Walks of life: New hiking routes blaze a trail for conservation

Follow the yellow footprints along Brazil's newest long-distance trail, and they will take you through lush forests and sandy shrubland, past sweeping vistas and bizarre rock formations, into grottos and rural communities.

- By Constance Malleret

Spanning 186km of paths once used by 19th-century merchants, the Caminhos da Ibiapaba is the first waymarked long-distance footpath in Brazil's northeast region, adding to a growing network of hiking trails.

Unlike the US or European countries, Brazil only recently established a system of trails with markings - black and yellow footprints - with the aim of increasing access to national parks, developing local economies, and better preserving the environment.

The idea that hiking trails are a tool for conservation is based on a simple premise: people protect what they know. That requires making conservation areas accessible, says Pedro Cunha e Menezes, director of protected areas at the environment ministry and the main architect of the government's policy for long-distance trails, launched in 2018.

Trails also help to control wildfires, serve as a deterrent for illegal activities such as poaching, and can double as corridors for wildlife, particularly when they connect protected areas as the Caminhos da Ibiapaba does.