The Union and the government of Pernambuco signed an agreement to share responsibility for the administration of the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha. Located around 545 kilometers off the Brazilian coast, the set of 21 islands, islets and rocks covers an area of around 26 km², is considered a World Natural Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and a of the main tourist attractions in Brazil.
The agreement – signed with the participation of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio); the State Agency for the Environment (CPRH); from the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services and the Federal Heritage Secretariat (SPU) – was filed for analysis by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) this Friday (10). It is up to the Court to give the final word on the constitutionality and validity of the shared management pact.
According to the Advocacy-General of the Union (AGU), the objective of the initiative is to encourage cooperation between the Union and the state government, in order to adjust the administrative and tourist management of the archipelago to the norms of environmental protection, defense of biodiversity, sustainable use of resources natural resources and the proper use of the soil and local territorial planning.
Limits
Also according to the AGU, the document delivered to the STF provides that, until the completion of a new sustainability study, the entry of tourists to the archipelago should not exceed 11,000 people per month and 132,000 per year.
The pact also prohibits the expansion of the current urban perimeter and provides for the possibility of regularizing existing properties and improvements in cases where this is legally and environmentally possible. In situations where the buildings erected violate environmental standards, the properties must be demolished.
If the STF approves, the agreement will be valid for an indefinite period and can only be replaced by a new agreement between the parties with the approval of the Court. In addition, the Union and the government of Pernambuco must create a monitoring and management committee that will be responsible for monitoring the effective fulfillment of the obligations established for each of the federal and state bodies or institutions involved. The committee will be composed of two state representatives and two from the Union.Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, AGU, STF
