Participatory management assessment in State Parks open for public visits in the state of Minas Gerais

Abstract

Assessing and understanding participation effectiveness is fundamental to promote management excellence in a Conservation Unit. The central topic of this study is the Advisory Councils of State Parks open to public visits in Minas Gerais, and was written after applying a questionnaire that allowed making a participatory management self-perception diagnosis based on understanding the technically-defined duties for these councilors, as established in Federal Decree No. 4,340/2002. Through its autarchic body, Instituto Estadual de Florestas, the state of Minas Gerais is responsible for administering 42 Parks, 11 of which are the basis of this study for being considered open to the public and having adequate infrastructures to welcome and serve visitors. In this research, the counselors' strengths, difficulties, shortcomings and understanding in the “institutional”, “individual” and “functional” dimensions are evaluated through an adaptation of the technique called “Medición de la efectividad del Manejo de Áreas Protegidas”, conceived by Cifuentes, Izurieta and De Faria (2000). 127 participation instances were obtained from an overall scenario of 229 counselors. The results evidence predominance of the male gender (68%), urban areas residents (83%) and individuals with graduate studies (55%). Regarding the “institutional” and “functional” dimensions, the majority (56%) is not clear about the reasons for creating the Park in which they are advisory members. Unawareness is also verified in the fact that only 8% understand the reasons for the Conservation Unit to exist. Considering the methodology used, effectiveness of the Parks was assessed as with more than 50% of their counselors participating in this research, and their participation effectiveness was considered satisfactory. However, the need for continuous actions is reinforced as a motivating factor for greater involvement of the counselors and local communities in management of the Parks, fundamental to achieving their main creation objectives.