Time, space and contradictions in the protection of natural areas

Since the 1930s, Brazil has adopted public policies for the creation of national parks, following the American model established in the late 19th century. In 2000, the National System of Conservation Units Act (SNUC) was passed, which is currently the main legal reference. However, governments have always found it difficult to consolidate administrative structures and make parks, along with other protected areas, efficient in their objectives. In this doctoral thesis research in Geography, the origins of guiding ideals and conservation policies on a global scale were identified, along with their national repercussions. At a more detailed level, the study focused on the state of Rio de Janeiro, investigating the process of territorial regulatory construction, including legal and administrative mediations for conservation units in Rio de Janeiro from 1975 to 2002. The territorial realities observed in three state parks did not reflect the legal purposes of nature conservation, and the contradictions were flagrant, which was the main subject of debate in the thesis itself.