Value Creation Practices in Environmental Protection Areas: an Asset Framework investigation
Conservation Unit; Environmental Management; Socio-environmental Uses; Natural Resources.
One of the ways of defending the existence of Protected Areas is by identifying their most varied characteristics, forms of use and forms of value - tangible and intangible. Value Generating Practices are different forms of socio-environmental use carried out by social actors, and this 'Value' can be captured by the groups of beneficiaries or the Protected Area itself. The aim of this study is to develop a comprehensive inventory of the Value Generating Practices currently underway in the Environmental Protection Areas of Alagoas, developing information of public interest that can contribute to planning and decision-making. The scope of the study covers eight Environmental Protection Areas located in the state of Alagoas, and in order to understand the dynamics between management and social uses, the methodology was based on Structuring Assets in Protected Areas. The Value Generating Practices were identified through interviews with managers, who are socio-environmental actors linked to the Environmental Protection Areas. The list of Value Generating Practices shows 72 activities, which vary according to the ecological and socio-economic specificities of each region. The Environmental Protection Area with the most practices identified is the Coral Coast with 44 practices, followed by Marituba do Peixe with 40, Pratagy with 37, Serra da Caiçara 34, Catolé and Fernão Velho 32, Piaçabuçu 31, Murici 29 and Santa Rita 25. The main Assets associated with Value-Generating Practices are Human, which may be linked to the fact that they are practices carried out by socio-environmental actors, and Biophysical Assets, the relationship between these actors' interests in the area and the natural resources present there. By knowing the main practices and Assets used, management can mitigate harmful activities while promoting practices perceived as positive by management.