Environmental perception of the city school community about the National Forest of Canela, RS

Abstract

The National Forest of Canela (FLONA/Canela) is located nearby the urban centers of Canela and Gramado. The long term effectively of this protected area will only be possible when the neighboring population considers it as an important area, which also applies to other protected areas. The aim of this work was to check the environmental perception of the school community in three City Primary Schools of Canela/RS, located in the surroundings of the National Forest. The survey used questionnaires answered by students, teachers and school employees. The schools were chosen according to their location in relation to FLONA, being 400 m, 3 km and 5 km far from it. Among a total of 267 questionnaires, 234 students, 29 teachers and 4 employees answered. The data evaluation was quantitative concerning the one-choice questions and qualitative concerning the multiple-choice or open questions. This analysis suggested that the people from the farthest schools from FLONA show lesser awareness to environmental questions, do not judge the protected area very useful to environmental preservation and do not consider their actions able to interfere on the resources of the area. This point of view does not vary according to time of living in the city. These results emphasize the necessity of greater promotion about the activities that are or can be developed in FLONA/Canela, as well as the importance of a protected area to environmental preservation and the consequent responsibility the community has towards it.