Environmental sustainability in tourism on Ilha do Mel, PR: perspectives of public managers

Abstract

Ilha do Mel is a major ecotourism destination, located on the North coast of the State of Paraná. Despite the existence in the region of preservation areas and increasingly intense government action, the island has suffered various negative impacts, as a result of tourism which has been occurring in a way that is still extremely disordered. This study investigates the views of public managers in relation to key aspects of sustainability of tourism in the area, in particular, environmental sustainability. Specifically, the research identifies the opinions of these managers in relation to the legislation for the Island, the supervisory activity, the opening of new commercial establishments, and the opinions of these managers on government practices in relation to basic sanitation and the activities of Environmental Education. As it is an exploratory study, the data were collected trough semi-structured personal interviews with the managers. Among the results, the following are highlighted: The government structure is insufficient and the legislation outdated and inadequate; the managers defend the creation of policies geared towards ecotourism, with the strengthening of Environmental Education that should be given to the tourists and the community, as well as controlling the accommodation capacity. Key words: Local Development, Ecotourism, Environmental Sustainability.