GEO Brasil - UNEP

introduction
The architecture of these arrangements also performs a
crucial role for the implementation of the adaptive
management procedure, as its working characteristic
assumes that different participants can express their ideas
and opinions on the development of policies, plans,
programmes and specially projects in advance.
This can be done aiming at the correction of possible
problems/ impacts that were not identified during the
elaboration process of these documents.
The main mark of progress promoted by this new
management perspective, is the use of ecosystems/biomes
focus. This establishes new territory for intervention
planning purposes. This new territory encompasses
uncertainties and risks as elements that must be managed
and not avoided in the planning and management
processes, as conventionally understood. Finally, another
significant highlight of this progress is the effective inclusion
of the public, in such a way to provide a social context to
decisions on the use of resources.
In this issue, it is essential to overcome the prejudice
imposed by the idea that only educated people have the
capacity of including knowledge in the decision-making
process. This view does not allow the consideration that
consultation with relevant social participants brings into
the decision-making and assessment process information
from the populations and the individuals who live where
the policies, plans, programmes and projects will be
implemented. This is significant knowledge from these
individuals’ lives that has the property of aggregating
different dimensions that translate regional and local socioeconomic
and environmental behaviour and dynamics.
Although many think that traditional knowledge does not
seem to contain a scientific basis to be accredited, it can
integrate the different dimensions of the environment in
such a way that short-term limited researches of disciplinary
nature cannot.
As seen before, Integrated Management represents the
combination of different management and assessment
procedures that have been developed since the early 1970s.
Adaptive management, management of ecosystems/
biomes and strategic environmental assessment are all
instruments that have been created as a way to solve
problems identified in the implementation process of
environmental management instruments in use, specially
the environmental impact study.
22