
The article discusses the process of establishing and managing the Brasilia National Park, highlighting the critical relationship between the protected area and human activities in its surroundings (and interior). The text introduces the regulatory aspects of the Brazilian context and develops by referring to a national and international body of bibliographical references on environmental conservation. The core of the essay presents and discusses the results of a field research, which allows the authors to highlight potentials and limitations related to the uses of local natural resources, particularly with regard to the conservation of hydrological sources of the territory, fundamental for communities and economic activities in the Brasilia area.