Tourism In Slums In Rio De Janeiro: The Potentiality Of Non-Formal Practices In Environmental Education To Tackle Local Socio-Environmental Problems

Abstract

This paper focuses on the elements of non-formal practices in Environmental Education which were developed as part of tourist activities in slums in Rio de Janeiro. These elements were indicators that contributed to mitigate socio-environmental conflicts. We believe that meetings of tourists and local people can lead to the redefinition of their identities and contribute to the construction of sustainable societies. Participatory observation and semi-structured interviews which were used in this qualitative methodology aimed at identifying the main meanings that tourists and local people attribute to the meetings and to other similar events while they construct new identities and a new social reality, and the refunctionalization of productive processes. This study, which is based on the reports given by people who were involved in learning projects and cultural exchange, characterizes the potential for developing new identities to tackle local socio-environmental problems through tourist activities that include non-formal practices in Environmental Education.