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Beyond Greening: Reflections on Tourism in the Rio-Process | Positioningpaperthe forest without destroying it is equal to sustainable development. Mendes was assassinatedby land grabbers in December 1988 at his house in Xapuri, in the state of Acre. 52Extractive Reserves are part of the Brazilian national system of protected areas(Kalikoski/Vasconsellos, 2012). The National System for Conservation Units (SNUC) definesthem as a "Protected Area for Sustainable Use by Traditional Populations". The governmentdecree 98.897 of January 30, 1990 signed by President Collor (later impeached) andEnvironment Minister José Antonio Lutzenberger is the legal basis for extractive reserves anddefines RESEX as "territorial space destined to self-sustainable exploration and conservationof renewable natural resources" and establishes that the executive power shall create thosereservations in territorial spaces considered of ecologic and social interest.Ownership vs. stewardship for sustainable useTraditional populations living in forests, along rivers or coasts can apply to the Instituto ChicoMendes for Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), the government agency responsible forprotected areas and conservation of biodiversity, for the creation of a RESEX. After anextensive review of the legitimacy of the community, land or sea rights and their extractivepractices, the request is reviewed by government agencies, state governments and is subjectedto public hearings in the community before it is submitted to the President of the Republic forsignature of the decree. The government cedes the rights of use of land and sea and thepopulation receives a collective title for land use. This impedes the sale of the land which isfederal property, federal laws apply, and law enforcement is of federal nature. The concessionguarantees access to land and sea for the future generations of the local community.Governance: Utilization and legislationThe next step after the decree creating the RESEX is the orientation of the local communityand the creation of groups representing all the community's segments – fisherfolk, women,youth, farmers, tourism service providers, commerce, and so on. The groups choose arepresentative and a substitute to participate in the deliberative council. This deliberativecouncil is the governing body of the RESEX and the majority (51 percent) of votes belongs tocommunity groups, with external groups from local and state government, NGOs, academia,and neighbouring communities completing the council. Resolutions passed by the deliberativecouncil and sanctioned by the Government become federal law. The manager of the RESEXrepresenting the Federal Government (ICMBio) is the president of the deliberative council.Once the RESEX is established and ratified, a management plan must be developed for thesustainable use of the RESEX. Enforcement in the RESEX is the responsibility of the FederalGovernment with community participation. The management plan elaborated by the RESEXcommunity with help from members of the deliberative council and government should be inplace within five years from the date of designation, although this has not always been thecase.Carbon credit and payment for environmental servicesCarbon credit programs should provide funds to compensate local communities for theenvironmental services of their RESEX. This adds income from tourism and other traditionalproductive activities like fishing, hunting, agriculture and arts and handicraft. Brazil alreadyhas legislation which regulates payments for environmental services in RESEX, with the first52 www.edf.org/climate/chico‐mendes‐legacy80
Beyond Greening: Reflections on Tourism in the Rio-Process | Positioningpaperprojects still in experimental phases in the state of Amazonas. Brazil has great potential forcarbon credit programs to benefit local communities, contribute to poverty reduction andbiodiversity conservation as well as help mitigate climate change.Prainha do Canto Verde as a model of sustainable developmentThis fishing community in the state of Ceará (Northeast Brazil) has become a classic exampleof resistance against real estate speculation defeating land grabbers in a 25 year battle in thefield and in the judicial system, leading to the Superior Tribunal of Justice ruling in favour ofthe community. With local and international support and networks Prainha do Canto Verdehas developed projects for sustainable fisheries, community-based tourism, organic farming,and other sustainable economic activities. In 2009, the President of the Republic, "Lula" LuisInácio da Silva, signed the presidential decree creating the RESEX of Prainha do Canto Verde,thus guaranteeing human rights for the community residents. The RESEX of Canto Verdecovers 252 km 2 , of which 610 hectares are terrestrial and the rest is marine. Communityresidents have begun legislating for sustainable use. For example, before 2009 the regulationsfor new constructions were voluntary village agreements without any legal basis. In 2011, amodified version of this voluntary agreement was approved by the deliberative council andsanctioned by the government to become federal law, with the Federal Police responsible forits enforcement.This caused a conflict for land with a member of a wealthy family of the elite of Ceará andowner of a conglomerate of private schools who claims to own over 50 percent of the RESEXterritory and is using his political clout to fight the RESEX. He has initiated several law suitsagainst the RESEX and is dividing the community through subversive activities. To no avail –the presence of Mr. Tales Montano Sá Cavalcante in the RESEX is under scrutiny and theFederal Government will appropriate his mansion constructed illegally 20 years ago.In focus groups and hearings of fishers of the community and neighbouring communities,fishing regulations within the RESEX are currently being negotiated (April 2012). Onceconsensus is reached the resolution will be voted by the deliberative council and becomefederal fisheries and conservation law for the RESEX. The proposal for this RESEX initiallyexcludes motor vessels as a precautionary measure to safeguard marine stocks until stockassessments are available and scientific data is made available to support managementdecisions. Neighbouring communities using sail craft and sustainable fishing gear will begranted special fishing permits. Fishers are criticizing the lack of enforcement at sea againstpoachers of the valuable lobster resource. The community is ready to participate in a UNEPproject for sustainable production and consumption which will lead to the certification of thelobster catches from the RESEX. Prainha do Canto Verde has been a pioneer in fisheriescertification since a pre-assessment along the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) principlesand certification criteria was carried out in 2000.The RESEX has already brought many advantages to the local population and helps themguarantee human rights of access to land and marine resources and self-determination. Specialcredit lines and projects for economic development are available to local residents. Fishers askfor more efficient management and enforcement of the RESEX by the responsible governmentagency. This is needed to accelerate the implementation of the RESEX and to complete themanagement plan by June 2014 – the year of the FIFA Soccer World Cup in Brazil.81
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Beyond Greening - Tourism Watch

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