Rio da Prata: Redefining tourism in Brazil's Mid-west

por: luizascoelho | Created: Mayo 12, 2009 | Updated: Mayo 19, 2009

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País: Brazil

Organization: Japacanim Ecoturismo Ltda

Year the initiative began: 1995

Project Website: www.bonitoweb.com.br/riodaprata/

Youtube upload:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFLvrA39Re4&feature=channel_page

Si perteneces a un país de Latinoamérica y el Caribe tienes la oportunidad de presentar tu iniciativa para acceder a fondos para innovaciones en turismo sostenible del BID/FOMIN (para mayor información leer la sección sobre la oportunidad BID/FOMIN en la página principal del Desafio). :
No deseo postularme

Desafío de Geoturismo en el que trabaja el participante:

Quality of tourist experience and educational benefit to tourists, Quality of benefit to residents for the destination, Quality of tourism management by destination leadership, Quality of stewardship of the destination

Indica el tamaño de tu organización:

Small (1 to 100 employees)

Indicate sector in which you principally work:
Industria del turismo

Indica sobré cuál nivel en la cadena de valor en turismo impacta tu trabajo (elige todas aquellas opciones que apliquen):

• Consumidores (viajeros)
• Mayoristas
• Agentes detallistas
• Operadores de Turismo
• Prestatarios de servicios turísticos
• Prestatarios de servicios no turísticos (proveedores)
• Atractivos naturales y culturales

Indica la actividad principal en la que trabajas:

• Nature
• Adventure
• Education
• General tourism

Indica cuáles de estas temáticas cubre tu innovación (elige todas aquellas opciones que apliquen):

• Innovación y diversificación en el desarrollo de productos turísticos
• Profesionalización, buenas prácticas y certificación de servicios turísticos sostenibles
• Estrategias y herramientas innovadoras para la promoción y puesta en mercado de destinos y productos en turismo sostenible y geoturismo.

¿Cuál es el objetivo de tu innovación? Por favor describe en una oración el tipo de impacto, cambio o reforma que tu enfoque quiere lograr.

Pioneering sustainable tourism where it’s sorely needed and stimulating environmental awareness in visitors and locals in a setting that combines a working cattle ranch with stunning natural beauty.

Escribe un resumen de tu proyecto. Incluye cómo tu enfoque apoya o representa al concepto de geoturismo o turismo sustentable. Este texto aparecerá cuando la gente se pare con el mouse sobre el ícono para tu presentación en el mapa localizado en la página de inicio del desafío.

Located in the Bonito region of Brazil's Mid-west, Rio da Prata offers a unique ecotourism experience. It is a critical innovation in an area where large-scale tourism arose relatively recently and has often been in tension both with traditional agriculture and with principles of good land stewardship. At Rio da Prata, visitors hike through the protected forests to the source of a crystal-clear river, where they snorkel in waters so clear, they could be called aquarium-like…if only your aquarium had lots of meter-long dorado swimming in it. The river, whose complete basin is now protected by a Private Natural Heritage Reserve, is full of rare fish and plants. The property, which was once only a cattle farm, also offers horseback riding, scuba diving and birdwatching. Our central message is that cattle raising (the traditional livelihood of the region), ecotourism and environmental conservation can be combined in harmony. To date, scientific work within the property has identified 809 species, including three species unknown to science (one rodent and two fish), highlighting the area’s relevance for biodiversity conservation. Rio da Prata's example has already motivated others in the area to re-address their activities in an environmentally sustainable way, positively affecting the entire region.

Describe en detalle porqué tu enfoque es innovador.

Cattle farming has been the way-of-life in this area for centuries, unfortunately, the traditional model is very destructive to nature. The first thing the present owners did after acquiring the land was to reverse the disastrous effects of the previous model by planting trees, building fences and separating an area for the cattle, who had previously been drinking straight from the river. Since the beginning of the tourist operation in 1995, a set of key guidelines for sustainability were put in place to ensure the farm could develop and continue to thrive with nature as its number-one priority. Every aspect of Rio da Prata’s functioning is eco-conscious. Rio da Prata valorizes regional culture, hiring only local workers, serving traditional cuisine, and selling regional crafts and art. Meals are prepared using organic products grown on site. What is left over is recycled or taken to the worm-farm to be turned into compost and used to fertilize the vegetable garden and fruit trees. Traditional desserts and cheeses are made using milk from the cows which happily co-exist with the tourism operation; demonstrating that the traditional lifestyle of cattle raising can be done in an ecologically-friendly way while still achieving good economic results.

¿Cuál es el origen de tu organización? ¿Qué fue lo que motivó el desarrollo de esta innovación?

