PUBLIC POLICY AND THE CHALLENGE OF SOCIAL PARTICIPATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CONSERVATION UNITS

The management of protected areas is a major challenge for the current government. Whereas the state is the negotiation space and that decisions on environmental policy are related to the bargaining process that are established in society and the interests linked to them, social participation in the management of protected areas is essential to ensure that priorities upon its creation are made compatible with the expectations of the local population, integrating the active and committed way with this process. Written from literature and document research, this paper presents a theoretical discussion about the legal and operational instruments existing environmental policy in Brazil, with emphasis on natural resource management. It also discusses the concept of public policy and social participation and highlights the management councils and the development of management plans as instruments that could a dynamic learning process and strengthening social participation in protected area management. It concluded by the need to establish a new look at the form of participation that you want to manage these areas, aiming to enable management tools defined for conservation units a coming opportunity and strengthening social participation in this process.