junho, 19 2024

By WWF-Brasil

'A Day at the Park' campaign – which is regarded as the largest Brazilian action to value Protected Areas – will take place on July 21st, and will have the theme 'Nature for all people'. The goal is to encourage families and communities to explore nature. On this day, several activities will be offered in several regions of the country, including public protected areas in Acre, Amapá, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Piauí, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, São Paulo and Tocantins states.  

More than 200 protected areas have already been confirmed. But the Pro-UCs Coalition, organiser of the event in partnership with several civil society organisations, believes that this number is expected to grow. Protected Areas interested in taking part must register by June 21st using a form available on the action's website.

“This is the last week of registrations for A Day at the Park 2024 and, historically, a period in which we receive a large number of registrations. For each Protected Area, we are sure that this will be another successful edition and that our goal, of making Protected Areas closer to the population, will be achieved", says the executive director of Pró UC Net and coordinator of A Day at the Park, Angela Kuczach.

A Day at the Park is a national campaign, active since 2018, and in six years we have had more than 300 thousand people and 500 Protected Areas mobilised. The “Park” category was chosen because it is the most recognised by the population, but all categories of Protected Areas can take part, from all spheres, whether federal, state, municipal or private.

How to participate

The entire community is invited: Protected Areas, groups of associations of public and private companies, collectives, non-governmental organisations linked or not to nature conservation, families, groups of friends, that is, society in general. In fact, Protected Areas that are not open to the public can participate and create special events for specific groups. “Choose an area that can receive visitors, even if it is a small group, prepare an activity that combines leisure and environmental education, and shows both the beauty and importance of the place. This is a good opportunity to create bonds with the community and bring them closer to nature. Remembering that registrations will close on June 21st”, explains Angela. 

Registration of activities must be done using a form. The actions will be registered by the A Day at the Park team and will be available for search on the campaign's digital channels. Therefore, it is important to provide all information, such as the name of the Protected Area, address, name and contact of the person responsible, planned actions, target audience, time, meeting place, as well as a summary of what the activity will be. The online form contains examples of how to describe and the best way to register.

The information will be available to visitors from June 24th on the Pró-UCs Coalition website, divided by state, where it will be possible to search for activities in the required region. As not all cities have activities taking place in their Protected Areas, the recommendation is that visitors can be inspired by what has been proposed for other places and make their own A Day at the Park.

Researcher Jakeline Pereira, from Imazon, one of the organisations that form the Pro-UCs Coalition and responsible for engagement in the Amazon, says that action is essential to promote a positive relationship between people and nature. "Conservation depends on people's involvement, as it is easier to protect what we know and that brings benefits to our lives. The event offers a unique visiting opportunity for those who may have never explored a Protected Area. An inspiring example is the Monte Alegre State Park, in Pará state, which, before the campaign, was little known by local residents. After three years of participation in the campaign, we observed significant changes in the sense of belonging to the place", states Jakeline.

Inspiration

Among the activities that can be carried out in the A Day at the Park campaign are: waterfall bathing, bird watching, buoy cross, playful games with children (storytelling, kite flying, etc.), watching the sunrise and sunset, observation of the night sky, night visit, hiking, camping (in authorised locations), abseiling, capoeira, cycling, landscape contemplation, climbing, film screenings, sustainability fair, organic and typical products fair, water floating, photography, cleaning the areas, juggling, diving, mountaineering, observation of fauna and flora, whale watching, lectures, picnic, slackline, surfing, stand up paddle, theatre, hiking, yoga, dance, cultural presentations, among others.

Information:

A Day at the Park 2024 – Nature for everyone
Event date: July 21st
Protected Areas registrations until June 21st
Contact: umdianoparque@redeprouc.org.br or (55 41) 3015-8396

About the Pro-UCs Coalition:

In Brazil, public protected areas are legally defined as “Conservation Units”, or UCs (acronym in Portuguese). A Day at the Park was created by the National Network for Conservation Units, Pro-UC Net, and is carried out by the Pro-Conservation Units Coalition, which is made up of companies and civil society organisations committed to the valorisation and defence of Conservation Units, which join forces annually to carry out this important action. The Coalition is formed by Pro-UC Net, WWF-Brazil, SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation, Semeia Institute, Boticário Group Foundation, Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), IPÊ - Institute of Ecological Research, FUNBIO - Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity, TNC Brazil, Imaflora and International Conservation.