Territorial Planning and Sustainable Development: A Case Study from the APA São Francisco Xavier-SP

This article is a case study from the APA São Francisco Xavi- er, located in the municipality of São José dos Campos-SP, and aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this UC category as an instrument of ter- ritorial planning to fulfill its role of reconciling conservation and socio- economic development, based on the sustainable use of natural resourc- es. This study applied multi-methods - both qualitative and quantitative approaches - using fieldwork, participant observation, questionnaires, and geoprocessing to collect and analyze both primary and secondary data. The results demonstrate that APA promotes conservation, but is not free from threats and does not have effective and permanent means to guarantee the promotion of socio-economic development based on the sustainable use of its natural resources. The study suggests that ter- ritorial planning should be articulated between the levels of govern- ment, its different agencies, and the local community.