Eficácia da gestão em unidades de conservação da natureza do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

Abstract

The implementation of protected areas, especially Conservation Units (CUs), is a globally recognized conservation strategy. However, these territories require efficient management to achieve their conservation objectives. When the management of CUs is deficient, it harms their own objectives, affecting biodiversity and ecological processes, in addition to causing social and economic impacts. This study aimed to evaluate, in a qualitative and quantitative way, the effectiveness of management and the threats that affect 11 Conservation Units of the Full Protection group, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. This evaluation was carried out through interviews with managers with application of the parameters, concomitantly with the review of the official documents of each CU. For this analysis, the adapted method of Effectiveness of Management of Protected Areas (EMAP) was used through the Likert scale with five levels, eight scopes, 73 indicators and 65 evaluation scenarios. Of the CUs assessed in southern Brazil, 91% presented results that indicated that their effectiveness ranged from average to very unsatisfactory, with low management effectiveness. In 18% of the CUs, the quality of management was very unsatisfactory, 37% unsatisfactory; 36% average and only 9% satisfactory. Thus, it was found that the main objectives for which the protected areas were created are not being met effectively. To assess the incidence of 23 threat variables in the CUs, attributes such as magnitude, scope, permanence, dynamics, probability of materialization and mitigation actions were adopted. The valuation of the attributes was measured using Likert scales with five levels. The higher the percentage obtained, the lower the risk or severity of threats, and the lower the percentage obtained, the greater the threats assessed, that is, severity alert. The threat factors were selected considering field information surveys, management plans, the reality of protected areas and their characteristics, based on other methods that analyzed threats to the effectiveness of management in protected areas. The results obtained demonstrated that there are threat factors in all 11 analyzed protected areas, with different levels of severity. The Delta do Jacuí State Park (PEDJ) presented the highest value (gradient) of threats (42.21%), followed by the Tainhas State Park (PETA) (59.96%) and Espigão Alto State Park (PEA) (68.48%), considered to have a medium threat value. Seven other protected areas obtained low threat values: Itapeva State Park (PEVA) 72.46%; Ibitiriá State Park (PEIB) 72.64%; Espinilho State Park (PEESP) 74.28%; Itapuã State Park (PEIT) 80.98%; Turvo State Park (PETU) 81.88%; Aratinga Ecological Station (EEA) 84.24% and Serra Geral Biological Reserve (REBIOSG) 84.96%. Only the Banhado dos Pachecos Wildlife Refuge (RVSBP) presented very low threat values (89.13%). In general, actions to be implemented by management to achieve the objectives of the CUs are recommended: adoption of a qualitative and quantitative assessment model; increase in staff; training of teams and managers; improvement of infrastructure, materials and equipment; budget forecasting and headings directed on a regular basis; land regularization, implementation of advisory boards; updating of management plans and implementation of threat monitoring systems for state CUs.