PROTECTED AREAS IN CANADA

Paulo Bidegain

Parks and protected areas in Canada have a long tradition, dating back to 1885. The first designated protected area was Banff National Park, established in 1885 to protect hot springs discovered on the eastern slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, only three years after Yellowstone National Park was established by USA.

It was followed by the Parks of Niagara (1885, formerly known as Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park) established by the Government of Ontario, Last Mountain Lake (1887) in Saskatchewan, Canada’s first waterfowl refuge, and two Ontario Provincial Parks, Algonquin (1893) and Rondeau (1894). 

In 1911 the world’s first organization charged with the management of national parks, the Dominion Parks Branch, was established, which is nowadays the Parks Canada Agency. 

Under the Constitution of Canada, responsibility for environmental management, including in that broad mandate the designation and implementation of parks and protected areas in Canada, is a shared responsibility between the federal government and provincial/territorial governments. A small but increasing number is also administered by Aboriginal governments and communities. Some protected areas are jointly managed by two or more administrations.  

Canada has ratified the following international agreements relating to protected areas and habitats:

·      Convention on Biological Diversity;

·    Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar); 

·      Declaration of Intent for the Conservation of North American Birds and their Habitat;  

·      Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and Their Habitats;

·      Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in the United States and Canada;  

·   Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Heard;

·     Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage World Heritage Convention;

By 2011, figures show that: 

·    Canada has substantially grown the amount of area protected in the last 60 years: 1950 = 1.7% of Canada: 1975 = 3.0%; 2000 = 6.7%; 2005 = 9.3%; 2010 = 11.8%);

·   Canada has set aside 11.8% of its lands and freshwaters as protected areas (permanent and interim);

·    Only 45,280 km² (0.64 %) of Canada’s oceans are protected;

·   Canada’s terrestrial protected areas network includes a total of 117.9 million hectares (ha). 36.0 million hectares ha (30.5%) of these lands currently have interim protection;

·    For IUCN categories I to IV, Canada has set aside 7.9% (78.9 M ha) of its lands and freshwaters;

·    20% of Canada’s ecozones are afforded greater than 20% protection, 40% have between 10% and 20% protection, and 40% have less than 10% protection;

·   The extent of protected areas in Canada varies considerably between different ecological regions of the country. 22.4% of the Arctic Cordillera ecozone is found within protected areas, compared with 8.4% of the Boreal Shield ecozone, and 1.1% of the Mixedwood Plain ecozone (Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Valley).

·   Three jurisdictions have set aside more than 10% of their area: British Columbia at 14.5%, Alberta at 12.5% and Yukon at 10.8% ;

·   Northwest Territories and Quebec have added the most area of new protected areas between 2000 and 2010 (23,011.437 and 12,551,481 hectares respectively);

·   Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador have increased the most between 2000 and 2010 as a percent of what they had in 2000 (2009% and 342% respectively) (Environment Canada, 2009; Lee and Cheng, 2010)

In Canada, at federal level, there is not an official system of parks and protected established by law. Instead, many types of protected areas have been designed and managed by separated institutions based on specific acts and policies. Each has its own legislation, with different level of protection.

Summary of Canada’s Federal Protected Areas of National and International Recognition

Recognition	Type	Steward	Legislation	Major Policy
National Recognition	National Parks and National Parks Reserve	Parks Canada Agency	National Parks Act	National Park System Plan
	Gatineau Park	NCC	None	Gatineau Park Management Plan
	National Historic Sites	Parks Canada Agency	Historic Sites and Monuments Act	National Historic Sites of Canada System Plan
	National Marine Conservation Areas	Parks Canada Agency	Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act	i) National Marine Conservation Areas Policy ii) Sea to Sea to Sea –Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas System Plan
	Marine Protected Areas	Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)	Oceans Act	i) National Framework for Establishing and Managing Marine Protected Areas ii) Ocean Strategy
	Migratory Bird Sanctuary	Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service	Migratory Birds Convention Act:	Migratory Bird Sanctuary Policy, Criteria and Procedures
	National Wildlife Areas	Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service	Canada Wildlife Act:	i) Wildlife Policy for Canada Criteria for Selecting Candidate National Wildlife Areas
	Heritage Rivers	Parks Canada Agency (CHR Board Secretariat)	No new legislation, depend on existing laws and regulation	Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS)
International Recognition	Wetlands of International Importance	Environment Canada Canadian Wildlife Service	Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar)	National Ramsar Program Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation
	World Heritage Sites	Parks Canada	World Heritage Convention	Tentative List for World Heritage Sites in Canada.
	Biosphere Reserves	Environment Canada	None	The UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve Program

Source: compiled from several sources.    

