Being
born in the far South of Brazil makes Ariel a “Gaucho”,
however he was raised throughout Brazil.
Son of a military officer and a literature professor his formative
years were spent in Pará, in the Amazon Region, and in Coxim,
Mato Grosso do Sul, the main gate to the Pantanal of Paiaguá,
the only pantanal extremely off the beaten track.
Ariel holds a graduation degree in Tourism, specialized in the Pantanal
of Paiaguá and is very experienced developing economically
sustainable tourism for the whole region.
Former President of COMTUR (Municipal Tourist Council of Coxim) he
has led the fight to develop alternatives to the predatory fishing
and hunting practices which were very strong in the Taquari River
Basin in the past.
He is one of the key organizers of the Rota das Monções
project, an eco-historical educational expedition, as well as the
Pantanal of Paiaguá Guide Book which is in construction at
the moment.
He is utterly informed concerning the history and culture of the region
and the historic city of Coxim, the oldest settlement in the region.
Ariel continues to work as a collaborator and technical volunteer
at COINTA - the Intermunicipal Consort for Sustainable Development
of the Taquari River Basin in conjunction with several municipalities.
His current projects with COINTA are to create units of conservation
within the Taquari River Basin and municipal systems to better administer
them besides others to increase the cultural identidy and social improvements
in the area.
A
graduate of EF International Language Schools - Hastings, UK, Ariel
speaks English fluently and a quite good Spanish.
A
warrior for the environment, no one doubts Ariel’s contribution
to ecological sustainable tourism.
(Original text in Portuguese written by André Luíz Rachid,
Biologist, work-mate at COINTA – 2001/2006. Translated by the
owner.)
