Reserva ecológica do Wenceslau, em Porto dos Santos, Itaparica- BA: práticas religiosas, desafios e possibilidades na viabilização do ecoturismo

Abstract

The Brazilian territory no longer aggregates its biomes in the original form similar to the time when the Europeans arrived here, in 1500. A significant percentage of its forests has already been eliminated, either due to the urbanization process or due to agricultural practices. It is also worth noting the actions taken by the owners of logging companies, who continue to deforest in areas not permitted by environmental control and inspection bodies. For this reason, ecological reserves arise in order to delimit an area of protection for animal and plant species present in a given region. This delimitation is established by human beings in an attempt to curb anthropic actions. In this sense, the focus of this research study is the advance of human action in the Wenceslau Ecological Reserve and how the NGO Associação Religiosa Cultural e Ambientalista Wenceslau Monteiro (ARCA) acts to contain this advance and make ecotourism viable in the district of Porto dos Santos, located on the Island of Itaparica, state of Bahia. The historicity and mystique of the place are important attractions for many people who visit the place. By attracting so many people to the Reserve, it already makes the area vulnerable. Allied to this fact is the imminent construction of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge, a construction that has stimulated disorderly occupation within the Reserve area. In this sense, the NGO ARCA facilitates partnerships with municipal schools for the implementation of ecological educational practices, realizing the protagonism of education in the role of forming conscious citizens, forming a human being who defends their place and with it establishes identity and a sense of belonging. By promoting these practices, ARCA pays homage to the one who inspired the care for the place: the hermit Wenceslau Monteiro. Caring for people and all types of beings that inhabited Rio dos Milagres, in addition to respect for every form of search for the sacred, thus evidencing his ecumenical behavior.