Unidades de Conservação Ambiental – uma Análise Pragmatista da Gestão e dos Modos de Existência Organizacional de uma Estação Ecológica

Abstract

Protected areas are the main instrument used for protecting and conserving nature (UN, 2018). In Brazil, these areas are called Unidades de Conservação (UCs), or Conservation Units in English, and despite their territorial coverage and the complexity of their problems, they have not been properly studied by the area of administration. As a result, in this article we aimed to broaden the understanding about the modes of existence, as well as about the management of a protected area in a particular territory. For this, we took a pragmatist epistemological approach, favoring action above all. The study material derives from ethnographic research using participant observation at a UC managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity (ICMBio). As results, we identified three distinct modes of existence of the organization, namely: environmental education; production of expertise; and protection and inspection of nature. The analysis of these modes of existence enabled a better understanding of how specific organizational configurations emerge that situationally position the actors in different ways, engendering collective action and its management. Finally, we forge arguments that highlight possible contributions of a pragmatist epistemology to the organizational analysis of UCs.

O Itinerário Epistemológico de Herbert Simon aos Limites da Racionalidade

“…Essa discussão prossegue nos tempos correntes e é expressada, de modo geral, no frequentado confronto entre teorias administrativas e teorias críticas. O debate sobre as racionalidades envolvidas na atuação dos agentes organizacionais permanece, dessa forma, assunto candente (Bizarria, 2019;Matarazzo & Serva, 2019). É possível dizer que se trata de um dos aspectos teóricos que ajudaram a moldar os próprios estudos em gestão e organizações, remontando, de um modo ou de outro, a Herbert Simon.…”

Herbert Simon’s Epistemological Itinerary on the Limits of Rationality

“…This discussion continues in the present day and is generally expressed in the frequent clash between administrative theories and critical theories. The debate concerning the rationalities involved in the actions of organizational agents thus remains a heated topic (Bizarria, 2019;Matarazzo & Serva, 2019). This debate is one of the theoretical aspects that helped shape the study of management and organizations that can be traced, in one way or another, to Herbert Simon.…”