Additionally, there are at least more 13 protected areas systems, being 10 provincial and three territorial.

Parks Canada is the major protected area agency, managing 42 parks, ranging in size from 8.7 km² to 44,807 km² and collectively covering an area of 224,466 km², which represents 2.2% of the total area of Canada. 

Environment Canada is responsible for 51 National Wildlife Areas (NWAs) and 92 Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, to protect habitat for migratory birds, support wildlife or ecosystems at risk, or represent rare or unusual wildlife habitat or a biogeographic region. Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages eight marine protected areas (MPAs).

Forty-one rivers have been nominated to the Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS), totalling almost 11,000 kilometres. Canada presently has 37 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Site), with a surface area of 13,066,675 hectares. On top of that, 16 Biosphere Reserve and 15 World Heritage Sites have been established. 

In 1992, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial ministers of environment, parks and wildlife signed a Statement of Commitment to Complete Canada’s Network of Protected Areas, but the goals weren’t met

Major challenges related to protected areas plan and management are:

·      The needs for a national strategy and an up-to-date management plan;  

·      Insufficient human and financial resources; 

·    Pressures for development within the parks to accommodate the demands of visitors without damaging the ecosystems;

·      Visitor satisfaction improvement;

·     Keep national parks’ ecological integrity;

·   External threats management, such as invasion by exotic species, poaching, mining, logging, agriculture, urbanization, fire, water projects, hunting, tourism, acid precipitation, and chemical pollution;

·     Effects of climate change, in which several protected areas are project to experience a change in biome type (parks will no longer be representative of their natural region);

·   Research partnerships (Dearden, 2008, Dearden and Mitchell, 2009, Lemieux. and. Scott, 2005)

Sources

Dearden, P & Mitchell, B. I. (2009). Endanged Species and Protected Areas. In: ___.  Environmental Change and Challenge: A Canadian Perspective. Third Edition, Oxford University Press.

Dearden, P. (2008). Progress and Problems in Canada’s Protected Areas: Overview of Progress, Chronic Issues and Emerging Challenges in the Early 21st Century. Paper Commissioned for Canadian Parks for Tomorrow: 40th Anniversary Conference, May 8 to 11, 2008, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.  Retrieved December 2, 2011, from University of Calgary Website: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/46957

Dudley, N. (Editor) (2008). Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.  x+ 86pp.

Dudley, N., Mulongoy, K.J., Cohen S, Stolton, S., Barber, C.V. & Gidda, S.B. (2005). Towards Effective Protected Area Systems. An Action Guide to Implement the Convention on Biological Diversity Programme of Work on Protected Areas. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal, Technical Series no. 18, 108 pages.

Ecological Stratification Working Group (1995). A National Ecological Framework for Canada. Report and national map at 1:7 500 000 scale. Ottawa: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research; and Hull: Environment Canada, State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch.

Environment Canada. (2008). Compendium of International Environmental Agreements. Gatineau, Quebec. Multilateral and Bilateral Relations Directorate. International Affairs Branch.

NRC. (2011). Protected Areas through Time In: ____. The Atlas of Canada. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/environment/protectedarea

Environment Canada. (2009). Canada’s 4th National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Gatineau, Quebec. Ecosystems and Biodiversity Priorities Division.

Lee, P. and Cheng, R. (2010). Canada’s Terrestrial Protected Areas Status Report 2010: Number, Area and “Naturalness.” Edmonton, Alberta. Global Forest Watch Canada, 10th Anniversary Publication #6. 155 pp. The most updated source of Canada protected areas.   

