The History of the Establishment and Management Philosophies of the Portuguese Protected Areas: Combining Written Records and Oral History

Abstract

The history of the establishment and management philosophies of the mainland Portuguese Protected Areas was reconstructed through the use of written records and oral history interviews. The objectives were to review the main philosophies in the creation and management of these areas, to assess the influence of international PA models, to compare the Portuguese case with other European and international literature concerning PAs and to discuss the value of the oral history in this research. As main results, it was found that the initial management model of "Wilderness (or Yellowstone)" was replaced by the "new paradigm" of PAs when the democracy was re-established. Changes in the management philosophies within this "new paradigm" were also identified, which resulted in the transition of a "Landscape" to a "Nature conservation" model. After the establishment of the Natura 2000 network, the "Biodiversity conservation" model prevailed. It was also found that the initiative for the establishment of most PAs came from the government, although there were few cases of creation due to the action of NGOs and municipalities. Finally, oral history interviews enabled the addition of information to the literature review, but also provided more insight and detail to this history.

Towards a European Policy for Rewilding

“…(EEA 2013a(EEA , 2013b. a European network of Nationally Designated Protected Areas, Natura 2000 sites, and overlap between the two designations; b Proportion of each EU28 country within a protected area (Nationally Designated Protected Areas and Natura 2000 sites); c Proportion of each EU28 country within a protected area in category I or II of the IUCN Moreover, designating a protected area is one thing, but establishing it in situ and managing it efficiently will depend on the financial and political supports of the local governments (Leverington et al 2010;Pinto and Partidário 2012). As a result, designated PAs might suffer from a lack of adequate monitoring budget and trained staff (Hochkirch et al 2013).…”

“…Communication between scientists, policy-makers, decisionmakers, and the public will be essential to allow the implementation of rewilding, and to promote the values of wilderness in a landscape. Development initiatives are also known to ease the transitions between one form of management and another, for instance by increasing the support of local communities for the protected area (Pinto and Partidário 2012). Giving the opportunities to populations to shift their activities from low-income agriculture to ecotourism in rewilded areas can be an efficient way to meet both ends (see Chaps.…”

“…Pinto and Partidário 2012). The conservation and management of the European biodiversity has evolved since the 1970s (Fig.…”

“…At the same time, the first "National Parks" (NP) were designated in the USA, in Yosemite NP, in 1864, then Yellowstone NP, in 1872 (Possingham et al 2006), with the aim of preserving nature for recreational, cultural and ethical reasons (BorriniFeyerabend et al 2013). In 1909 the first European park was created in Sweden (Pinto and Partidário 2012;Ramão et al 2012). Yet, it was not until the second half of the twentieth century that the official definition of "National Parks" was given by the IUCN as the first resolution of its 10th assembly (IUCN 1969).…”

Rewilding European Landscapes

“…At the same time, the first "National Parks" (NP) were designated in the USA, in Yosemite NP, in 1864, then Yellowstone NP, in 1872 (Possingham et al 2006), with the aim of preserving nature for recreational, cultural and ethical reasons (Borrini-Feyerabend et al 2013). In 1909 the first European park was created in Sweden (Pinto and Partidário 2012;Ramão et al 2012). Yet, it was not until the second half of the twentieth century that the official definition of "National Parks" was given by the IUCN as the first resolution of its 10th assembly (IUCN 1969).…”