Government launches public notice for concession of Iguaçu National Park
The Ministry of the Environment launched today (14) the Public Notice for the Concession of the Iguaçu National Park (PR), which foresees investments of R$ 500 million in infrastructure, including improvements for the public, conservation of biodiversity and development of the surrounding cities.
The announcement took place at a ceremony held in Brasília, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of the Environment, the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), the Ministry of Tourism and the Special Secretariat of the Investment Partnership Program of the Ministry of Economy.
The Minister of the Environment, Joaquim Leite, the president of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), Marcos Simanovic, and the president of the BNDES, Gustavo Montezano, signed a contract to structure projects aimed at the concession of ten conservation units environmental. The projects aim at environmental preservation, promoting sustainable tourism and developing the surroundings of the units.
“The structuring of these environmental projects shows that the private sphere can act together with the federal government. Through ICMBio, the government exercises the power of inspection and monitoring in order to guarantee that the management plans are well executed and that the communities are appreciated in the concession model”, said Joaquim Leite.
The president of the BNDES, Gustavo Montezano, in turn, stressed that the parks agenda is about preservation, but also about promoting entrepreneurship and green jobs capable of generating a lot of income throughout Brazil. According to Montezano, the consequence of this new sectoral business line in the green economy industry is to make the country a global power in the governance of environmental assets. “With this public and private partnership, we will learn, evolve and thus become a reference”, he assured.
Park
The concession project for the Iguaçu National Park also foresees the investment of R$ 3 billion in the park's operation during the concession period. The new notice incorporates aspects related to financial sustainability, environmental preservation and concern for the surrounding communities.
According to information from the BNDES, through its press office, the future concessionaire will not be able, for example, to charge for the entrance fee beyond what is established in the contract. In addition, it will be possible to establish special packages for visits of more than one day, with the aim of encouraging the tourist to stay. Residents of the 13 municipalities surrounding the park will have a discount on admission and will pay 20% of the maximum amount provided.
The notice also meets several demands of the communities during the consultation and public hearing phases, including the increase in the amount that the concessionaire must invest in social and environmental projects, from 5% to 6% of total revenue. The public consultation received more than 300 contributions, which demonstrates the importance of popular participation in the development of the project, said the BNDES' Infrastructure, Concessions and PPPs director, Fábio Abrahão.
Duplication
The new concession could double the number of visitors to the park in the 30-year period of the new concession, due to the new contract rules that provide for the expansion of the concession area and investments capable of increasing the attractiveness of visitors.
Created in 1939, the Iguaçu National Park covers an area of almost 200,000 hectares and is the largest remaining reserve of Atlantic Forest in the region. The main tourist attraction of the park is the Iguaçu Falls, elected one of the Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011. The park also protects the rich biodiversity of Brazilian fauna and flora, some of which are threatened with extinction, such as the jaguar and the alligator. yellow chat.
New projects
The contract signed between BNDES and ICMBio aims at structuring projects aimed at the concession of ten environmental conservation units. The initiative will revitalize this set of parks and forests with a focus on environmental preservation and the development of sustainable tourism. With the bank's support, the expectation is that visits to these conservation units will surpass the mark of 2 million people a year, generating jobs and income for the local population.
The contract involves the national parks of Brasília (DF), Serra dos Órgãos (RJ), Serra da Bocaina (SP), Anavilhanas (AM), Jaú (AM), Serra da Canastra (MG), Serra Cipó (MG), Caparaó (MG), in addition to the national forests of Ipanema (SP) and Brasília (DF). Gustavo Montezano said that, once in the BNDES' portfolio, the ten parks will be modeled and planned to, "at the right time and in the proper manner, also be concessioned".
With support from the Ministry of the Environment, the BNDES will carry out technical studies, modeling projects and prepare the bidding process for the concession of all conservation units. The auction will be carried out by ICMBio. The projects will take into account the tourist potential and the stage of environmental preservation specific to each of the units.
This is the case, for example, of the Serra da Bocaina National Park, located between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, which is currently one of the four most visited parks in the country. Or the parks of Anavilhanas and Jaú, in Amazonas, which will be the first in the Amazon biome to be granted. The projection, in this case, is that ecologically responsible tourism will contribute to the conservation of an area covering almost 3 million hectares, the equivalent of countries like Slovenia or Israel.
The ten parks and forests are in the portfolio of the Federal Government's Investment Partnership Program (PPI), which seeks to expand investment opportunities and improve the infrastructure of services provided to citizens. Currently, there are 24 parks dedicated to visitation with concession services in Brazil, eight of which are federal.
Text translated using artificial intelligence.
