commitments by the Brazilian state.
43 The Marine Resources Policy must be compatible with other maritime and environmental policies and is entrusted with creating
and coordinating the following Plans: quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine
Resources (PSRM); the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC);
44 and the
Brazilian Continental Shelf Survey Plan (LEPLAC)—as examined below.
The quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine Resources are one of the outcomes
of the Marine Resources Policy, whose objectives are to assess the economic,
scientific and environmental potential of the seas, as well as to monitor the living
and oceanographic phenomena and climate elements of marine areas under jurisdiction.
45 Each Sectorial Plan is a long-term document, profoundly informed by the
three strategic objectives of the that Policy, namely: training of human resources;
research development, marine science and technology; and encouraging the exploitation and sustainable use of marine resources. In order to fulfill such objectives, the
PSRMs unfold into a variety of specific actions, some of which have fulfilled their
objectives and did not make it to the following Plan; some which are still ongoing
and, therefore, continuously make it into the next Plan. Each subsequent plan
engages in continuing the efforts of previous plans, deepening actions which may
be deemed more urgent, and perfecting implementation techniques and
methodologies.
46
From an operational perspective, each Sectorial Plan is coordinated by the
Interministerial Commission on Marine Resources and executed by a Committee
composed, among others, of the Ministry for the Environment and the Brazilian
Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). Ultimately, the Plans have been inspired by the goals to manage and use marine
resources in a sustainable fashion, as well as guaranteeing the fair and equitable
distribution of the benefits derived from their use at the national level. The first
PSRM was adopted in 1982, while the current one—the ninth—is valid from 2016
until 2019.
The Plans’ early editions focused on generating knowledge on the marine environment, so that a sustainable use of marine riches could be possible. In line with the
national policy which informs the plans’ actions and measures, the initial PSRMs
43 Art. 4, PNRM.
44 In 1988, Brazil drafted and approved the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC), Act
no. 7.661/1988, a direct outcome of the National Policy for Marine Resources and the National
Environmental Policy. Due to the absence of references within the Plan to the continental shelf, core
of this study, it does not deserve a detailed analysis. For more information of the concrete measures
and actions included in the Plan, see Maria Luiza Machado Granziera and et al., Os Desafios
Ambientais Da Zona Costeira (Essential Idea, 2014).
45 List of quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine Resources thus far: I PSRM (1982–1985); II
PSRM (1986–1990); III PSRM (1990–1994); IV PSRM (1994–1998); V PSRM (1999–2003); VI
(2005–2008); VII (2008–2011); VIII (2012–2015); IX (2016–2019). As of April 2020, there had
been no news on the adoption of PSRM X.
46 In public policy studies, this feature would be described as an “incremental process”, in which
plans and actions are cumulative, usually not departing from scratch. See Souza (2006), p. 29.
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9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...
43 The Marine Resources Policy must be compatible with other maritime and environmental policies and is entrusted with creating
and coordinating the following Plans: quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine
Resources (PSRM); the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC);
44 and the
Brazilian Continental Shelf Survey Plan (LEPLAC)—as examined below.
The quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine Resources are one of the outcomes
of the Marine Resources Policy, whose objectives are to assess the economic,
scientific and environmental potential of the seas, as well as to monitor the living
and oceanographic phenomena and climate elements of marine areas under jurisdiction.
45 Each Sectorial Plan is a long-term document, profoundly informed by the
three strategic objectives of the that Policy, namely: training of human resources;
research development, marine science and technology; and encouraging the exploitation and sustainable use of marine resources. In order to fulfill such objectives, the
PSRMs unfold into a variety of specific actions, some of which have fulfilled their
objectives and did not make it to the following Plan; some which are still ongoing
and, therefore, continuously make it into the next Plan. Each subsequent plan
engages in continuing the efforts of previous plans, deepening actions which may
be deemed more urgent, and perfecting implementation techniques and
methodologies.
46
From an operational perspective, each Sectorial Plan is coordinated by the
Interministerial Commission on Marine Resources and executed by a Committee
composed, among others, of the Ministry for the Environment and the Brazilian
Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA). Ultimately, the Plans have been inspired by the goals to manage and use marine
resources in a sustainable fashion, as well as guaranteeing the fair and equitable
distribution of the benefits derived from their use at the national level. The first
PSRM was adopted in 1982, while the current one—the ninth—is valid from 2016
until 2019.
The Plans’ early editions focused on generating knowledge on the marine environment, so that a sustainable use of marine riches could be possible. In line with the
national policy which informs the plans’ actions and measures, the initial PSRMs
43 Art. 4, PNRM.
44 In 1988, Brazil drafted and approved the National Coastal Management Plan (PNGC), Act
no. 7.661/1988, a direct outcome of the National Policy for Marine Resources and the National
Environmental Policy. Due to the absence of references within the Plan to the continental shelf, core
of this study, it does not deserve a detailed analysis. For more information of the concrete measures
and actions included in the Plan, see Maria Luiza Machado Granziera and et al., Os Desafios
Ambientais Da Zona Costeira (Essential Idea, 2014).
45 List of quinquennial Sectorial Plans for Marine Resources thus far: I PSRM (1982–1985); II
PSRM (1986–1990); III PSRM (1990–1994); IV PSRM (1994–1998); V PSRM (1999–2003); VI
(2005–2008); VII (2008–2011); VIII (2012–2015); IX (2016–2019). As of April 2020, there had
been no news on the adoption of PSRM X.
46 In public policy studies, this feature would be described as an “incremental process”, in which
plans and actions are cumulative, usually not departing from scratch. See Souza (2006), p. 29.
258
9 The Environmental Dimension of the “Brazilian Blue...