The innovation started when Rio da Prata's owner, Mr. Eduardo Coelho, fell in love with the region's natural beauties, worked on and eventually acquired the land, and began searching for ways to preserve that beauty and, at the same time, generate income and promote regional development. He immediately began to build a new model of ecotourism combined with cattle raising. In the mid-1990s, this was literally unprecedented in the region, as he followed strict ecological guidelines that he himself set and used his own financial resources. His goal was to protect the region's incredible nature and biodiversity, but still have the income from the cattle and tourism. In addition to pioneering a new ecotourism model, Rio da Prata has made a real contribution to improving the quality of life in the region through job creation, professional qualification, propagation of good environmental practices, scientific research, environmental education and sponsorship of regional NGOs.

The operation's primary goal was to ensure protection of the environment combined with the tourist activities. Therefore, in 1999 a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage was established to protect the headsprings of the river and its surrounding forests, with an area of 759.8 acres. The Private Reserve of Natural Heritage is a category of conservation unit established by Brazil’s Park System that enables perpetual protection of a given natural area without the need of expropriation, being created entirely on the owner’s will.

Provee una biografía personal. Esta puede ser utilizada por Changemakers para su material de marketing.

Eduardo Coelho graduated in civil engineering in 1979, but he actually comes from a cattle-ranching family. That same year, his father acquired Rio da Prata farm. From an environmental standpoint, the ranch had been poorly maintained and severely degraded. Eduardo was thrilled by its beauty and decided to help his father with its management. Eduardo eventually took over the property and in 1995 made the farm a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage and opened it to ecotourism. He wrote guidelines for the farm’s sustainable development which he follows to this day, defining the environment as a priority.

Describe qué tipos de experiencias turísticas únicas provee tu enfoque. Sé específico e ilustrativo con tus ejemplos.

The Bonito region is an eco-pole in Brazil, which means that its waterfalls, caves and crystal-clear rivers attract hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. Rio da Prata offers snorkeling, scuba diving, birdwatching, and horseback riding, but in addition it incorporates environmental education and aims to use the awe inspired in the tourist to protect the region, making visitors a vital part of the conservation process. Rio da Prata teaches its visitors to appreciate the area from an ecological and cultural point of view, creating an experience more complete for the visitor and more beneficial for the region.

To reach the spring where the snorkeling starts, the visitor follows a trail through the forest near the River, surrounded by beautiful flora and wild animals. The feeling of floating in an aquarium-like river, surrounded by rare fish and plants is one that the visitors will never forget. To ensure a safe adventure, with quality and environmental respect, all the groups have limited participants and are always accompanied by specialized guides. The guides teach the importance of not touching the river bottom while snorkeling or collecting any materials such as seeds or shells, little preoccupations like this diferenciate Rio da Prata from other tourist operations in the area.

¿Qué tipos de alianzas o desarrollo profesional serían más beneficiosos para difundir tu innovación?

Partnerships with established NGOs and institutions to help us spread our innovation to concerned publics. The region presents extreme biodiversity and has potential for the development of natural products found nowhere else in the world, such as oils extracted from native seeds. Such products could serve as an alternative income to the farmers, and stimulate native tree planting.

Rio da Prata farm is also implementing a silvopastoral system, and consideres it an amazing alternative for ecological management of rural production. A partnership to help spread this idea, especially among farmers and politicians, would be beneficial.

Describe el grado de éxito de tu modelo hasta la fecha: Explica claramente cómo mides en forma cualitativa y cuantitativa el impacto en términos del aporte de tu modelo al sostenimiento y enaltecimiento de la cultura local, su medio ambiente, herencia y estética? ¿Cómo tu enfoque ha contribuido a hacer de tu destino turístico un lugar único? ¿Cómo has contribuido al desarrollo del turismo sustentable? ¿Cómo es que tu modelo minimiza el impacto negativo?

Our ecologic and economic success run parallel. Our statistics show that the numbers of visitors and revenue continues to grow every year, and satellite images demonstrate that our natural forests and plantlife are flourishing as well. Since 1995, the number of tourists on the farm has gone from 1,790 to 21,416 annually. Rio da Prata has had a huge effect in terms of supporting and enhancing the regional culture.

Rio da Prata has had a remarkable contribution on the increase of life quality in local community through job creation (the property employs 23 fixed workers, whereas a traditional cattle ranch the same size will usually hire 2 to 4 employees), professional qualification and also by propagation of good environmental practices. An increase in the educational and technical level of the region’s communities has been noticed, motivated by new demands imposed by the ecotourism market.

The degenerative effects that often accompany the tourism trade have been avoided by strict rules that ensure minimal impact. Fishing, hunting, logging and the raising of domestic animals are forbidden. The area is constantly monitored, thus reducing the risk of degradation or erosion on trails. The results of such work shows that the environmental quality is being maintained.

¿De qué manera los residentes del lugar son integrados activamente a tu trabajo, incluyendo la participación y opinión de la comunidad? ¿Cómo es que la comunidad ha respondido o se ha beneficiado con tu modelo?

