Governança ambiental e turismo - análise dos parque nacionais: Amazônia, Chapada das Mesas (Brasil) e Tortuguero (Costa Rica)

Abstract

The theme of this thesis deals with environmental governance processes and their relationship to tourism in protected areas and their surroundings. Its central axis consists on seeking for answers related to how social actors participate, in some way – directly or indirectly – articulate and promote collective actions in national parks, in order to contribute to the management of these areas, especially with regard to its conservation and tourism takes place in them. Such an investigation starts from in the hypothetical principle that although the foundations that put in place a process of environmental governance in national parks be financially supported by the State, social participation is a determining condition for both the preservation of its ecosystem and for the stimulation of eco-tourism. The thesis was systematically articulated, in order to analyze, comparatively, the construction of environmental governance from the perspective of collective action, at the following parks: Amazon National Park (Pará and Amazonas), and Chapada das Mesas National Park (Maranhão), both in Brazil, and in the Tortuguero National Park, in Costa Rica, considering, especially, what is carried out by various social actors with respect to conservation and sustainable tourism. For this, it was based on theories that discuss the concept and the implementation of environmental governance as well as their connections with tourism in protected areas, from the perspective of sustainability. The methodological basis of this thesis are supported in qualitative research – field survey for data collection – taking as aid documentary and bibliographic sources. To illustrate certain circumstances, during field research, we used the local iconography. It was concluded in summary, that the dynamics of the participation of certain social actors in these protected areas is a determing factor to the direction of the governance process and its effects on biodiversity protection and tourism