Curso gaúcho de gestão participativa: uma experiência na capacitação de gestores de unidades de conservação no Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

In 2010 and 2011 three servers of the State Secretariat of Environment of Rio Grande do
Sul (SEMA/RS) participated in ongoing training in participative management by the Chico Mendes Institute
for Biodiversity Conservation. As a finalization project they decided to adapt the content in a course at the
local sphere to the servers of protected areas of Rio Grande do Sul: the Gaúcho Course of Participatory
Management. The course, held in 2012, was based on being prepared in a participatory manner from the start
of their organization to the planning and execution of activities. The course was conducted in three modules
and attended ten SEMA’s /RS servers, four from municipal protected areas, one from federal protected area
and two from Bahia’s protected areas. The themes of the three modules were: Principles of Participatory
Management in Protected Areas; Facilitating Participatory Processes and Socio-environmental Conflicts and
Support Tools Facilitating Participatory Processes. As methods used in the planning and execution of this
course were used adaptive management cycle, the mobile viewing, the Learning-by-doing, the cycle of
experiential learning, group work and case studies. The methodology chosen to conduct the course sought
to take advantage of prior knowledge and experiences to address local issues suggested by the organizers
and by learners. The theme of participative management was new to the learners, who judged relevant
to the execution of its management activities of protected areas. In their evaluations learners pointed, as
factors that facilitate learning and consistent with their needs, methodology, logic activities and contents.
The course was successful in its methodological approach, since it allowed the exchange of information
and broad participation in a true experience of learning by doing. The share of people working in different
spheres of government, with different experiences and realities, was crucial to the reflections and learning,
as well as for the course. Some issues discussed in the course are already being implemented in protected
areas involved.