Lemieux, C. and. Scott, D. J. (2005). Climate change, biodiversity conservation and protected area planning in Canada. The Canadian Geographer 49, no 4 (2005) 384–399

UNEP/CDB (2011). United Nation Decade of Biodiversity. Protected Areas Fast Facts. Retrieved December 8, 2011, from UNEP Website:    

http://www.cbd.int/undb/media/factsheets/en/undb-factsheet-pa-en.pdf

Mental health benefits of the outdoors

Source:  Sarah McMichael - Ontario Parks Blog.

http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/mental-health-benefits-outdoors/#more-23638

Do you ever find yourself feeling calmer, more relaxed, or more focussed after spending time in nature? That’s because time outside has studied and proven benefits for your mental health. Mental illness affects one in five Canadians in any given year. This World Mental Health Day, let’s talk about what some Vitamin N (nature) can do for your mental health.

A simple stay in the outdoors can do wonders for relieving anxiety, stress, and depression. Countless studies have proven that nature has a positive effect on your mental health. What you see, hear, and experience in nature can improve your mood in a moment.

There is a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced negative emotions. This includes symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic illnesses like irritability, insomnia, tension headaches, and indigestion.

Feeling stressed? Research shows a link between exposure to nature and stress reduction. Stress is relieved within minutes of exposure to nature as measured by muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain activity. Time in green spaces significantly reduces your cortisol, which is a stress hormone. Nature also boosts endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes happiness.

Nature has a myriad of other brain benefits as well. Contact with nature has restorative properties, increasing energy and improving feelings of vitality and focus. Being nearby to nature has been shown to reduce symptoms of ADHD.

Are you stuck on a project or idea? Being outside also improves creative thinking.5 Proximity to green space can restore capacity for concentration and attention.

Trouble sleeping? A two-hour walk in the woods is enough to improve sleep quality and help relieve sleep problems. Sleeping away from artificial light and waking up with natural sunlight can reset your circadian rhythm, which will help you feel refreshed after a better night’s sleep.

Nature can also help with the grief process. This is because exposure to nature causes better coping, including improved self-awareness, self-concept, and positively affected mood.

The positive effects of nature affect the way you treat others. People are more caring and positive when they are exposed to and around various forms of nature.

Getting outdoors doesn’t have to be a lot of work. There are lots of simple ways you can get quality time in nature.

Start with taking a walk in the woods. Nature walks help combat stress while improving mental well-being. Want to take your walk to the next level? Try forest bathing.

Move your workout into the outdoors. Regular use of natural areas for physical activity can reduce the risk of mental health problems by 50%. Completing activities like walking, cycling, jogging, or doing yoga in a natural environment makes you happier than in the city.

Engage your senses to maximize the health benefits of being outside. Breathe deep, as the scent of fresh pine has been shown to lower stress and anxiety. Make sure to pause and listen, as studies show that listening to nature sounds like bird songs and rushing water can help lower stress levels.

Book a camping trip. Immersing yourself in nature for a longer period of time is the best way to absorb the health benefits of the outdoors.

Parques, Intervenção e Inclusão Social

Paulo Bidegain

Em 1932, em plena grande recessão nos Estados Unidos, assume o poder o presidente Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Nos 100 primeiros dias de governo, Roosevelt aprovou diversas medidas, dentre elas a Lei do Trabalho Emergencial de Conservação (Emergency Conservation Work Act), que ficou mais conhecida como Corpo Civil de Conservação (CCC). Roosevelt propôs recrutar milhares de trabalhadores, alistá-lo em um exército civil e enviá-los para os “campos de batalha” para lutar contra a erosão e a destruição ambiental. A velocidade recorde com o plano avançou desde o planejamento, autorização e operação é tido como um feito de cooperação entre agências e departamentos do Governo Federal. O primeiro trabalhador alistou-se apenas 37 dias após a posse do presidente.

Conhecido também como “Roosevelt's Tree Army”, o CCC durou cerca de dez anos e produziu os seguintes resultados: 

·         3,470 torres de observação de incêndios florestais erguidas;

·         156 mil km de estradas de apoio ao combate à incêndios florestais;  

·         2 milhões de horas de 235 mil homens devotadas para combater incêndios;

·         3 bilhões de árvores plantadas;

·         Proteção de habitats de animais silvestres;

·         Controle de doenças e de insetos;

·         Inventários florestais e reflorestamentos;

·         Implantação de infraestruturas para recreação em parques e áreas protegidas;

Muitos políticos da época acreditam que o CCC foi o maior responsável pela queda de 55% da criminalidade no país. Nos parques e áreas protegidas, o CCC plantou árvores, abriu e manteve estradas, trilhas e mirantes, além de construir áreas de piquenique, campings, cabanas, banheiros públicos e outras infraestruturas e facilidades.

