Environmental policy: To the state, institutionalisation, to civil society, action. Comments on the Rio Cocó State Park

Should it be up to the State to assume all the duties in an environmental policy, or should it involve the action of civil society in fostering sustainable local solutions? This paper aims to discuss this issue based on an investigation of the historical process of delimitation and regulation of the Cocó State Park, located in the city of Fortaleza and a biophysical component of the largest hydrographic basin in the region. The methodology entails bibliographic and desk research, in addition to examining cartographic databases. The results of the study revealed that urban green areas, a constant target of the fragmentation imposed by real-estate speculation, suffer directly from the slowness of government legal responses and point to the decisive role of socio-environmental movements in the process of recognizing and safeguarding protected areas.