More than a company, Cormorano is the accomplishment of successful meeting between knowledge and respect for nature. Cormorano established in Guaraqueçaba, a long the coast of the Brazilian Rain Forest, a new approach for the relation of man and nature. In order to do so, he keeps an adequate logistic structure for the development of ecotourism in the region including boats, lodging and a private Conservation Area, which is the main focus of Cormorano activities.

At Cormorano, ecotourism is established in an ethical relationship between man and wild life. Our purpose is to acknowledge nature in all its magnitude.

Established in the year of 2004, CORMORANO ECOTURISMO aims to offer programs that provide to you remarkable experiences in contact with Nature:

- Trekking and relaxing walks through the forest
- Swimming and diving in rivers
- Canoeing
- Ecological cycling along the beaches
- Bird watching
- Fishing
- Tiroleza
- Nocturnal Track
- Interpretative Track
- Ambiental project of education "alive lesson"

Cormorano proposes 2 main types of activities to explore nature:

1) CONTEMPLATION AND RELAX

Specially designed routes to chill out from the everyday stress

WATCHING AND RELAX

Routes especially designed to relieve you from the stress of day-to-day pressure as well as to watch nature. This meeting with nature is an opportunity of rediscovering and reencountering the deepest and most vital human values.

We offer guided tours that promote therapeutic results, favoring the relief of body and soul. Experience the contact with a diversity of colors, the observation of environment, rhythm and sounds of wildlife. It is an encounter with the forest and the untouched Nature. Nature conceived as a metaphor to explore the inner world, as said by the psychotherapist James Hillman: “suddenly, to understand the illnesses of the soul, we need to understand the illnesses of the Earth”.

2) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Our project named LIVING CLASS is based on the concept of a structure similar to an “open air museum” and consists of educational actions developed across the thematic trails of the Ecological Reserve of Sebui. This private Reserve (recognized by the Brazilian Government – IBAMA – in November of 1999) comprehends an area of 500 hectares limited by a boundary of 12 km where a series of thematic trails are being organized in order to allow visitors to acquire essential knowledge about the ecosystem of the forest and mangroves, as well as about the local population and their relation with this environments, with the aim of showing how ecological and socioeconomic systems relate to each other.

The LIVING CLASS project intends to encompass ecological knowledge necessary to the understanding of nature’s facts: functioning and regeneration of the forest ecosystem, the role of mangroves in the marine resources, the role of biodiversity and the relationship of man and his natural environment.

Currently we are organizing the discovery of the Reserve around 4 thematic subjects:

2.1)The functioning and regeneration of the forest ecosystem:

Fauna and Soil: the role of organic material decomposers and the renewal mechanisms of plants

Historical facts: Soil and rain are the foundations responsibles for the dynamics the forest ecosystem. They bring to the vegetation nutrients generated by the decay of organic matter carried out by the microorganisms that live in the soil. The soil of the Atlantic Rain Forest consists of organic matter and the debris on top of it restricted to 5 or 10 cm in height. The system of roots develops above its surface. The short thickness of this organic layer and the importance of rainfall make it a fragile system.

The regeneration of the Rain Forest depends upon a variety of processes. One is the ability of soil to support growth of vegetation. In order to do so, soil must comprise mineral elements produced by biodegradation, essential to the nutrition of flora. The microscopic fauna of soil represents a huge collection: there are up to 8000 bugs in a block of a few centimeters of dirt. The diversity of species living in the soil system is amazing: 1m2 of a good soil holds up 150g of small creatures, more than 260 million organisms and an explosion of shapes. According to its mass, soil fauna is much greater than the mammals (including man). This illustrates a characteristic suitable for all forests on Earth.

Dynamics of Forest Regeneration: forest is a mosaic. Openings and holes on top of the trees.

Purpose: present forest as a larger system composed of a great number of small and independent sections, creating a mosaic. Openings and holes on top of the trees represent the basis of this mosaic. So, we intend to demonstrate that the fall of an old tree is not to be considered as a tragedy, but as a means of regeneration and perpetuation of forest ecosystem. In fact these openings are responsible for the renovation of forests, where the regeneration cycle takes place.

History: The Rain Forest is not considered as a single entity anymore, but as a variety of small unities composed of minor sections of different ages, structure, composition and dimensions. The openings determine zones of regeneration called “eco-unities”. But openings are not the only mechanism of renewal: other processes, less visible and more advanced have an essential role on this dynamics.

Dissemination of seeds by fruit eating animals

Purpose
Present and stimulate the discovery of relationship between fruits and animals as well as the role of these animals in the process of vegetable dissemination. We aim to demonstrate that animals and vegetables live in a mutual relationship. It is impossible to imagine a tropical forest without its animals, and these are in fact responsible for the dissemination of seeds of 80% of species living in tropical forests. On the other hand, the animals of a tempered zone forest contribute only for 20% of seed dissemination.

History: Seed spreading animals – especially birds and small mammals – are the most responsible for forest regeneration. We wish to stimulate the discovery of the importance of these animals to forest ecosystem.

Other topics are:

2.2) Concept of biodiversity and importance of endemism on the Atlantic Forest

- Ecological diversity (global and local aspects);

- The concept of ecological niche: diversity of “habitats” and “functions”;

- The concept of endemism.

2.3) Mangroves: between land and sea

- Distinctive structures and functioning of a hybrid ecosystem;

- The role of the mangrove on food chains.

2.4) Men and their relations with natural environment

Knowledge the forest: traditional use of its resources and development of damaging practices to biodiversity;
Rational usage of natural resources and sustained development.

Our touristic activities concentrate on one of the most precious and spectacular region of Southern Brazilian coast: the region of Guaraqueçaba. It encompasses a fantastic collection of mountains, coves and islands permeated by unique terrestrial, aquatic and maritime ecosystems. It is one of the most biodiverse places in the whole Planet.

In the future we plan to operate also in the region of Guartelá, an impressive canyon where natural elements molded a striking and inviting landscape. Rivers and small watercourses compose a scenary defined by rocks, permeated by an assortment of fauna and flora from the Atlantic Forest, Pine Forest CERRADO and meadows.

STATE PARANÁ (BRAZIL)

Instituto de Ecoturismo do Brasil (IEB)
http://www.ecoturismo.org.br

The International Ecotourism Society
http://www.ecotourism.org

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
http://www.mnhn.fr

Lega Ambiente - Italy
http://www.legambienteonline.it

Liga Ambiental - Brasil
http://www.ligaambiental.org.br

Base de Dados Tropical (BDT)
http://www.bdt.fat.org.br

Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA)
http://www.ibama.gov.br

Agriturismo Fighezia - Italy
http://www.agriturismofighezia.it

Pousada Caína
http://www.pousadacaina.com.br

Natura Mediterraneo
http://www.naturamediterraneo.com