Avaliação das contribuições do consórcio público intermunicipal para a gestão compartilhada do Geoparque Seridó Potiguar

Abstract

This dissertation evaluates the contributions of the Intermunicipal Public Consortium to the shared management of the Geopark Seridó Potiguar territory. To this end, it describes the Geopark Seridó Territory located in the northeastern semi-arid region, in the south-central area of the State of Rio Grande do Norte. Then, it presents the governance structure of the Intermunicipal Public Consortium and its actions, identifying the contributions of this body to the shared management of the Geopark Seridó territory, as well as the challenges faced. Methodologically, it is classified as exploratory-descriptive research, with a qualitative approach. For data collection, documentary research and interviews with actors who are part of the governance structure of the Public Consortium responsible for the shared management of the Geopark Seridó Potiguar with its member municipalities (Acari, Carnaúba dos Dantas, Cerro Corá, Currais Novos, Lagoa Nova, and Parelhas) were adopted as strategies. The collected data were analyzed using the functionalist descriptive analysis technique and interpreted in the light of the literature. As a result, it was found that the Intermunicipal Public Consortium model, in addition to ensuring the participation of different actors in the governance of the Geopark Seridó, is enabling the development of cooperative actions to overcome common problems, allowing the Geopark's objectives to be met and facilitating the adaptation of management to political interferences. However, it has still contributed in an incipient way to improving the effectiveness of the Geopark administration, developing infrastructure projects, and maximizing the use of financial and physical resources. These contributions have generally been influenced by challenges related to scarce and/or restricted financial resources, which make it difficult to hire enough personnel to conduct the consortium's actions, the lack of a strategic action plan, and insufficient communication between members of the governance structure. In conclusion, despite the perspectives of contributions from this model for shared management, the Intermunicipal Public Consortium Geopark Seridó still faces challenges that have limited the scope of its contributions.