Parks - IUCN

PARKS VOL 9 NO 3 • OCTOBER 1999
capacity of implementing agencies. It is also important to base proposals for
extension of protected areas on up-to-date economic and land use data, in order
to demonstrate to decision makers that ecosystem conservation is actually the
optimum land use for the areas in question.
❚ Establishment of private reserves – this is another way to expand protected area
coverage, and holds considerable promise. Many tourism interests have already
established private reserves dedicated to ecotourism, while some wealthy private
landowners protect their lands for their own aesthetic enjoyment. NGOs also
establish private reserves for conservation and research purposes, often with support
from companies and private donors. Most private lands on the slopes of the Serra do
Mar lend themselves to little else: the soils are poor and susceptible to erosion, the
steep slopes make road building extremely expensive, and environmental
legislation restricts almost all forms of legal development of forested lands. Land
values are therefore low: in some areas forested land can be purchased for as little
as US$ 10 per hectare. Thus a strategy to stimulate the establishment of private
reserves, and of outright acquisition of land by conservation NGOs, is both
feasible and promising.
❚ Development of ecotourism – currently most visitors to the Serra do Mar are
drawn by the superb beaches and coastal waters that it frames. The Serra do Mar
is a region of rain forests, however, and consequently the weather is often
overcast and rainy. When it rains, the tourism revenues associated with sunseeking
beach-goers then drop considerably. At the same time, the few local tour
operators that offer ecotourism activities centred on the forests and waterfalls of
the Serra do Mar report no drop in demand; ecotourists that come to enjoy the
rain forest generally expect to find rain, and do not mind it. Further expansion
of ecotourism in the region, through establishment of infrastructure such as
nature trails and parkways, training of operators and trail guides, and effective
protection of parks in order to facilitate the viewing of birds and animals, would
provide a much-needed resource to the local economy and would generate a
strong demand for well-maintained protected areas. Ecotourism is not a cure-all,
and if not properly carried out can result in undesirable environmental impacts;
currently, however, ecotourism is practically the only economic activity that does
not take place in most of the parks and reserves of the region. As a replacement
for poaching, illegal heart-of-palm extraction, logging, and banana-growing (all
of which currently take place inside and outside protected areas in the Serra do
Mar), ecotourism is an activity to be stimulated as much as possible.
❚ Establishment of public-private partnerships for conservation – Downsizing,
decentralisation, and privatisation are the current trend in public administration
in Brazil, and the good macroeconomic results this trend has produced mean that
it is likely to continue. In this context it makes little sense to think that there will
be increases in park budgets or staffing. Instead, management agencies are
experimenting with various combinations of subcontracting, cooperation with
NGOs and municipal governments, and seeking of private and corporate support
for parks and reserves. Many of these initiatives have yielded positive results, and
will most likely become the basis for a new model of protected area management,
with official management agencies providing oversight and enforcement powers
while NGOs and municipal governments handle day-to-day management, often
using a combination of private donations and public funds.
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