Em 1985, John Paige, funcionário do Serviço de Parque Nacional dos Estados Unidos (National Park Service) publicou um relatório intitulado “The Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service, 1933– 1945: An Administrative History”. No relatório, Paige cita que o grande impulso para a disseminação dos parques estaduais em todo o país foi devido ao CCC.

Já em 1935, graças aos serviços do CCC, 41 estados desenvolviam programas para implantação de parques estaduais visando aproveitar a mão-de-obra remunerada pelo Governo Federal. Para exemplificar, em 1933 o Poder Legislativo da Florida rapidamente aprovou uma lei determinando ao Conselho Florestal a incumbência de selecionar áreas adequadas para implantação de parques e florestas estaduais. O sistema de parques estaduais da Flórida foi oficialmente instituído em 1935 e, em apenas um ano, sete áreas protegidas foram criadas. Paige aponta que o CCC estimulou a criação de nada menos que 711 parques estaduais no país.

Os resultados extraordinários obtidos pelo CCC na década de 1930 do século passado comprovam que os parques podem ser instrumentos efetivos de inclusão social e fazer a diferença.  O Estado Rio de Janeiro abriga em suas regiões mais pobres, milhares de jovens que não trabalham nem estudam, sem perspectivas de futuro e esperança de uma vida melhor.

Inspirado no CCC, o Exército, com apoio dos Governos Federal e do Estado e das Prefeituras poderia desenvolver um programa semelhante, recrutando jovens entre 16 e 25 anos para trabalhar nos parques nacionais, estaduais e municipais e nas praças, parques urbanos e praias ou mesmo para a melhoria ambiental e urbanística das comunidades. O programa pode envolver treinamento básico para as funções e, ao mesmo tempo, a capacitação para exercer uma profissão, preparando-os para quando fossem desligados do programa.    

Os jovens podem trabalhar tanto na sede dos órgãos gestores de áreas protegidas quando nas pontas. A experiência internacional mostra que para operar de forma eficiente, parques demandam diversas profissões de nível médio. O quadro a seguir resume um elenco preliminar de ocupações.   

Atividade	Profissões de Nível Médio e Elementar
Turismo, Uso Público e Comunicação	Técnico de Gestão de Turismo, Técnico em Guia de Turismo, Técnico em Lazer, Técnico em Eventos, Técnico em Hospedagem, Monitor de Turismo, Atendente Bilíngue, Salva-Vidas. Webdesigner, Técnico de Comunicação.
Manejo da Flora e Fauna	Técnico de Meio Ambiente, Técnicos Agrícolas e Florestais, Jardineiros, Mergulhador, Piloto de Embarcação (Mestre Arrais)
Proteção	Técnico Guarda-Parque, Bombeiro Civil (resgate e combate a incêndios)
Infraestrutura (Manutenção e Reparo Predial), Veiculos e Equipamentos	Técnicos de Edificação, Eletricistas, Bombeiros Hidráulicos, Pedreiros, Carpinteiros, Mecânico.
Geoprocessamento	Técnico de Geoprocessamento
Administração	Técnico Administrativo, Auxiliar de Escritório, Almoxarife, Secretária, Técnico de Segurança do Trabalho, Técnico de Recursos Humanos

Para viabilizar recursos basta cortar a enorme gordura dos superorçamentos de órgãos como o Tribunal de Justiça do Estado (R$ 3,663 bilhões), ALERJ (R$ 1,031 bilhão), Tribunal de Contas do Estado (R$ 717,3 milhões), Defensoria Pública Geral do Estado (R$ 649 milhões) e da Procuradoria Geral do Estado (R$ 326 milhões). Ou mesmo da Câmara de Vereadores, Procuradoria e Controladoria Geral da Capital, que juntos gastam R$ 1,2 bilhão, transferindo-os para o programa.  

