Paths towards a conscientious public management for the Marine Natural Park of Recife de Fora in Porto Seguro, Bahia State, Brazil

Abstract

This paper addresses the need to adopt public policies and sustainable behaviors to ensure a balanced environment, based on the reality of the Marine Natural Park of Recife de Fora (Porto Seguro, Bahia State), which is highlighted for harboring ecosystems of ecological and economic importance, threatened by human activities. Among the suggested policies are tax instruments, with emphasis on the environmental tax, aimed at inducing environmentally friendly behaviors. The park's "visitation fee" is treated as a fiscal instrument, aiming to collect resources for specific entities, without emphasizing its environmental destination. Therefore, it is recommended to create an environmental tax strictly focused on environmental protection, dissociating it from other revenues and applying it systematically in environmental policies. Additionally, it proposes that projects and actions related to the Park undergo prior evaluation by the Municipal Council of Environment to prevent resource misallocation. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need to estimate the costs of preservation and recovery actions for the Park, to assess whether the generated revenue is sufficient and, if necessary, make adjustments to the fee charged for the "Financial Visitation Fee." Transparency in Park management is also essential, which could be promoted by creating an exclusive webpage to disclose information about the "Financial Visitation Fee" and Park Fund management.