O USO DE GEOTECNOLOGIAS NA ANÁLISE DOS IMPACTOS AMBIENTAIS NO SALTO VENTOSO (FARROUPILHA/RS)

This paper is the outcome of a survey on environmental impacts due to visitors in a tourist attraction, using geotechnology as a tool. The study was carried out at Salto Ventoso, Farroupilha, Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil), a tourist attraction with major importance for the region. At the site, a private area, the attraction is a 60 meters (197 feet) height cascade and its scenic landscape. Visitors can also hike through the trail that goes behind the waterfall. The trail was mapped using GPS (Global Positioning System) and theodolite, and divided into twelve sections, which were evaluated on the issues of declivity, width, damage to natural resources and infrastructure, drainage problems, number of unofficial trails and amount of waste. The results showed that the site presents a series of environmental impacts resulting from both lack of planning and great amount of visitors. Some strategies for managing the site would be the installation of safety and signing infrastructure, as well as a work on environmental awareness of the visitors and their impacts on site