Para mais informações:

Civilian Conservation Corps (Wikipedia) – clique aqui

Civilian Conservation Corps (National Park Service) – clique aqui

Civilian Conservation Corps (US History Site) – clique aqui

Civilian Conservation Corps Museum – clique aqui

Roosevelt's Tree Army – clique aqui

Vídeo American Experience The Civilian Conservation Corps – clique aqui

Video Trail of History - Civilian Conservation Corp & Works Progress Administration – clique aqui

Criado o Parque Estadual do Canyon do Rio Poti, um tesouro no coração da Caatinga

Paulo Bidegain 

Foto: Juscel Reis / Overmundo

Despercebido pela grande imprensa, o Brasil ganhou um grande presente no dia 18 de outubro de 2017. Trata-se da criação do Parque Estadual do Canyon do Rio Poti pelo Governo do Estado do Piauí (Decreto Estadual 17.429 de 18/19/2017). 

Localizado no município de Buriti dos Montes (PI) e contando com 24.772 ha de superfície e 118 km de perímetro, o parque protege um estirão do rio Poti que corre em um canyon, além de áreas contíguas com vegetação de caatinga e arte rupestre. O órgão gestor do Parque é a Secretaria Estadual do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos (SEMAR) do Piauí. 

O Governo do Ceará está estudando a criação de uma área protegida junto ao Parque Estadual do Canyon do Rio Poti, para compor um conjunto de parques ao longo do canyon, o que poderá mudar o cenário econômico da região, criando empregos compatíveis com a proteção da paisagem. A criação dos parques afasta a ameaça das barragens que poderiam submergir um valioso patrimônio natural e arqueológico do Brasil.

O RIO POTI E O CANYON

O Poti, que em tupi-guarani quer dizer camarão, nasce na Serra dos Cariris Novos, município de Quiterianópolis (CE). Sua principal nascente brota na localidade de Jatobá, no Olho-d’água da Gameleira. A comunidade de Santa Maria, em Quiterianópolis, é o povoamento mais próximo. O rio percorre 538 km da nascente à foz, dos quais 180 km na forma de um canyon. É um afluente da margem direita do rio Parnaíba e um rio permanente que cruza uma região semi-árida, tendo portanto uma importância crucial. 

No Parque, as águas do rio Poti são límpidas e transparentes. O canyon é uma formação geológica que corta a Serra de Ibiapaba entre o Piauí e o Ceará, estendendo-se por 180 km pelos municípios de Crateús, no Ceará, e Castelo, Buriti dos Montes e Juazeiro no Piauí.

Conhecido localmente como “Boqueirão do Poti”, o canyon foi formado pela erosão mecânica das águas do rio sobre as rochas sedimentares da Formação Cabeças, depositada no período Devoniano durante a Era Paleozóica, por volta de 400 milhões de anos atrás. O rio entalhou seu leito natural aproveitando uma falha tectônica conhecida como Lineamento Transbrasiliano, que corta o Brasil desde Sobral até o Mato Grosso. Os paredões do Canyon chegam a ter 60 metros de altura e suas rochas areníticas mostram colorações brancas, amarelas e vermelhas, além de belas formas esculpidas pela correnteza do rio durante milhões de anos. 

Fonte CPRM

Imagem de Satélite do Canyon

GRAVURAS E PINTURAS RUPESTRES

O Parque abriga milhares de inscrições rupestres nas rochas do Canyon, com variados estilos artísticos retratando, em sua maioria, figuras humanas e de animais. São gravuras rupestres muito antigas e singulares, diferentes das existentes nos Parques Nacionais de Sete Cidades e da Serra da Capivara, ambos no Piaui.

Pesquisadores da Universidade Federal do Piauí afirmam que a diversidade de gravuras mostra que diferentes grupos viveram na região. Ressaltam ainda que o sitio arqueológico é um dos mais importantes do Brasil. As milhares de gravuras rupestres foram talhadas e picotadas em baixo relevo na própria rocha, geralmente sem uso de pigmentos. Pinturas rupestres são aplicações de tinturas minerais e orgânicas sobre a rocha. Há também pinturas rupestres em abrigos sob as rochas. As gravuras e pinturas podem contribuir para o entendimento do modo de vida dos povos que habitavam a região, pois eram a forma que eles tinham de transferir conhecimento.

