Organizing-with Nature: A Study on the Ecologies of Practices in Brazilian Conservation Units

Objective: this article aims to investigate the ways in which organizing-with nature is mobilized within the ecologies of conservation/preservation practices in Brazilian conservation units (CUs). Theoretical approach: drawing inspiration from Donna Haraway and Isabelle Stengers, we propose a perspective on organizing that blurs the boundaries of the nature-culture divide. Guided by the understanding that all organizing is inherently organizing-with — necessarily involving practices of composition — and that certain modes of organizing give rise to more-than-human modes of existence and frictions between diverse worlds, we introduce the notion of organizing-with nature as an analytical-conceptual tool for understanding the ecologies of conservation/preservation practices within CUs. Method: the empirical body of the study was constructed through semi-structured interviews with individuals directly involved in conservation/preservation work in Brazilian CUs. The data were analyzed qualitatively in dialogue with literature reviews and documentary research. Results: organizing-with nature in CUs is mobilized through the coexistence of more-than-human life forms within the ecologies of conservation/preservation practices. In these ecologies, the frictions between worlds generate zones of mutual capture and constraint, whose outcomes are deeply entangled with relationships of territorial belonging. Conclusions: this article contributes to the field of organizational studies by discussing how organizing processes are (re)produced in becoming-with, within the relational networks that emerge from the frictions among ecologies of conservation/preservation practices. Finally, we explore the cosmopolitical implications of our study for addressing the complexities involved in the management of conservation units.