COLLABORATIVE MAPPING AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF GRAJAÚ STATE PARK

Abstract

The Grajaú State Park - PEG is an important Conservation Unit - UC located in the city of Rio de Janeiro - RJ, in the neighborhood of Grajaú. The present study mapped the Park's infrastructure, trees that configure points of interest for visitation and the limits, adopting the collaborative mapping of managers, volunteers and visitors as a basis. The generated products provided activities to promote environmental education to PEG visitors. The main interest of the work is to highlight to managers and visitors the need for greater care with the PEG and the recognition of its resources, as well as to propose a data recording system to support the activities of Park managers. The activity created is called “Rota das Árvores”, a route that draws attention to the main trees and palm trees in the social area of this UC and its structure for public use. The generated boundaries were submitted and approved for inclusion in the Google company database, and later it was possible to create a representation in MyMaps, (on the Google Maps platform), which should assist in guided tours and environmental education activities with visitors to the Park and the community at large. Collaborative mapping was fundamental for the creation of activities and identification of the Park's internal structures. The biggest difficulties faced are the adjustment of data for mapping and approval by Google for the proposed limits. In the first case, there was a wide availability of records about the park generated by residents and visitors and much of it could not be used as it would require adaptations and conversions. This process will still be considered in a future stage of the research. In the second case, there was a strong requirement to accept limits generated by third parties who are not employees or direct collaborators of Google. Despite that the record was made that MyMaps can be generated. The work intends to advance towards the inclusion of new features, expanding the visibility of the study area in the community and through the management of its public spaces.