The evolution of Natural Monuments as a protected area category

Abstract

Protected areas are one of the main biodiversity conservation strategies today. They correspond to geographical spaces delimited, usually by legal means, and managed with the aim of ensuring the long-term conservation of nature. There are several types of protected areas, both internationally and nationally, such as Parks, Ecological Stations, among others. Natural Monuments are one of these categories of protected areas, whose objective is to preserve rare, unique natural sites or sites of great scenic beauty. The objective of this article is to carry out a historical rescue of the term “natural monument”, as well as the institution of these territories, in Brazil and in the world. For that, we used bibliographical research as a scientific methodology. The results of this research indicate a complex history of the institution of Natural Monuments in Brazil and in the world, in which the concepts and meanings attributed to these territories have undergone several transformations over time. Etymologically, the word monument has three meanings: memory, history and monumentality (aesthetic beauty). Although the term “natural monument” emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, its conception underpinned the creation of the first National Parks in Brazil and the USA. The first uses of the respective term refer to the laws protecting the cultural heritage of some countries, such as Brazil and Japan. It was only from the 1940s onwards that Natural Monuments began to be seen as a category of protected areas. Despite this, the definitive displacement of the term “natural monument” from heritage protection policies towards the establishment of protected areas only occurred in the 1990s, in the international context. In Brazil, such displacement occurred after the enactment of Law 9,985, of 2000. Over the years, the concept of a natural monument has been changing, incorporating new meanings and suppressing others.