Comparing park land management practices in the UK and Brazil

Context

Rethinking Conservation Strategies: Lessons from UK National Parks for Campos Gerais

In the UK, National Parks—such as the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, and Lake District—operate through partnerships, regulatory land use, and incentives. These models may offer a more relevant framework for conservation in Campos Gerais than the US-inspired Park System adopted in Brazil, which relies on land expropriation. Given the scarcity of resources for land acquisition, a more pragmatic approach is essential. Key strategies developed in English National Parks—such as regenerative farming, conservation grazing, habitat restoration, blue corridors, archaeological heritage protection, long-term sustainability planning, community-based tourism, and participatory governance—are particularly relevant for shaping conservation policies in Campos Gerais.

Why Now? The Urgency of Conservation in Campos Gerais

Campos Gerais is a biodiversity-rich landscape within the subtropical Atlantic Rainforest global hotspot. Characterised by extensive grasslands, relics of semi-arid climates, and riparian forests of Araucaria angustifolia along fault-oriented waterways, the region is ecologically significant. It also holds immense cultural heritage, with around 200 catalogued archaeological sandstone cave paintings—many more likely to be discovered along the 250 km escarpment. Despite their importance, these sites remain largely unexplored in terms of their archaeological potential.

However, the region faces pressing conservation challenges. With only 19,060 km² of restricted grasslands and increasing ecosystem fragmentation, Campos Gerais—alongside the Araucaria Forests—is among Brazil’s most threatened ecosystems. Remaining natural landscapes are becoming isolated habitat islands, while subsidies for intensive farming continue to drive rapid ecological transformation. Existing protected areas are small, insufficient, and poorly managed, with Park Services ill-equipped to engage with stakeholders and implement effective conservation policies.

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.

Aims and Objectives

This project seeks to foster collaboration between researchers from YESI, the University of York (UoY), and the State University of Ponta Grossa (UEPG) to co-develop a major interdisciplinary grant project. The project will explore the intersection of science, public policy, and land management to enhance biodiversity conservation in Campos Gerais National Park—the region’s most significant protected area, spanning 21,300 hectares.