A Apropriação da água como elemento estrutural do turismo em Bonito – Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

Bonito is one of the main tourism routes in Brazil and it attracts around 200 thousand people a year, furthermore, the sector is responsible for almost 70% of the jobs available in the city. The ―city of waters‖, famous for being home of crystal clear rivers such as ― Formoso‖ and ― Sucuri‖, endures a series of conflicts related to the practice of tourism faced to the degradation of water quality, especially its scenic quality. Thus, this dissertation aims to understand and analyze the complexity and breadth of issues involving the production of the tourist place, the valuation of water as a fundamental element for tourism economy in the municipality, the conflicts of interest and contradictions in the process of production of tourist attractions with the mode of production of agribusiness, in addition to the environmental problems that negatively affect the practice of tourism. In the municipality, tourism and extensive agriculture are economic activities wielded by the same agents, in other words, often the owner of the attraction is also a rural owner. The ruralists, facing the problem of turbidity in the city's rivers, exclude themselves of any responsibility for the episodes, which became an annual phenomenon from 2018 onwards. The conflict scenario is characterized by the advance of cultivation areas on PPAs (Permanent Preservation Areas) and wetlands areas, unbridled deforestation of the remnants of the Atlantic Forest, higher rates of erosion, turbidity and legal battles over conflicts of interest. Tourism developed in the region is dependent on the market exploitation of natural resources, with water resources being the main source of wealth generation. The hydrogeological specificity of the place allows the existence of limpid rivers to which society attributes the scenic character, these natural environments are highly valued due to their aesthetic quality. The current juncture of water degradation compromises the attractiveness of the landscape and implies serious damage to the tourism sector, putting at risk the continuity of activity in the municipality.