O ordenamento do território para a prática do geoturismo no Parque Natural Municipal da Muritiba, Lençóis – Chapada Diamantina-BA

Abstract

The economic cycle of diamond artisanal mining was responsible for the spatial arrangement of Lençóis in the 19th century, in the central-western portion of the state of Bahia, in the Chapada Diamantina region. In 1845, in the streambed of the Lençóis River, where the Muritiba Municipal Natural Park is currently located, diamonds were discovered, making the city a national and international reference in the extraction and trade of this mineral resource. As soon as the mining activities were banned in the 1990s, the public sector encouraged the replacement of the economic matrix by the tourism. This thesis, as its general objective, analyze the tourism practices implemented in the Muritiba Municipal Natural Park from the perspective of spatial planning for geotourism, with the cultural use of geodiversity as a theoretical and practical foundation. Geotourism is a form of tourism focused on geodiversity, involving the interpretation of abiotic heritage, and is treated in the academy from various perspectives, including geological, geographic, and/or cultural. Using a critical approach, this research analyzes the relationship between geotourism, spatial planning, and territorial use in Lençóis/Bahia, focusing on the Muritiba Municipal Natural Park (PNMM). The concepts of ecotourism and geotourism emerged in opposition to mass tourism, amid environmentalist discussions, valuing conservation and environmental interpretation. The research identifies tourism as the primary driver of territorial use, reorganizing the local economy and redefining its regional centrality, also finding that tourism practices present structural and institutional weaknesses, a lack of planning, and territorial inequalities among the municipalities of the Lavras Diamantinas (Andaraí, Lençóis, Mucugê, and Palmeiras). The potential for geotourism of the PNMM is recognized due to its geodiversity, such as the diamond-bearing conglomerate of the Tombador Formation, fluvial erosion, and the presence of potholes, easily associated with diamond mining. However, the lack of a management plan, appropriate infrastructure, and environmental interpretation structures and practices, coupled with the precariousness of the tourism workforce in the park, make unfeasible its consolidation as a first-class attraction. The Conduct Adjustment Agreement, signed between the Bahia Public Prosecutor's Office and the Lençóis City Hall, highlights management deficiencies and reinforces the need for spatial planning. To this end, it is urgent to define public policies with partnerships aiming the structuring of the public agencies with the minimum technical capacity to execute spatial planning and management. It also recommends updating regulatory instruments, increasing rigor in data management, and implementing integrated public policies that ensure infrastructure and geoconservation measures.