Entre Lapinha da Serra e Tabuleiro do Mato Dentro: o ecoar da travessia

Abstract

We will discuss one of the innumerable paths historically traveled by the human being. It is the Lapinha-Tabuleiro crossing, a route oriented from west to east in the Serra do Espinhaço, located in its southern portion, Serra do Cipó / Minas Gerais. The walk begins in the village of Lapinha da Serra (municipality of Santana do Riacho) and extends for about 20 to 40 kilometers until the district of Tabuleiro (municipality of Conceição do Mato Dentro). Marked by an undoubted socio-biodiversity, this path has been appropriate in countless forms over time: by paleoindians, naturalists, tropeiros, local communities and, nowadays, through tourism. That said, the purpose of this research is to understand how human immersion along the crossing can help in the environmental conservation and valuation of local communities. Thus, we embark on discussions about trails and crossings, as well as human immersion in space, characterizing the act of walking and its numerous interpretations. We defend here the idea that walking is not a mechanical act, but a sensitive way of experiencing, being able to be connected to the tourism reproduction itself (among its various typologies), to a notion of incessant search for adventure or simply associated to walking act as a philosophical concept. These elements are visible in the Lapinha-Tabuleiro crossing, which we access to its universe through the students of the Phytogeography discipline of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, since the same one adopts the walk in the condition of field work. We used our five-year experience as a field monitor, as well as investigating the relationships arising from this immersion and, above all, we analyzed the field reports (product of the discipline), mostly constructed as field journals. The research revealed the immersive potential of the walk, how it impacts and reverberates in the life of the subject, and can echo in decisions, memories and attitudes, being a way to contribute positively to the socio-environmental conservation of the region, since it opens the possibility of valorization and signification of space, building a place. Movement that influences the mobilization for the region, as well as the reproduction of a personalization tourism, capable of valuing the local communities and raising awareness about the need to protect local biodiversity.