Abstract
The concession of tourist services in National Parks, based on public-private partnerships, consti-tutes the main mechanism for public use management of this category of conservation unit in Brazil. This model's option is justified by its sustainability potential, capable of converging con-servationist and economic interests. This ability has been questioned, mainly regarding the possi-bilities of local communities' participation in management, an essential aspect of the proposal, which aims to be a governance reference. In this article, we sought through a bibliographic re-view, to reflect on how participatory processes are configured in the scope of the implementation and management of these concessions. The analyzes identify the prevalence of economic rational-ity in decision-making and great difficulties in considering socio-cultural values in management, including the resolution of land and social conflicts that occurred with the implementation of the parks themselves. Social participation is conceived in rhetorical terms or in a subordinate way. Historical exclusion patterns are perpetuated under eco or sustainable qualifications under strong appeal to ecotourism, but without real connections with the proposal. In this context, it is im-portant to pay attention to the adoption of public policies effectively guided by a sense of eco-tourism capable of promoting the integration of tourism with socio-cultural diversity, nature con-servation, and opportunities for local governance development.
Keywords
National Parks; Management models; Tourism; Governance