Avaliação do manejo de unidades de conservação localizadas na zona costeira cearense utilizando o método RAPPAM

Abstract

The present research aims to carry out an of effectiveness assessment of the management plan for three coastal Conservation Units (CUs), analyzing the progress made and the damage caused due to possible delays in the preparation of the instrument, of the following CUs: Marinho da Pedra da Risca do Meio State Park; Pecém Ecological Station and Morro Branco Cliffs Natural Monument, located in the state of Ceará (Brazil). The research uses the hypothetical deductive method, linked to the Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM) method, which identifies various situations through an investigation carried out by managers on issues related to CUs. As they are conservation units of different categories and objectives, as expected by the hypotheses, the results identified very different realities between thes tudy areasanalyzed, with situations that present the particularity of each of them and that completely alter the scenario of management strategies. Regarding the Natural Monument of the Cliffs of Morro Branco, an area of sustainable use, it has been constantly used b tourism for decades, devoid of an internal budget for resources and an efective management plan, the support of traditional communities that use tourism as the main source of income becomes the greatest asset combined with management, however, this current scenario is not enough to stop the process of landscape decharacterization faced by the management of the CU, resulting from the damage caused by tourism. The Pecém Ecological Station, an integral protection area, presents a series of limitations in terms of technical staff and internal budget, in addition to very low support from local communities, since the CU area is highly targeted from a real estate point of view, being constantly invaded by residents of the region and attacked with intentional fires set by criminal factions. The Pedra da Risca do Meio Marine State Park, an integral protection area, has broad support from traditional communities, in addition to an internal budget for less bureaucratized actions, however, there is occasional noise and boycotts by minorities of fishermen who use the CU in an irregular way, in addition to other damages and threats related to pollution, climate change and invasions of exotic animals that unbalance the CU's food chain. In all cases, the delay in the management plan proved to be detrimental to the management of conservation units, but with different intensities. Regarding Morro Branco, the flexibility of the absent use of strategies and norms on how to carry out these actions poses questioning the objectives of the CU; on the other hand, for Pedra da Risca do Meio the delay caused minimal damage, related to zoning and standards in the practice of traditional fishing. Thus, through product analysis, it is concluded that the areas present positive results throughout the management exercise, but with threats that challenge future initiatives.