Implications of "ICMS-Ecológico"policy for the management and tourist use of conservations units in the state of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

“ICMS-Ecológico” (ICMS-E) is an economic instrument adopted in Brazil that encourages the adoption of environmental actions at the municipal level and has been used as an innovative tool in support of public policies for biodiversity conservation. It establishes environmental criteria as conditions for channeling funds raised with value-added taxes to municipalities, rewarding environmentally desirable initiatives. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, the ICMS-E was legally created in 2007 and several criteria have been set for the transfer of funds, such as the existence of conservation units (UCs) in municipal territory, who is the main criterion. Considering this context, the objective of this article is to interpret the implications of the ICMS-E for the management of the UCs created and for the enhancement of these areas as spaces of public use, mainly for visitation and tourism. For this purpose, the methodology included interviews with the institutional actors responsible for implementing the ICMS-E in this state and with representatives of the municipalities selected to compose the research (Mesquita, Miguel Pereira, Nova Iguaçu, Arraial do Cabo, Conceição de Macabu and Resende). The results show that the ICMS-E has triggered significant advances regarding the creation of UCs in the state, but several difficulties are still observed in order to guarantee an effective management of these natural areas and their tourist use in a proper manner.