O Núcleo de Antropologia Pré-Histórica da Universidade Federal do Piauí (NAP-Ufpi) constatou que existem mais de 500 sítios arqueológicos na região de Castelo do Piauí, Juazeiro e Buriti dos Montes. Neles estão tesouros arqueológicos em pinturas e gravuras rupestres ainda não estudados ou sequer datados, quer dizer, avaliados quanto à sua idade.

Um forte candidato a ser tombado pelo IPHAN ou mesmo reconhecido no futuro como patrimônio mundial da humanidade pela UNESCO.

BIODIVERSIDADE

Segundo a Associação Caatinga, o parque abriga cerca de 1.400 espécies de animais, entre mamíferos, aves, répteis, anfíbios, peixes e insetos. Dentre as espécies que motivaram a criação da área protegida destaca-se o tatu-bola (Tolypeutes tricinctus), sério candidato a se tornar o animal símbolo do parque.

POTENCIAL TURÍSTICO

O potencial turístico do Parque e de sua área de influência é excepcional para a prática de diversas atividades aquáticas e terrestres como contemplação da natureza, descida do rio em canoa e caiaque, banho, mergulho, slackline, rapel, caminhadas, ciclismo, acampamento selvagem a apreciação da caatinga e das inscrições rupestres. Ano passado aconteceu o Canyon Fest do Poti oferecendo um circuito de turismo, arte, cultura e natureza entre as cidades de Castelo, Juazeiro e Buriti dos Montes. O Canyon Fest teve ainda atividades de motocross, trilhas, canoagem e ciclismo.

PLANEJE SUA VIAGEM

O Parque acaba de ser criado, logo não dispõe de infraestrutura e serviços de apoio ao visitante. Todavia, os comerciantes e guias locais estão se organizando para receber os visitantes e ofertar serviços. 

Quando ir

O melhor período para visitar o Parque é entre julho e dezembro, após o período das chuvas. Clique aqui para ver a previsão do tempo.  

Porta de Entrada

A porta de entrada do Parque é a cidade de Castelo do Piauí, situada 184 km a leste de Teresina. Clique aqui para ver o mapa de acesso. 

A cidade de Crateús (CE) também dá acesso ao canyon. Pode-se chegar ao Parque navegando-se pelo rio Poti. Crateús dista 280 km de Teresina e 354 km de Fortaleza. Clique aqui para ver o mapa de acesso. 

Acesso ao Canyon

O acesso ao canyon, principal atração do Parque, é feito através de duas estradas vicinais: uma pela cidade de Castelo do Piauí e outra pela cidade de Juazeiro do Piauí.  

Informações

Secretaria Estadual do Meio Ambiente e Recursos Hídricos – SEMAR - site 

Diretoria de Parques e Florestas

Secretaria Estadual de Turismo – SETUR - site

Telefone: (86) 3216-2664

e-mail: seturpiascom@gmail.com

Associação dos Condutores de Turistas e Visitantes de Castelo (Condatur) - Castelo do Piaui 
Contato: (86) 9-9913-7039 - Guia Augusto Vasconcelos

Condatur Facebook  - Condatur Blog 

Ecotur Adventure Sertões de Crateús (CE)

Contato: (88) 99612-2069 - Guia Danilo
Ecotur Facebook 

SAIBA MAIS

Videos: A – B – C - D - E - F

Brazil to Expand Marine Conservation Areas in the South Atlantic

Source: GEF, March 5, 2018

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has welcomed the announcement by the government of Brazil of a proposal to expand its marine conservation efforts by creating two major protected areas around the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago and around the Islands of Trindade and of Martim Vaz.

The move represents a potentially significant contribution from Brazil to the global marine protection movement, increasing the protected areas in national seas from current 1.5 percent to 26.3 percent of the national maritime territory.

“The potential creation of these marine protected areas in remote areas of the Atlantic Ocean is good news for ocean protection and will also help Brazil meet the objectives of the GEF project on marine and coastal protection (GEF-Mar) that is directly benefitting traditional and fishing communities,” said Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Director of Programs.  

