With its exuberant nature, the Ilhabela archipelago deserves to be highlighted for offering the security and tranquility of an island in which 85% of its territory is preserved through plans drawn up by the government.
A large part of the population, who live in urban centers, with stressful routines, tend to believe that paradise places like Ilhabela are perfect, have no problems and should be ready to receive them when they decide to enjoy their well-deserved vacation. But natural paradises are not self-sustaining with human interference. Every populated place needs public policy management, a city that grows without planning starts to face social and structural problems, reflecting on the population’s quality of life and destruction of the wildlife around it.
Thus, since 1992 there has been a strict control of buildings in risk areas and protected habitats in Ilhabela. These measures help to contain the progress of construction, reducing environmental damage and contributing to the preservation of the island’s natural resources.
Tourism is not a problem for this type of environmental preservation, as long as it is well planned and with a well-defined strategy. However, it is in the high season that most destinations like Ilhabela suffer more pronounced environmental problems. The high demand for services and products ends up enhancing the already existing adversities that often end up going unnoticed in the eyes of tourists.
That’s why efforts like these become increasingly important to protect amazing destinations like this. We, as tourists, also play an important role in this kind of preservation and support for places and populations at risk due to climate change and human expansion.
It is possible and urgent to protect destinations like Ilhabela, rethink our consumption habits in order to prioritize the maintenance of natural resources, optimize their use and explore without destruction in search of harmony between environmental conservation and human well-being.