Assessment and Management of Geological Risks in Tourist Areas in Brazil: application in canyons, volcanic beaches and mountain regions

• Grant number: 23/02458-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2023
• End date: December 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Augusto Gomes Vieira Reis
• Grantee: Victor Carvalho Cabral
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Tourism in natural areas, or Geotourism, has been increasing worldwide in recent decades, which is very relevant in the context of Geosciences, as it supports sustainable tourism, promoting the conservation and enhancement of the environment, in addition to being economically positive for tourist regions. Climate change, however, has affected the frequency of intense and extreme rain events, which are commonly associated with hydrogeomorphic disasters, such as floods, landslides and rockfalls. Natural disasters have profound impacts on individuals, communities and, consequently, on touristic activities. In this context, the objective of the project is to propose methodological procedures for assessing and managing geological risks in natural tourist areas. At first, the project focuses on landslide processes (rockfall, rock topple, landslides and debris flows) in mountain areas, canyons, waterfalls and volcanic beaches. Three regions are used as pilot areas, characterized by different geological-geomorphological contexts and landscapes: region of Capitólio canyons (Minas Gerais, Brazil), two beach areas in Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco, Brazil), and Parque "Caminhos do Mar" in the Serra do Mar region near Cubatão (Sao Paulo, Brazil). This project aims at overcoming the methodological and public policy gap related to the assessment and management of geological risks in natural tourist areas, having great social relevance, since the tourism sector in natural areas in Brazil is predominantly comprised of small and medium-sized municipalities, without structure and resources to fund such studies.