A efetividade de gestão das áreas protegidas: análise de instrumentos de governança e apoio à conservação

Abstract

Inserted in a new governance paradigm, National Parks (NPs) and other Protected Areas (PAs) must expand their management systems, prioritizing more participatory and inclusive approaches. As legally designated spaces for environmental protection, the management of these areas requires strategies that broadly ensure the achievement of the objectives for which they created. National Parks, as the central focus of this study, represent a significant model of PAs for biodiversity conservation and the promotion of sustainable tourism. Their effectiveness depends on adaptive planning, adequate resources, infrastructure, and social participation. In this context, the research aimed to deeply analyze the mechanisms essential for ensuring the effectiveness of these areas and complying with the principles of polycentric governance—a concept that emphasizes the plurality and integration of management instruments. To achieve this, the thesis organized into two chapters and three scientific articles. The first chapter presents fundamental concepts and the history of PAs, while the articles explore: (1) the correlation between different management instruments and effectiveness indices, (2) the role of Management Plans in National Parks, and (3) the impact of tourism concessions and public - private partnerships. The findings reveal that the studied units still face significant challenges in ensuring effectiveness and fully implementing environmental governance. These challenges include a lack of diversity in management instruments, the prioritization of isolated tools to support effectiveness indices, and the subjectivity of evaluation systems. Instruments such as the Management Plan and the Management Council identified as highly significant in the analyses and represent critical components for establishing a functional governance network, while also strongly influencing effectiveness metrics. The results further indicate that the effectiveness of Parks linked to the maturity of their governance instruments. Older Parks exhibit better management outcomes, as their instruments have been refined over time through periodic reviews and updates. Additionally, the presence of tourism concessions in Parks contributes to high and positive performance. These concessions serve as dynamic mechanisms for managing units with a tourism focus; however, as highlighted in this research, they still present deficiencies in social, environmental, and procedural dimensions despite their economic benefits. Overall, the lack of diversity in management instruments hinders the development of more inclusive and efficient governance, which is critical for addressing contemporary challenges in environmental conservation. The study suggests encouraging the diversification of management tools, reviewing guiding documents and mechanisms in PAs, strengthening existing instruments, and reassessing the indicators used in performance evaluations, as they found to be overly generalized and subjective in several aspects. The results aim to strengthen public policies and integrated practices, fostering the polycentric governance of Protected Areas.