Patrimônio natural e turismo: um estudo de caso sobre a atividade de ecoturismo no Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

The Peruaçu Caves National Park, located in the northern region of Minas Gerais, was created in 1999 to protect its ecosystem, biodiversity, and archaeological heritage, including more than 180 caves with rock paintings up to 12,000 years old. Recognized as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in 2025, the park has had tourism infrastructure since 2016, with trails, viewpoints, and accredited guides, involving the local community in tourism activities. The objective of this study is to analyze tourist visitation practices in the Peruaçu Caves National Park in light of ecotourism principles and the challenges to the sustainability of the activity, specifically environmental conservation; visitor awareness; community participation; democratization of benefits; and adaptation of infrastructure and services to management guidelines, aiming to understand its limits and contributions to sustainable public use. The methodological procedures involved qualitative and exploratory research, bibliographic research, document analysis, fieldwork, and non-participant observation. For data analysis, a qualitative approach was adopted through content analysis, using the defined principles of ecotourism. The main results indicate the presence of sustainable practices in tourism, based on the principles of ecotourism. As challenges to be faced, the study points to the urgent need for the development of a Public Use Plan for tourism in the Peruaçu Caves National Park, the urgent need to pay attention to visitor safety, aiming for faster assistance in case of accidents on the trails, the development of adapted itineraries for people with disabilities or reduced mobility, and the need to implement actions to encourage entrepreneurship and support local businesses in directing investments towards the tourism sector.