This book evaluates the implementation of environmental policies in developing countries based on a case study of protected area (PA) implementation in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It is argued that in developing countries the pressures of low incomes mean that governments tend to emphasize rapid economic development, with environmental protection given a lower priority. But in Bahia there was a rapid expansion in the number of PAs in the 1990s despite it being one of Brazil's most disadvantaged states. This is attributed to the potential of these new PAs to attract ecotourists and thus to promote economic growth, and also to decentralization of decision-making to development-oriented agencies. The focus of the book is on this decentralization and how it encouraged the creation of PAs. Wider lessons related to this theme are identified with much clarity for the benefit of researchers examining policy implementation or environmental protection in other developing countries.

The author's central argument is that in Bahia the approach of decentralizing some of the responsibilities for establishing PAs to development–oriented agencies has been highly effective. First, more PAs in total were established through this approach, because it allowed greater funding to be made available and also because local government support was forthcoming as development agencies were seen as offering them financial support. It is also contended that environmental priorities were prominent in this decentralization, despite the key roles of development-focused organizations. This was because ecotourism as a form of development requires a high quality environment and also because there was an independent system of checks and balances from the state's environmental organizations. Another benefit of Bahia's approach was that environmental protection was integrated within the mainstream economic development agenda.

The book identifies wider implications for researchers interested in political science and in the issues surrounding policy implementation, notably the typical obstacles to implementation in developing countries and potential strategies to overcome them. It also has direct relevance and importance for academics researching PAs and their political and institutional origins and arrangements, and for those evaluating the roles of tourism in PA policies. The focus on policy implementation issues in the establishment of PAs is fairly original, which makes this book an especially valuable addition to the literature. The analysis is ably researched and well informed, there is good use of endnotes to support the arguments, and it draws on a strong range of research literature on policy implementation. This case study is too specialized to be very widely used by undergraduate or postgraduate students in environmental management or tourism fields, but it would be very valuable for their supplementary reading.

It is perhaps surprising that the study does not relate its research themes to recent theoretical perspectives, notably the political economy of multi-level governance, tourism-environment relations, and of the ‘neo-liberalizing’ of the environment. Yet the book has undoubted strengths, notably the coherence and clarity of the analysis, of the sequencing of material through the chapters, and of the explanations of its various arguments. In the clarity and precision of its arguments, this is an exemplary text. The interpretations are generally very thorough and convincing. De Oliviera's key recommendation from the Bahia case is that ‘governments should make an effort to integrate environmental policies to the mainstream development policies by decentralizing policy implementation to development-oriented agencies’ (p. 8). Here the author might be a little more cautious, however, as no detailed evidence is presented in the book about the strength of environmental conservation measures on the ground in Bahia's PAs and about the degree of resistance to the over-development of tourist facilities. Environmental policy implementation in developing countries involves more than establishing PAs and their institutional arrangements; it also depends on sustained practical implementation over a long period.