Assessment of research groups on natural protected areas and their public use in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of the Brazilian scientific community to knowledge generation concerning Brazilian protected areas and to identify research groups focused on the public use of such areas. A systematic search was performed in the database of the Research Groups Directory of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), an organization under the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação). The search yielded 177 research groups on protected areas, formed by 3872 members, including researchers, undergraduate students, graduate students, and technicians from different areas of scientific knowledge distributed across the country. However, the research groups were concentrated in the southeast and south of Brazil. They were mainly linked to federal educational institutions, and they had a strong academic background and considerable scientific production. However, few groups study the public use of protected areas; thus, there is space for new research in this area. Based on the results, government incentives for the formation of research groups in the less represented regions to study the public use of protected areas and for the adoption of strategies to disseminate knowledge produced beyond academia are recommended.