Abstract
While comparing the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to other known ecosystems, foreign visitors of the 19th Century were overwhelmed by the impressive diversity of its ecological communities and greater number of animals and plants. This article intends to analyze the papers written by visiting scholars during the period from 1851 to 1890 on the city of Joinville, located in the Province of Santa Catarina, Brazil. It focuses on the analysis of the values that writers attributed to the biodiversity of the region, relating them to the goals and concepts of the involved articles. It also discusses the interrelation between the culture, humanity and nature established by the authors. The interpretation of these articles allows us to understand the predominant dominating and utilitarian attitude of the migrating entrepreneurs and colonizers regarding the territory and its landscapes. It also points to the values attributed to nature due to the descriptions of the existing species of fauna and vegetation.
Keywords
Natural-heritage; Santa Catarina; Atlantic-forest; Foreign-travelers