Historical contextualization of environmental and territorial governance as a public policy instrument

Abstract

This article aims to frame the historical events in the Mucujún River sub-basin protected zone in order to recognize and compare the ways in which governance is exercised, that is, the proper implementation of public policies as instruments of environmental planning and urban processes. The research identifies and presents chronologically three important moments or events in the historical context of environmental and territorial governance. The first precedes the creation of the Mucujún River sub-basin protected zone. The second historical moment encompasses the reasons that led to the creation of the Area Under Special Administration Regime (ABRAE) in 1985, a type of protected zone, for the purpose of water production. The third moment corresponds to how the ABRAE's public policies have been applied. All of these factors gave rise to the legal framework for protecting the natural resources of the Mucujún sub-basin with sustainability criteria, given its importance as a water source.
It is inferred that there are institutional, technical, and legal weaknesses in environmental and territorial governance regarding the application of public policies in the Mucujún protected area. In other words, this case highlights the need to strengthen the integrated management mechanisms of the ABRAE (Area of ​​Special Administration) to ensure compliance with the regulatory guidelines applicable to local plans for sustainable urban development over time, thereby reinforcing water security. This article contains an abstract, introduction, theoretical framework, methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, and bibliographic references.