A decree signed this Monday (7) by President Jair Bolsonaro included the following conservation units in the National Privatization Program (PND) of the federal government: the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park, in Rio de Janeiro; the Serra da Canastra National Park and the Serra do Cipó National Park, both in Minas Gerais; the Caparaó National Park, located on the border between Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo; and the Ipanema National Forest, in São Paulo. The initiative received a recommendation from the Partnership and Investment Program (PPI) board. 
According to the government, the objective is to promote the concession of these areas to the private sector for the execution of public services to support visitation, with provision for funding actions to support conservation, protection and management.
“The structuring of conservation units to receive visitors materializes an important vector of economic development for the regions where they are located. In this way, the implementation of concession projects will increase the national and international tourist flow, with consequent benefits for the region, including the generation of employment, income and socio-economic development, the increase in tax collection, the improvement of dialogue with the surrounding communities and the services provided to the local community and to visitors”, highlights the presidency in a note. The decree will be published in the Official Diary of the Union (DOU).
The new conservation units are added to others that are in the process of being granted by the federal government and are part of a contract signed between the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) and the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), with support from the Ministry of the Environment (MMA).
In all, 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 do Cipó (MG) and Caparaó (MG/ES), in addition to the national forests of Brasília (DF) and Ipanema (SP).
The work involves technical studies contracted by the BNDES, with provision for the modeling of projects and the preparation of the bidding process for the concession of conservation units. The auction will be carried out by ICMBio.
