3000 kilometers encased by forest scenery, bluish tones of sea and waterfalls and by a constant presence diverse wildlife. This combo of nature is the proposal of the path of the Atlantic Forest, a long track that will connect the canyons of the national park of the trimmed of the Sierra, in Rio Grande do Sul, to the Serra do Mar in the state Park of the deception in Rio de Janeiro-passing Including the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná and Sao Paulo. Organized by the Borandá Movement – Initiative headed by WWF-Brasil that brings together several environmental bodies, government institutions, mountaineering federations and other partners for nature Conservation – the ecological project is to cross 70 Conservation units and more than 70 municipalities between the south and southeast regions. Much of the route will be made up of smaller and well-known professional tracks, such as The Gold Trail (RJ) and the Conceição window (PR), for example. Logo of the Atlantic Forest Path project (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook) "The idea of creating a long track path is to encourage people to know the natural environments, because it encourages them to think about the importance of the preservation and maintenance of these Spaces, "said biologist Ernesto Castro, head of the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, and creator of the path of the Atlantic Forest. "This is also a strategy that strengthens economically the initiatives of small tourism operators and local communities," adds the environmentalist, who was inspired by the trail of Appalachian Path to develop the new project. Construction of the Castro Trail presented its project of Megatrilha during the Brazilian Congress of Conservation units, in 2012. Soon raised support from WWF-Brasil, which created the Borandá movement and congregate members to the organizing committee of the track. In each of the five states where it passes, the path of the Atlantic Forest has regional groups that carry out workshops and efforts volunteers to signal and mark the path of the track. For now, about 80% of Megatrilha is already flagged and ready to be travelled. However, there is still work to be done. Although there is already a predefined main axis, local organizations of each state and municipality are suggesting alternatives to add to the trail, which should reach 3800 km of extension: "NGOs and regional bodies have a certain autonomy to decide Specific changes in the track if you identify an interesting attraction. We're keeping a database with updates, "Castro explains. It is worth pointing out, however, that the way of the Atlantic Forest is complete is a task recommended only for professionals, since the whole course has an estimate of lasting 200 days. According to the organizers of the project, the objective is that interested parties choose to carry out smaller portions in holiday periods or on holidays, for example. Although much of the trail is made up of hiking, there will be stretches for bikes, horses and even boats. "We encourage stakeholders to be informed about the conditions on our sites before embarking on a trip.", advises the spokesperson. Environmental preservation as the name already indicates, Megatrilha is marked by the Atlantic Forest Biome, one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems around the world. In addition to serving from home to more than 150 million people in 17 Brazilian states, The Atlantic Forest is also habitat of different species of fauna and flora – many of which are endemic in the region. For example, there are more than 20000 species of trees, over a thousand birds, about 340 amphibians and 270 species of mammals. Despite its ecological importance, the biome is currently reduced to only 8.5% of its plant cover. This is why Castro and all members of the Borandá movement see the path of the Atlantic Forest not only as an alternative to ecotourism in the country, but as a form of popular awareness for environmental conservation.