Protected Areas

When results of the two processes arecompared, it can be seen that in termsof the number of areas, there was asignificant increase from 900 areas inthe 1998/2000 process to 2684 in the2005/2006 process. It is believed thatthis increase results form the followingfactors: quantitative and qualitativeimprovement of data made available byresearchers, research centers and bypublic institutions during the processfor the definition of priority areas; themethodology used which counted on thedecisive and important participation ofa great number of specialists in definingthe conservation targets and objectivesthrough the use of software used in thedecision-making process and that helpedbuild the scenarios; and the participationof society as it was able to aggregateits empirical knowledge to the scientificknowledge of specialists in building thismanagement instrument.The priority areas were updated andformally acknowledged through MMA’sAdministrative Decree 9 of January 23,2007, for the purpose of: formulating andimplementing public policies, programs,projects and activities geared toward insitu biodiversity conservation; sustainableuse of biodiversity components; sharingof benefits resulting from the accessto genetic resources and associatedtraditional knowledge; research andinventories on biodiversity; recoveryof degraded areas and species thatare over-exploited or endangered and;economically valuing biodiversity.48