Análise do potencial geoturístico da região central da área de proteção ambiental carste de Lagoa Santa - MG

Abstract

During the last decades the development of conservationists ideas contributed significantly to appearance of new modalities of tourism. Among these modalities we highlight geotourism, which focuses on the touristic use of abiotic elements of nature, with a view to their scientific, didactic and contemplative values. Linked to geotourism was created the concept of geoconservation, which mainly consists of initiativesfocused on protecting geodiversity, a term that describes the diversity of geological, geomorphological and pedological components of a particular region. In order for initiatives linked to the geotourism able to be used satisfactorily, several methods and data collection techniques were developed, such as inventory and assessment of geosites. Based on geosites quantification methodologies along with cartographic modeling tools, this research conducted an inventory of sites of interest to thegeodiversity in central APA Carste Lagoa Santa, quantifying the values associated with the local geodiversity, spatializing data through interpolation and advanced analysis techniques. The results showed that the north-central portion of the study area showed the highest potential for geotourism, while the southern portion shown little apt for such initiatives.