Jardim Botânico de Poços de Caldas e turismo regenerativo: possibilidades e limites de uma abordagem emergente

Abstract

In a context in which tourism manifests itself as a phenomenon marked by antagonistic forces, while exerting pressure on ecosystems and at the same time holding the potential to raise social awareness through direct experiences with nature, Regenerative Tourism emerges as an approach that seeks to respond to the intensification of the contemporary environmental crisis. Botanical gardens present potential for this type of approach, as their institutional design articulates functions related to biodiversity conservation, scientific research and public use. This study aims to analyze the possibilities and limitations of the Poços de Caldas Botanical Garden as a space for Regenerative Tourism. It is a qualitative research with an exploratory analytical character, grounded in a literature review addressing the paradoxes of tourism activity, the transition from the sustainability paradigm to regenerative development and the contextualization of botanical gardens. In addition, the study includes the characterization of the research object and the systematization of regenerative guidelines applied to the analyzed case. The results recognize the Poços de Caldas Botanical Garden as a strategic vector for safeguarding the regional floristic heritage, presenting consistent performance in the fields of research and conservation. On the other hand, operational gaps were identified in relation to environmental education and community engagement, dimensions considered central to the consolidation of a regenerative approach in its management. These findings indicate that the approximation to the principles of Regenerative Tourism requires institutional arrangements and governance models capable of sustaining long term territorial transformations.