Setur forms a class for the Trail and Hiking Course at the Extractive Unit of Jamaracaru, in Óbidos
The training aims to empower residents to act as guides, strengthening Community-Based Tourism (CBT) and promoting sustainable development within Conservation Units.
The State Secretariat of Tourism of Pará (Setur) held, between October 20 and 31, the second class of the environmental guide course for trails and hikes at the Extractive Unit of Jamaracaru, located in the Trombetas State Forest (Flota), in the municipality of Óbidos, in the western region of Pará. The training aims to empower residents to act as guides, strengthening Community-Based Tourism (CBT) and promoting sustainable development within Conservation Units. The course brought together extractivists of Brazil nuts and cumaru, who live and work in the region.
The training is the result of a partnership between Setur, the Institute for Forest Development and Biodiversity of the State (Ideflor-Bio), and the Military Fire Brigade of Pará, which taught the first aid module, reinforcing the safety and preparedness of future guides. The course also had the support of the Mixed Agricultural Extractivist Association of the Residents of the Jamaracaru Community and Region (Acaje), a local partner in mobilizing and providing logistical support for the activities.
During the course, participants had theoretical and practical classes in the areas of tourism, environmental education, trail guiding techniques, and first aid, focusing on valuing traditional knowledge, hospitality, and the conservation of natural resources.
The manager of the North Channel of Ideflor-Bio, Ronaldison Farias, responsible for the region, highlighted the importance of the course for strengthening the local economy. “This course is of great importance to foster income generation in the community and take advantage of local tourist attractions, such as the Jamaracaru waterfall and the activities of collecting Brazil nuts and cumaru, within a model of experience-based and community-based tourism,” he emphasized.
The extractivist and student of the course, Raquel Sampaio, also emphasized the impact of the training on the formation of new community leaders. “This new class comes to further strengthen the guides in the region. With this new knowledge, we will unite with the first class and form one team, outlining new strategies to serve this segment of ecotourism, which can become a new source of income for all of us,” she said. The first course was held in 2023.
For the Setur technician responsible for the training, Antônio Pinheiro, the training represents another important step to consolidate sustainable tourism in the western region of Pará. “We managed to strengthen community leadership and present new income opportunities for extractivists. With this new class formed, Jamaracaru consolidates itself as an example of community organization and a potential destination for Amazonian ecotourism, integrating environmental preservation, local culture, and social development,” he assesses.
