visitors. Additionally, we conducted interventions in schools, addressing the themes worked on the Trail and engaging in dialogue with teachers to guide them on the possibilities of using the complementary materials in the classroom. The partnership established to conduct the Gameleira Trail has become an important mechanism of mutual support between a conservation project and a university extension project, benefiting both. Our joint action is not without challenges, but the Trail has been receiving visitors with increasing frequency each semester and has consolidated itself as a tool for promoting environmental education in the municipality of Una.