Aesthetic experience in nature: potential of environmental education in protected natural areas

The aim of the current study is to identify the potential of a protected natural area in Southern Brazil to be used as space for aesthetic experiences in nature by a group of educators. The study was carried out in Serra da Baitaca State Park, Metropolitan Region of Curitiba City, Paraná State, Brazil, with three educators from different knowledge fields. It followed a qualitative approach and used techniques such as participant observation as well as mobile studies and interviews from the ecophenomenological perspective. Results were presented as (eco)narratives in response to the research object, with emphasis on two important findings, namely: education of attention practices and adventure body practices. In short, the current study has emphasized the importance of movement through practices such as education of attention and adventure in environmental education to value the more-than-human world and to promote sensitivity and political engagement by involving bodies in natural environments.