Evaluation of the private participation in the implementation and management of ecotourism in cavernas do Peruaçu national park, Brazil

Abstract

In the last two decades, Brazil has advanced in the creation of Natural Protected Areas (NPAs), reaching more than 17% of its territory. However, the budget allocated for the effectiveness of NPAs is still insufficient, creating gaps that hinder these areas from fulfilling their purposes. The Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park (PNCP) was created in 1999. Its ecotourism infrastructure was conceived and built from 2011 to 2015 and opened to the public in 2017. The implementation of the PNCP differs from other NPAs under the responsibility of the federal government management in Brazil, since it involves private resources from companies with legal obligations to environmental compensation. In this context, a study on the PNCP was carried out, with primary and secondary data analysed. The research aimed at report the process of the PNCP implementation as well as presenting the current state of management and prospects for this Park. With the results obtained, it was possible to conclude that the experience of a partnership between the public power and the private initiative is a practical possibility for the implementation and management of ecotourism, expanding its socioeconomic sustainability and contributing to the goals of nature conservation. Key words: national parks, ecotourism, natural heritage, archaeological sites. Prispevek zasebnikov pri vzpostavitvi in upravljanju ekoturizma v jamah narodnega parka Cavernas do Šeruaçu, Brazilija Brazilija je v zadnjih dveh desetletjih razvijala program zaščitenih naravnih območij, ki danes zavzemajo 17 % površine države. Vendar namenska proračunska sredstva namenjena zaščitenim območjem, ne zadoščajo za učinkovito upravljanje in izvajanje zaščite. Narodni park Cavernas do Peruaçu (NPCP) je bil ustanovljen leta 1995. Infrastruktura, zasnovana na ekološkem pristopu, je bila zgrajena med leti 2011 in 2015 in leta 2017 odprta za javnost. NPCP je izjema med zaščitenimi območji v upravljanju brazilske vlade, saj prejema tudi sredstva zasebnih podjetij, ki so zakonsko obvezana dajatev okoljskega nadomestila. V raziskavi poročamo o razvoju, upravljanju in perspektivah parka. Pokažemo, da je javno zasebno partnerstvo mogoče in da lahko bistveno izboljša možnosti učinkovitega upravljanja, utrjuje socialno-ekonomsko vzdržnost območja in prispeva k boljšemu varovanju narave. Ključne besede: narodni parki, ekoturizem, naravna dediščina, arheološka najdišča.