Políticas ambientais e gestão de unidades de conservação nacionais, estaduais e municipais nos Campos Gerais do Paraná.

Abstract

Protected areas or Conservation Units are one of the most important nature conservation initiatives, with the goal of conserving biodiversity, geodiversity, and natural resources. These areas can be created by either the private or public sector in their respective governmental spheres. Law No. 9,985/2000, which established the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC), is the main environmental policy aimed at conservation units in Brazil. The SNUC establishes criteria and standards for unit creation, implementation, and management. Based on the foregoing, the general objective of this research is to analyze how the various governmental spheres manage the Campos Gerais National Park, Guartelá State Park, and Chácara Dantas Municipal Park in the Campos Gerais region of Paraná. The specific objectives include identifying the possibilities and difficulties for managing the study areas, determining whether the management of each park is in accordance with current environmental policies, and comparing the main aspects of management held in each of the parks based on interview questions. In terms of methodology, documental research was employed, and semi-structured interviews with park managers were chosen for data collection. The systemic approach was chosen as the study's methodology. The findings revealed differences between the three parks, with an emphasis on the scope in which they were created and inserted, the historical, political, and economic context, the level of implementation, and the size of the areas. Furthermore, some aspects appear repeatedly, such as the pressure caused by exotic species, which all managers identified as a challenge for these areas. It was also found that the analyzed parks are not in accordance with the SNUC and have difficulty adhering to what the law establishes. The locations are in different stages of implementation, demonstrating how public power, in its three spheres, has treated the parks in different ways over the decades. Finally, environmental policies are perceived as important because they provide legal support for conservation units and their management. However, the mere existence of environmental policies does not ensure conservation; they must be followed and applied. In the context of conservation units, there needs to be greater interest and commitment from the government, in its different spheres, from managers and from society, which can act through the occupation of representative spaces. At a time when human actions are putting increasing strain on nature, studies that seek to address environmental issues are crucial for pointing out ways to improve nature conservation.