Rio da Prata functions using the following guidelines: local workmanship; valorization of local cultural and social aspects; sale of handcraft produced by regional artists; collaboration with other businesses to improve the destination as a whole. Rio da Prata strives to incorporate the community in its efforts to preserve the natural beauty of the region. They created a project called “Learning and planting at the Reserve” where students from local public schools are invited to the farm. Using seedlings from their own extensive, native nursery, Rio da Prata provides the students with the equipment and information necessary to reforest an area of the farm.

¿Cómo es que tu programa promueve el entusiasmo de los visitantes, su satisfacción e involucramiento con la población local?

Rio da Prata provides the whole package. Aside from the unique and spectacular experience of ecotourism, it provides the visitor with an understanding of the region that they will carry with them after they leave. The hike to the springhead, accompanied by a local guide, allows tourists contact with the area's biodiversity, an experience that will hopefully increase the incentive to protect nature, not only in this area but in general. Chances to buy local crafts and eat traditional food are also ways of valorizing local culture. At the main house, tourists can read more about the region's history and characteristics. Tourists can also visit the native nursery, the worm farm, the vegetable garden, the orchards and the silvopastoral system.

Describe cómo tu innovación ayuda a los viajeros y a los residentes locales a entender mejor el valor del patrimonio cultural y natural del área, y cómo los educa en cuestiones de medio ambiente local.

The Bonito region is experiencing an enormous tourism boom. Unfortunately, environmental regulations are few and though there are many outfitters in the area to choose from, Rio da Prata is the pioneer in sustainable, responsible ecotourism in the area. Influenced by the success of a sustainable model that combines cattle farming with ecotourism, one that shows that taking care of the environment can also be profitable, other tourist outfitters and ranchers in the area are following suit and adopting eco-friendly models. These influence is very important while there is still time to protect the natural beauty of the region. Our farm provides all of its employees and visitors with ecological training and information. Eduardo Coelho, the owner of the farm, has also created and continues to head many organizations that combine the forces of the local communities and farmers in the preservation of the region.

¿Cómo se financia tu iniciativa en este momento? Si lo sabes, provee información sobre tus finanzas y organización: Presupuesto anual, Ingreso anual generado, Numero de empleados (full-time, part-time, voluntarios).

Rio da Prata farm is financed with the owner's own financial resources.

Annual budget for 2008: 1,799,368.65
Revenue in 2008: 728,276.9
Number of employees: 23

Every vacation period, the farm receives 2 biology interns and 2 tourism interns.

Part of the profits are used to promote local NGOs, class associations, scientific research and staff training.

¿Tu iniciativa es financieramente sostenible? De no ser así, ¿qué necesitarías para que lo fuese? ¿Cuál es la demanda potencial para tu innovación?

Yes. The demand for this innovation is regional. Other farms on the area now see ecotourism as a potential business that adds up with cattle raising.

¿Cuáles son las barreras a las que te enfrentas en el manejo, implementación o replicación de tu innovación?¿Qué barreras impiden a tu programa tener un mayor impacto.

Cattle farming has been the way-of-life in this area for centuries, and as in most places, the traditional model was very destructive to nature. Cows walk in streams, eroding banks, destroying delicate fish redds in gravel bottoms, and also overgraze the vegetation that lines banks removing shade and raising water temperatures. But cows bring money, and money brings power. Cattle ranching also brings jobs, so the region is deeply hooked on ranching. Geotourism, because it recognizes these economic and political realities, can work as a kind of methadone program for cattle ranchers, giving them comparable economic benefits without the terrible side effects. But it takes long-term thinking to make it work, and it takes successful models that show how the region’s long-standing economic heritage can be practically combined with tourism that allows local people to take pride in and care for the land that they love very deeply (if sometimes a bit recklessly).

¿Cuál es tu plan para expandir este proyecto? Indica cómo harías para hacer crecer o mejorar tu innovación o pedirles a otros que lo hagan.

Our plan is to expand our land holdings in the region to protect a greater area. And also continue to increase our visitation numbers.

Tourism activities and environmental actions are disseminated by means of several medias, the internet standing out nowadays. Visitors themselves play an important role on spreading the ideas upon reporting their experiences on Rio da Prata's website.

In addition, owners and employees frequently take part in tourism fairs and other events related to tourism and environment, presenting lectures about the success that was achieved with such model. The participation as an active member of local associations and environmentalist NGOs is also an important tool to promote these actions, thus motivating local entrepreneurs to follow such philosophy.

We are also looking in to implementing renewable energy alternatives on the farm.

Información de contacto
Mr. Eduardo Coelho
Head Director
Japacanim Ecoturismo Ltda
Rua Sergipe, 659
eduardo@bonitoweb.com.br

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