Alcatrazes Archipelago Trains Guides and Prepares to Receive Tourists on the Coast of São Paulo

07/24/2018 - 12h33

At 11 AM last Friday (the 20th), a group including biologists, tourist guides, and tourist agency owners "graduated" at the end of their training. The Locale: The Alcatrazes Archipelago on the Northern Coast of the State of São Paulo.

Considered to be the largest nesting ground for seabirds in the South and Southeast of Brazil, the locale was the stage for the course "graduation" for 126 professionals who will be authorized, starting in the next few weeks, to explore tourism in the region. The exact date has yet to be defined, due to final technical adjustments.

	Fausto Pires/ICMBio
	Alcatrazes is a Brazilian archipelago, located some 35 km south of São Sebastião

For decades, the archipelago has been used by the Brazilian Navy for firing exercises. The area will be opened up to nautical tourism, birdwatching and diving, and will become the first marine wildlife reserve to be open to public visitation, says ICMBio, the federal entity responsible for managing the area together with the Navy.

The initiative will also foster additional marine tourism between Angra dos Reis (Rio de Janeiro) and Guarujá (São Paulo), a stretch that already receives thousands of tour boats.

	Joel Silva/ Folhapress
	The area will be opened up to nautical tourism, birdwatching and diving

Overland tourism will continue to be prohibited, as well as any fishing activities.

Once the area is opened for tourism, visitors will have the opportunity to observe seabirds, turtles, dolphins, and with a little luck, whales.

	Joel Silva/ Folhapress
	Boats will still be prohibited from indefinite stays in the area

To visit the archipelago, according to ICMBio, tourists are encouraged to seek one of the 20 tourism agencies registered by the entity which are spread across the northern coast.

The professionals who just completed their training of nearly a year received information regarding rules for the conservation units, studies on environmental legislation and knowledge related to local fauna and flora. Out of the group, 80 members were qualified and certified for conduction diving activities and the remaining 46 members for boat visitation activities.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

Read the article in the original language