Public Policies, Ecosystem Services, and Environmental Governance in Brazil: An Analytical Review of Public Policies at Legal, Social, and Institutional Arrangements, at the Federal, State, and Municipal Levels

This chapter discusses environmental public policies considered as one of the governance devices that can influence the actions of agents and the institutional arrangement in Brazil. Governance is understood as a set of policies, regulatory models, and adherence to legal rules. Assuming the anthropocentric bias of the concept that is present in public policies, the chapter presents an outline of three environmental policies and strategic plans at different institutional hierarchical levels. They comprehend the proposition of public policies to mitigate climate change and water resources and investigate their conservation interests related to ecosystem services. The analytical review of public policies at legal, social, and institutional arrangements, at the federal, state, and municipal levels, made it possible to understand their implications for environmental governance. In the context of climate change, it indicates that there is a long way to go to stimulate and promote governance, considering the interdependence, trans-scalarity, dynamics, and complexity of ecosystem services. Thus, the importance and need to promote processes of education and social learning are highlighted, both for the understanding of the theme and for the elaboration of democratic, sustainable public policies that enable social control.