Cross-border protected spaces between Portugal and Spain, conservation of nature and territory

Abstract

From the beginning of the 21st century, the Iberian countries assumed the IUCN guidelines and transformed their legal framework for Protected Areas, also creating transnational protected spaces, which are the cross-border parks of the Douro river and Gerês-Xurés, inserted in two Reserves of Biosphere. Researching the Laws, the existing relationship between core humans in their dimension and density in the Protected Area, aspects of space use and forests, objectives and actions, using current official information, field surveys and geographic information software, it can be understood that in these countries the protection policy understands nature as a resource, which must be preserved for its use, that resident populations are prioritized in protectionist decisions, including the hunting permit within the parks, perpetuating itself the imbalances generated by society in these territories. There is greater conservation in areas with lower population density, with a less modern and developmental expression than in areas where progress is encouraged and agriculture has a strong base in agriculture/wine growing.. Thus, Portugal and Spain are inserted in word borderless conjugating laws and territories in a very similar and common way.