Parks - IUCN

PARKS VOL 9 NO 3 • OCTOBER 1999
terrain units, based on topography, soil types, vegetation cover, existing and planned
infrastructure, local microclimate, and other parameters. The economic potential,
environmental impact, and mitigation potential of competing land uses in each class
were studied and discussed with local community leaders in a series of workshops.
The result was the definition of a zoning and land use plan for the region which
incorporates broad corridors of native forest surrounded by buffer strips devoted to
ecotourism, agroforestry, and other compatible economic activities. In this manner
it was possible to propose a corridor system which optimises the use of each parcel
of land in economic and ecological terms.
Principal problems facing strategy implementation
Identification of existing protected areas, priority habitat for conservation, and most
effective linkage corridors is only the first step in the implementation of the Serra do
Mar corridor. The next step is clearly the implementation of existing conservation
units. It makes little sense to speak of linkages between parks and reserves when
many of the parks and reserves themselves are no more than paper parks, with little
to set them apart from unprotected areas. An analysis of the current state of
implementation of these formally protected areas reveals three main reasons for their
present ineffectiveness as conservation units:
❚ Lack of funds. Brazil’s successful revitalization of its economy dictated austerity
for government agencies, and nature protection agencies are no exception. Some
protected areas receive budget allocations that cover only a fraction of their needs,
while others actually receive no budget allocations at all.
❚ Weak management agencies. Most government agencies with jurisdiction over
Serra do Mar protected areas suffer from political interference and chronic shortages
of manpower and equipment. In addition, low salaries make it difficult to recruit
qualified professionals for protected area management, while rigid bureaucratic
procedures and institutional cultures that do not value field work often make for
inefficient use of the personnel and resources that are available. Management
agencies thus often have staff in excess at their city headquarters, while personnel
stationed in the field are generally scarce, overworked, underpaid, and under
qualified.
❚ Lack of public support. This is perhaps the most fundamental reason for the
current state of neglect of many protected areas in the Serra do Mar. Widespread public
support, especially at the local level, could result in more resources and political
muscle for park management agencies, as well as for the environmental NGOs that
operate in the region. This in fact happens in other protected areas in the same states,
such as Iguaçu National Park in Paraná or Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro. Both
of these parks differ from most protected areas in the Serra do Mar corridor in that they
are open to visitation, receive large numbers of visitors, and consequently represent
a significant resource for the local economy. As a result, although they also have
problems, they are relatively well funded and well protected by the public sector, and
receive significant private donations as well. Meanwhile, parks in the Serra do Mar are
mostly closed to visitation and offer little or no infrastructure for tourism and
recreation. They thus remain unknown to the general public and contribute little
directly to the economies of the resort towns that surround them.
The implementation of the Serra do Mar corridor thus must begin with the
integration of existing protected areas into the local economy. As mentioned above,
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