Rethinking Conservation Strategies in Brazil
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ENV/105x, Environment Building, Campus West, University of York (Map)
Event details
The Campos Gerais Ecoregion in Brazil, a biodiversity-rich and culturally significant part of the highly threatened Atlantic Rainforest, urgently needs better conservation strategies. The current Brazilian conservation model, based on US Park model by land expropriation, is often impractical due to limited resources. A more relevant approach may be found in the UK National Park model such as the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales.
UK Parks rely on partnerships, land-use regulation, and incentives rather than outright land purchase. Key strategies from the UK model, such as regenerative farming, habitat restoration, community-based tourism, and participatory governance, offer actionable and locally adaptable policies for sustainable land management in Campos Gerais. This shift is critical to combat rapid ecological fragmentation and support the region's unique natural and archaeological heritage.
By drawing on the successes of UK National Parks, this research aims to develop actionable, locally adapted strategies to support sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation in Campos Gerais and the Atlantic Rainforest.
About the speaker
Dr Carlos Hugo Rocha
Carlos Hugo Rocha, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Agroecology and Natural Resource Management at the Soil Science and Agriculture Engineering Department of Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa in Paraná, Brazil, since 1991. Dr. Rocha holds a PhD in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from Colorado State University – USA (2009).
His research focuses on Sustainable Rural Development, Landscape Ecology, Agroecology, Nature Conservation and the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. His goal is to drive landscape and regional transformations for sustainability in Brazil by developing agroecology-based smallholder farming systems and strengthening biodiversity conservation through collaborative research and action.