The conception of environment according to the social actors of Muzambinho - Minas Gerais

Abstract

The conception of environment may be responsible for how people deal with environmental problems. In general, in small towns these problems do not have big impact and thus, do not receive proper attention. This paper describes a case study with a qualitative approach that was carried out in Muzambinho, Minas Gerais. It aims to understand what the conception of environment is to the surveyed social actors. Since the city was considered to be a place of differences, all municipal secretaries, urban and rural associations, and institutions related to environmental and health areas participated in the study. The data was collected through focus groups and document analysis techniques. Six focus groups were formed and 43 representatives from 54 invited institutions participated. Documents collected from the speech of the participants and were related to the topic were considered for the analysis. All data underwent discourse analysis. Results show that most of the participants still see the environment in a fragmented way and emphasize the questions related to the natural resources rather than the social issues. It is also clear that these resources help the humanity, and that the relationship between men and nature is an interaction, although there is a human domain. The analysis of the discourses revealed not only the way society thinks but also the way it behaves. We consider that there is an urgent need to (re)define environment, since we will only propose significant changes once we understand its complexity.