The government proposal would raise Brazil to the highest levels of marine protection in comparison with other countries, which has been receiving wide support domestically and abroad, from various government sectors and civil society organizations.

A joint effort from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Defense, the move envisages to reinforce national sovereignty in the South Atlantic, fulfilling national and international commitments to protecting at least 10% of its marine biome with biodiversity significance, following the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, the 2020 Aichi Goals, as well as the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The rock islets of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, located near the Equator line at 1000km from Northeastern Brazil and 1900km from Western Africa, constitute the smallest and remotest tropical archipelago in the planet, visited in 1832 by Charles Darwin, who studied the isolation that favors uniquely endemic species that risk extinction today.

Further South, resulting from the collision between cold ocean waters and the magma of erupted volcanos from the mountain range underneath the South Atlantic around 3.5 million years ago, the island of Trindade is the only portion tipping above sea level of the 1000km mountain range. Along with the Island of Martim Vaz, Trindade would compose another major protected area in the announced plans of the government.

Parques do Estado de Nova Iorque movimentam R$ 5 bilhões em gastos e geram 45 mil empregos

O Estado de Nova Iorque é o maior centro financeiro e comercial dos EUA, e o quarto maior centro industrial dos Estados Unidos, perdendo apenas para a Califórnia, o Texas e Ohio. Com uma superfície de 141.296 km², quase do tamanho do Ceará, abriga uma população de 19,4 milhões de habitantes (2010). 

O sistema de áreas protegidas reúne  180 parques estaduais e 35 sítios históricos.   

Estudo recente intitulado “Economic Benefits of New York State Park Sytem” realizado pela ONG Parks & Trails New York,  concluiu que o sistema de Parques movimenta R$ 5 bilhões e gera 45 mil empregos.

Abaixo a conclusão do estudo.

  

New York state receives many economic and non-economic benefits from its park system. Parks and historic sites drive economic benefits such as employment, wages and salaries, output (sales), and state GDP.

These economic impacts are the result of both spending by visitors to the parks and state government spending on operations and maintenance of the park system as well as capital improvements to the facilities. This study has estimated the economic benefi ts of New York State parks and has also cataloged some of the noneconomic benefi ts, such as health benefts and ecosystem services.

Visitor spending was the largest category of spending on parks and related goods and services. In the year from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, the New York State park system received over 67 million visits.

Visitors spent about $4 billion in visiting the parks – this includes day visitors who paid for park entrance and parking fees, and who spent money on food and beverages, transportation, and merchandise. It also includes overnight visitors who had expenditures for things like hotel rooms or camping fees and restaurant meals.

On average, day visitors spent $44.18 per visit and overnight visitors spent in the range of $93.48 to $139.79, depending on the park region and cost of living in the area.

The economic significance of visitor spending, which includes both local and non-local users and is a full measure of the eff ect on the economy, resulted in close to 45,000 jobs statewide, over $4 billion in sales, and contributed about $2.4 billion to New York’s GDP.

These estimates were derived using an inputoutput model, in this case IMPLAN v3 with 2014 data specific to New York State.

While economic signifi cance captures the full eff ect of the park, the study isolates the economic impacts, which are the net eff ect of non-local visitors. This is a subset of the economic signifi cance and represents economic activity that arguably would not occur in the absence of the park. Using a radius of 50 miles to separate local from nonlocal visitors, the study found that nonlocal visits accounted for $1.6 billion in sales, supported over 18,000 jobs throughout the state, and contributed nearly $1 billion to state GDP.

In addition to visitor spending, economic impacts are driven by state government spending on operations and maintenance as well as capital improvements of the park system.

In Fiscal Year 15/16, state spending totaled about $543 million, of which about $353 million was for O&M and $190 million for capital improvements.

These expenditures resulted in about 9,000 jobs, over $1 billion in sales, and contributed nearly $500 million to state GDP.

Combining both visitor and state  government spending, the study finds that the economic significance of the New York State park system supports 54,000 jobs, $5 billion in sales, and $2.9 billion in state GDP. Of this, the economic impacts – which exclude local visitors but include non-local visitors and state government expenditures – total 27,000 jobs, $2.6 billion in sales, and $1.5 billion in state GDP.