Contribution of collective action to Environmental Education processes in the integrated management of coastal commons in Rocha, Uruguay

Abstract

This paper presents the results of the characterization of collective action experiences for the recovery of (common) goods, their contributions to Environmental Education and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Rocha, Uruguay. Based on the qualitative analysis of primary and secondary information reviewed, systematized, and triangulated from the surveyed experiences, six dimensions and their analysis categories are identified. These are territorial registration, referring to the location of the coastal stretch registered at the third government level and territorial planning instruments; temporality, which accounts for the period from the creation to the last activity date; actions, given by the objectives, activities, and outcomes of the experiences; types of common goods to be recovered; EE processes, indicating the type of contributions for raising awareness and building environmental citizenship; and finally, processes related to relationships with other social actors in the areas of action involve. Over the ten years studied, valuable contributions to Environmental Education and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, were found in the experiences analyzed. The Education and Integrated processes mostly show rather conservationist and pragmatic trends, although in several cases, they have achieved medium-term trajectories. Many of the cases introduce critical perspectives in the search for solutions and demands from the managers, allowing them to go beyond the problem diagnosis. More than twenty coastal collectives were found, organized around the recovery of (common) goods. The generated dimensions and categories respond to experiences framed in the funding calls reviewed, but they can serve as the basis for reviewing and adjusting the study of other collective action experiences.