Protected Areas and populations: Environmental value and sustainable management in a rural community in the south of Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to understand the environmental perception of the residents of the rural community of Barrocão (Uruçuca-BA), located near the State Park of Serra do Conduru (PESC), in order to describe the relationship that the residents established with the natural resources and the importance it attaches to natural elements and their different forms of management. The study is a qualitative-quantitative research, with phenomenology as its theoretical-methodological matrix. The collection method was the use of semi-structured interviews with 13 residents of the communitary association Sweets Forest Secrets. The analyses showed that the residents present a systemic vision of the environment, correlating the water production directly with the presence of the forest fragments. The socio-environmental responsibility of the community was evidenced due to the dependence of natural resources for survival, as well as the need to take care of their place. Residents presented production techniques that aim to maximize reuse allied to the discussion of the need for organic cultivation.