The next section will consider the literature on participation in development and in the resource management literature. We will then describe the community and the process in question, and then present findings related to the management plan negotiation process as well as the key themes that emerged related to participation. ICMBio is the Federal Authority responsible for governance of the protected area discussed in this paper. The government officials involved in the specific management process are staff of the Serra da Bocaina National Park (PNSB), and will hereinafter be referred to as PNSB. Community members with official roles in the negotiation process as members of the Park Management Council will be referred to as Councillors.