Land use plans as a tool for community natural resources management in protected areas in Brazil.

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze the land use plans of farms as a tool to establish the rules for the community management of common goods in the different types of proteceted areas created by the federal government of Brazil. These plans intend to address the demands of peasants for land reform which not only ensures the farm, but combine the preservation of natural resources with extractive activities. This article questions the contribution of the land use plan as a guiding element for the conduct of activities in the protected area. We show that planning is a current idea, even indirectly, in different rural development schools of thought, such as agroecology and permaculture. We conclude that, despite the aim of enhancing democracy and users participation, the form of the community planning of natural resources management of in these protected areas has significant limitations, mainly not provide for the possibility to change some rules that prove inadequate and include others not planned initially to the land use plan.