On the way to a better state? The role of NGOs in the planning and implementation of protected areas in Brazil

• Published in: GeoJournal Vol. 52; no. 1; pp. 61 - 69
• Main Author: Roper, Monika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Kluwer Academic Publishers 2000; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amazon; Biodiversity conservation; Brazil; Case studies; Conservation; Conservation movement; Conservation policy; Developing countries; Environment; Environmental conservation; Environmental legislation; Environmental policy; Environmental protection; Geography; LDCs; Legislation; Nature; Nature conservation; NGOs; Non-governmental organizations; Nongovernmental organizations; Policy implementation; Political ecology; Political power; Protected areas; SECTION THREE: INTRUDING INTO INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS; Social change; Studies; Success; Brazil
• ISSN: 0343-2521; 1572-9893
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1013139912877

Protected areas are considered some of the most versatile as well as important instruments of nature conservation and environmental policies. The 'classic' model of nature conservation aims at the isolation of large areas in order to preserve their 'pristine' nature from human interference. However, the transfer of this model to developing countries led to serious conflicts with local people. From a socio-geographical viewpoint, protected areas can be understood as regulative tools for the shaping and controlling of space. This approach helps to recognise the influence of distinct modes of appropriation of space and nature on the emergence and course of conflicts. In the present article it is used to analyse the leading role played by Brazilian NGOs in the transformation of the classic model of protected area management at the beginning of the nineties. Two case studies - dealing with the implementation of the Amazonian Mamirauá Reserve and with the reform of the Brazilian protected area legislation - are used to illustrate not only the success of the new approaches, but also the expectations and contradictions which surround the future development of protected areas in Brazil.